Cleaning contract template: the ten clauses that prevent disputes

1. Parties, dates, and service address

Obvious but frequently sloppy. Full legal business name (not the DBA alone), client's full name, the exact service address, the start date, and whether the agreement is ongoing or for a fixed number of visits.

2. Scope of work — the clause that saves the most arguments

Attach an itemised checklist by room. Then, just as importantly, list exclusions explicitly. 'Standard cleaning' means something different to every homeowner alive.

• •Included: rooms, surfaces, and tasks, listed by room
• •Excluded: exterior windows, biohazard, mould, pest debris, heavy lifting
• •Excluded: interior oven, interior fridge, laundry, and interior windows unless booked as add-ons
• •Clutter policy: cleaning is not tidying; heavily cluttered areas are surface-cleaned only

3. Schedule and duration windows

Give an arrival window, not an arrival time — two hours is standard. Traffic and an overrunning previous job should not put you in breach of your own agreement.

State the frequency, the day of week, and how holidays are handled.

4. Price, payment terms, and rate changes

State the price per visit, what triggers an additional charge, when payment is due, and the accepted methods. Add a rate-review clause: 'Rates may be adjusted annually with 30 days' written notice.' Without it, every increase becomes a negotiation.

Card on file charged on the day of service is the norm now, and it removes the collections problem entirely.

5. Cancellation and lockout policy

The most valuable paragraph in the document. Standard terms: 24 or 48 hours' notice required; late cancellations charged at 50%; a lockout — where the crew arrives and cannot get in — charged at 100%, because you paid your cleaner and lost the slot either way.

6. Access, keys, alarms, and pets

Specify how the crew gets in (lockbox code, key, smart lock, client home), who holds keys and how they're stored, alarm codes and who's responsible for disarming, and how pets are handled.

Add the line that protects your team: the client must secure aggressive animals during service.

7. Damage, breakage, and claims

Say plainly that you carry general liability insurance, that damage must be reported within a defined window (48 to 72 hours is standard) so it can be verified, and that certain items are excluded — antiques, unsecured art, unstable furniture, and anything the client has been asked to move and hasn't.

8. Non-solicitation of staff

Clients hiring your cleaner directly is common and expensive. A non-solicitation clause with a defined period (commonly 12 to 24 months) and a stated buyout fee makes the expectation clear up front.

Enforceability varies by state — check yours — but the deterrent value is real regardless.

9. Satisfaction guarantee, bounded

A re-clean guarantee converts better than a refund guarantee and costs you far less. Standard wording: report concerns within 24 hours and the affected areas are re-cleaned at no charge. Define the window, or you'll get a complaint about a clean from three weeks ago.

10. Termination and governing law

Either party may terminate with 14 or 30 days' written notice. Name the state whose law governs. Two sentences, and it ends any argument about whether someone can walk away.

Before you use any template

This is a checklist of what to cover, not legal advice, and cleaning regulations and employment rules vary considerably by state. Have a local attorney review your final version once — it's typically a one-off cost of a few hundred dollars and you'll use the document for years.

Then get it signed digitally at booking. A contract that lives in a drawer unsigned protects nobody.