Skip to content

Cleaning & maintenance

Cleaning and maintenance of business premises

Offices, shops, industrial sites, residences: describe your cleaning and maintenance needs, then compare quotes from cleaning, window, grounds and hygiene companies.

Post a requestView requests
  • Free, account created only when you publish
  • Verified businesses (company number checked)
  • Drawings visible to members only

Entrusting the upkeep of your premises to a specialist company means day-to-day cleanliness without managing staff, equipment or products. But a cleaning contract is a commitment that needs preparation: without a precise description of the need, quotes cannot be compared, and the standard of cleanliness expected gets argued over afterwards.

Cleaning and maintenance of business premises brings together varied trades: office cleaning for offices and shops; industrial cleaning of workshops and warehouses; housekeeping for business clients (concierge services, residences, hotels, managing agents); window and facade cleaning; grounds maintenance; hygiene and pest control; business and furnished-let concierge services; and waste management and clearance of premises. Each has its own techniques, safety rules and price factors.

This page offers a three-step method: write your specification well, choose between a regular contract and a one-off job, then know the obligations that apply. Meaflow is a platform for businesses only: you post a free request, companies reply with price quotes and you choose.

All trades

Each page details the services, what drives the price and advice for making your request a success.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping for furnished lets, residences and staff accommodation

Concierge services

Concierge services for businesses and furnished lets: reception, keys, linen, small services

Waste & clearance

Waste collection and sorting, skips, premises clearance, recycling, WEEE

Writing a good cleaning specification

The specification lets every company price the same thing. It does not need to be long, but it must be precise on five points. The specification generator helps you structure it.

  1. Areas and premises: address, area by zone (offices, toilets, corridors, workshops, glazing), type of floors and surfaces, number of toilets, plan if possible.
  2. Frequencies: daily, weekly and periodic services (windows, carpets, floor restoration). Rank the zones rather than treating everything at the same frequency.
  3. Hours: possible working windows (before opening, evenings, daytime, weekends), access, keys, badges, alarm, security instructions.
  4. Consumables and products: who supplies paper, soap, bags and dispensers; any requirements on products (safety data sheets, environmental labels) and on equipment.
  5. Quality control: result criteria, inspection checklist, visits with the supplier’s manager, liaison book, deadline for putting right any defect.

Add the contract term you want, the start date and your confidentiality requirements. A site visit before the quote avoids discrepancies. For a specific trade, see the dedicated page, for example office cleaning or window and facade cleaning.

Regular contract or one-off job?

The regular contract

It suits everything that repeats: office cleaning, grounds maintenance, changeover cleaning, a preventive pest control contract. It guarantees a stable level of service, staff who know the site and a predictable price. It binds both parties over time: read the term, renewal, notice period, price review and restoration terms carefully.

The one-off job

It answers an isolated need: post-construction cleaning, a deep clean before an opening or audit, emergency rodent control, facade washing, tree work. The cost per hour worked is often higher, because the company alone bears the mobilisation of teams and equipment, but you do not commit over the long term.

Many sites combine the two: a routine maintenance contract, supplemented by periodic services (windows, carpet shampooing, floor stripping, hedge trimming) and on-demand jobs. State in your request whether you expect a single service, a contract, or a first visit followed by a contract. After building work, final cleaning can be included in the project: see renovation and fit-out of premises.

Obligations and points to watch

  • Prevention plan: when an outside company works on your premises, the French labour code (Code du travail) provides for a prior joint inspection and a joint risk analysis, leading to a prevention plan (plan de prévention), which must be in writing in certain cases (in particular for hazardous work or a large number of hours).
  • Transfer of staff: when you change provider in France, the national collective agreement for cleaning companies provides, under certain conditions, for the employees assigned to your site to transfer to the new provider (annex 7). This obligation falls on cleaning companies, but mention the change in your request so they plan for it.
  • Client’s duty of vigilance: above an amount set by decree, you must obtain documents showing the company’s social compliance (Urssaf vigilance certificate, registration), at signing and then periodically.
  • Insurance and certificates: ask for the professional liability insurance certificate. Meaflow checks companies’ SIRET numbers (French company registration), not their insurance or certifications: those checks are up to you.
  • Regulated trades: pest control requires the Certibiocide for certain products; work at height and in confined spaces calls for trained staff.

Other trades on Meaflow

One platform for your manufacturing, construction, maintenance, logistics and business services needs.

Frequently asked questions

A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.

How do I find a cleaning company for my premises?

Describe your need in a request: areas, frequencies, hours, consumables, quality control. Interested companies ask you their questions and send their price quote, which you compare before choosing. A site visit before the firm quote is advisable. For a specific request, see the page for the trade concerned.

How is the price of a cleaning contract calculated?

The price depends mainly on the labour time required: area, type of surfaces, frequency, hours, consumables supplied and access constraints. For other trades (windows, grounds, pests), equipment and the scale of the need also count. Compare quotes based on the same specification rather than picking the lowest price.

What happens to the staff if I change provider?

In France, the national collective agreement for cleaning companies provides, under certain conditions, for the employees assigned to your site to be taken on by the new provider (annex 7). This rule binds cleaning companies. Mention the change in your request so that bidders build the transfer into their offer and explain how it will be handled.

Is a prevention plan compulsory?

As soon as an outside company works on your premises, the French labour code provides for a joint inspection and a risk analysis. The prevention plan must be in writing in certain cases, in particular for hazardous work or above a certain number of hours. If in doubt, put it in writing with the supplier: it is good practice that protects both parties.

Does Meaflow check companies’ insurance?

No. Meaflow checks the SIRET number (French company registration number) of registered companies, but does not verify their insurance or certifications. Ask for the certificates (professional liability, vigilance, Certibiocide or training depending on the trade) before signing. Meaflow is for businesses only: individuals cannot post requests.

Something to outsource?

Describe it in a few minutes and compare quotes from cleaning and maintenance companies. It’s free.

Post a requestView requests

Are you a cleaning company?

Create your profile for free and reply to the requests that match your trade.

Become a supplier