MANAGING MULTI-TENANT OFFICE BUILDING CLEANING

multi-tenant office cleaning

MANAGING MULTI-TENANT OFFICE BUILDING CLEANING

multi-tenant office cleaning

Managing a multi-tenant office complex comes with a lot of responsibilities. First and foremost among those responsibilities is ensuring that your tenants are happy. As a property manager, you understand the value of retaining tenants. Tenant retention is much less expensive than tenant acquisition and existing tenants come with fewer surprises.

One key to tenant satisfaction is a clean and inviting property and satisfied tenants are less likely to move on to another facility. There are many approaches to multi-tenant office building cleaning. Some property management firms choose to leave the responsibility for the cleaning of individual office spaces to the tenants themselves, while others offer professional cleaning services that include individual offices. Regardless of your approach, having a plan for managing the cleaning of your facility is key to your success.

Here are a few tips for maintaining a clean and inviting multi-tenant complex that will help will help with tenant retention and make acquiring new tenants easier should the need arise:

HIRE A COMMERCIAL CLEANING COMPANY

Managing the cleaning requirements of a multi-tenant facility in-house is an enormous responsibility. It is not a one-person job which means you will need to hire a cleaning staff and someone to train and manage that staff. You will then be responsible for payroll, benefits, uniforms, and equipment costs – not to mention the costs associated with recruitment and hiring the staff in the first place.

Outsourcing your facility’s cleaning requirements to a qualified commercial cleaning company relieves you of most, if not all of these responsibilities. In addition, a qualified commercial cleaning company will have trained staff, processes, and protocols already in place so that they can hit the ground running without the inevitable pitfalls of on-the-job training. 

A professional cleaning provider will bring many additional benefits to the table. They will provide their own cleaning chemicals and equipment, they are bonded and insured, they manage and pay their staff, they provide well-trained cleaning personnel, and they are obligated and motivated to perform well.

DECIDE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT 

You will need to decide if your tenants will be responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of their individual office spaces or if you will provide cleaning services for the entire property. There are pros and cons to both approaches.

Providing professional cleaning services as a perk for your tenants is an appealing amenity that many will appreciate. In addition, having one company manage all of the cleaning responsibilities throughout your office complex ensures consistency and quality. It also means that you can set the standards of cleanliness for your facility rather than leaving it up to individual tenants.

On the other hand, this perk comes at a cost. You will pay more for commercial cleaning services and will likely accommodate the added cost through higher rental rates. This may make tenant acquisition more challenging. It may be worth it to speak with your commercial cleaning provider about discounted rates for your tenants and leave the decision up to them. 

Either way, making every effort to utilize the same provider for your entire office complex will make everyone’s life easier and ensure quality services, consistent standards, and more effective communications among you, your tenants, and your provider.

SET AND POST A CLEANING SCHEDULE

Whether you decide to manage the cleaning for the entire complex or allow tenants to manage their cleaning requirements, you will want to set a schedule with your cleaning provider. This is particularly important if your cleaning provider will be managing your entire complex. It is also a vital step for large Muti-tenant complexes as these may require multiple days to thoroughly clean.

For most office environments after-hours cleaning is most appropriate. This allows cleaning crews to work without distractions and does not interfere with day-to-day office operations. Large complexes and office buildings may require a cleaning service to work every evening to accommodate the number of tenants being serviced.

A commercial cleaning service with experience in multi-tenant office complexes will be very helpful in setting up a cleaning schedule, will make every effort to accommodate the needs of individual tenants, and will even establish individual points of contact for every tenant in your building. This ensures that every tenant gets what they require from your commercial cleaning provider without you having to manage every individual request.

CONSIDER ENLISTING A DAY PORTER FOR COMMON AREAS

Many commercial cleaning providers offer day porter services that can be of great benefit to large office complexes. Unlike the cleaning crews that work after hours, day porters work to maintain your facility throughout the workday. They provide essential cleaning and maintenance services during business hours and can become an integral part of your staff.

In addition, day porters can often manage day-to-day tasks that would typically interrupt your workflow. Signing for and receiving packages, facilitating third-party contract workers, or replacing a burned-out lightbulb are just a few of the tasks a day porter can help with.

Day porters also provide a visible cleaning presence throughout the workday. This helps reassure customers and tenants that you take their health and safety seriously and are willing to go the extra mile to ensure a clean and sanitary environment.

LOOKING FOR A QUALIFIED COMMERCIAL CLEANER?

Complete Care Maintenance provides professional multi-tenant office building cleaning services in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. With over five decades of industry experience, we can manage office and facility cleaning at scale. Let us help you build stronger relationships with your tenants through professional cleaning services.