/ Communal cleaning

Communal Cleaning for Managing Agents in London

Harmony Cleaning provides daily, on-site communal cleaning for managing agents, block managers, resident management companies and freeholders running large residential and mixed-use developments across London. We put a dedicated cleaning team in your building every weekday, so entrances, stairwells, lifts, bin stores and car parks stay at the standard residents, directors and inspections expect.

Our contracts are built for blocks of 100 or more apartments and multi-block estates, typically 50 hours a week or more, with a full-time cleaner, a part-time colleague and a named account manager who answers to you.

Get a free quote Call 020 8092 8835
Cleaner mopping the polished floor of a modern apartment block entrance lobby
  • Fully Insured£10M liability
  • DBS Checked StaffEnhanced screening
  • ISO 9001 & 14001Quality + environment
  • 20+ YearsCombined Team Experience
  • Same-Day ResponseWithin 4 hours

/ Who it's for

Who our communal cleaning is for

Our communal cleaning service is designed for the people who answer to leaseholders, tenants and freeholders when a building starts to look tired.

  • Managing agents looking after several large blocks who want one contractor, one standard and one point of contact across the portfolio.
  • Block managers and estate managers who want a cleaner on site every weekday rather than a mobile team that calls in twice a week.
  • Resident management companies and right to manage companies that need a clear scope, clear reporting and a contractor the directors can hold to account.
  • Freeholders and large residential landlords with 100+ unit developments, multi-block estates or mixed-use schemes with shops at ground level.

If your building has several lift cores, a busy bin store and a car park that collects litter faster than a weekly visit can clear it, a daily on-site team is usually the right model, and it is the model we are built around.

/ What's included

What is included in daily communal cleaning

Every contract starts with a written scope agreed during the site survey. A typical daily specification for a large block covers:

  • Entrances and lobbies

    Entrance matting, glass doors and side panels, door furniture, post areas, concierge desks and floor care.

  • Stairwells and corridors

    Sweeping and mopping, handrails and banisters, skirting, light switches, fire doors and signage.

  • Lifts

    Lift cars, mirrors, stainless steel panels, control panels, door tracks and landing call buttons.

  • Bin stores and refuse rooms

    Sweeping, washing down, bin rotation on collection days and reporting overflow or fly-tipping.

  • Front windows and glazing

    Internal glass and ground floor external glass, with higher windows cleaned by reach-and-wash up to about 20 metres.

  • Bike stores and car parks

    Litter picks, sweeping, cobweb removal and reporting spills, damage and abandoned items.

Periodic work such as carpet extraction, hard floor strip and seal, high level dusting and deep cleans of bin stores is planned into the year. The daily team keeps the building presentable, and the periodic programme deals with what builds up over time.

  • 100+apartments per block
  • 50+hours a week on site
  • 1named account manager
  • 2-4weeks to go live

/ How it works

How the on-site cleaning model works

For a development of 100 or more units we normally recommend a full-time cleaner on site every weekday, supported by a part-time colleague for the busiest hours, bin days and the larger blocks. Most of our communal contracts run at 50 hours a week or more.

Your on-site team works to a rota mapped to the building: which cores and floors are cleaned on which days, when bin stores are turned round and when the car park is walked. Residents see the same faces every weekday, and the team gets to know the building, its access points and its problem areas.

  • A named account manager who visits regularly, checks standards and is your single point of contact.
  • Holiday and sickness cover from trained relief staff, so the building is never left without a cleaner.
  • Vetted, uniformed staff who know the scope, the building rules and how to speak to residents.
  • Colour-coded equipment and products, stored safely in an agreed cleaner's cupboard on site.
Clean residential corridor with lift doors in a modern London apartment building

One cleaning team in your building every weekday, not a van that calls in twice a week.

/ Reporting

Reporting and compliance for managing agents

Managing agents need to show leaseholders, directors and freeholders that the service charge is paying for a real service. We make that straightforward.

  • Photo-evidenced visit reports showing the areas cleaned, the issues found and anything that needs your attention, such as damage, leaks or fly-tipping.
  • Risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) and COSHH records for every product we use, supplied before the contract starts.
  • Insurance documents, including £10m public liability cover, ready for your contractor file.
  • Regular quality audits by your account manager, with scores you can share at board meetings or residents' meetings.

When something needs a repair rather than a clean, the on-site team reports it the same day, with photos, so small problems are caught before they turn into complaints.

/ Switching contractor

Switching cleaning contractor without a gap in service

Most of the buildings we take on already have a cleaning contractor. Changing over does not have to mean a gap in service or a month of complaints from residents.

  1. 01

    Site survey and rota mapping in week one

    We walk every core, floor, bin store and car park with you and turn it into a written scope and rota.

  2. 02

    TUPE handled where it applies

    If the current cleaning staff transfer to us, we manage the consultation and the paperwork with the outgoing contractor.

  3. 03

    Insurance, RAMS and service level pack upfront

    Your contractor file is complete before the first shift.

  4. 04

    Keys, fobs and access

    We agree the handover of keys and fobs, alarm codes and storage space before day one.

Most communal contracts are live within two to four weeks of a signed agreement.

/ Cost

What affects the cost of communal cleaning

Every building is priced from its own survey, because two blocks with the same number of flats can need very different hours. The main factors are:

  • The number of units, blocks and lift cores, and the floor area of lobbies, corridors and stairwells.
  • How many hours a week are needed on site, and whether a part-time colleague is needed at peak times.
  • The size of the bin stores, the collection days and how much bin rotation the team handles.
  • Car parks, bike stores, podiums and other external areas included in the scope.
  • Periodic work such as window cleaning, carpet extraction and deep cleans.

We set out the hours, staffing and periodic programme in the proposal, so you can see exactly what the service charge pays for and compare proposals like for like.

/ Testimonials

What property and facilities managers say

We switched three buildings over to Harmony last spring. Zero drama, zero missed cleans, and our FM audits have never looked cleaner. The account manager is genuinely responsive.

Priya ShahHead of Facilities, 3 sites, EC2

They turned up for the pitch with a 40-page operations plan and a rota mapped to our meeting rooms. Twelve months in, they still deliver on every line of it.

Marcus WebbOffice Manager, 1 site, W1

The overnight team is invisible - which is exactly what you want. Reports land at 6am, issues are logged, and nothing slips between shifts.

Elena DuarteProperty Manager, 6 sites, Central

/ FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How many cleaning hours a week does a large block need?

It depends on the number of units, cores, floors and external areas. As a guide, a block of 100 or more apartments usually needs a cleaner on site every weekday, and most of our communal contracts run at 50 hours a week or more. We confirm the hours after the site survey.

Do you provide a cleaner on site every weekday?

Yes. Our communal service is built around a dedicated cleaner on site every weekday, with a part-time colleague for the busiest hours and trained relief staff for holidays and sickness.

Can you take over from our current cleaning contractor?

Yes. We survey the building, map the rota, prepare the insurance and RAMS, and handle TUPE where it applies. Most contracts go live within two to four weeks of a signed agreement.

How do you report on the cleaning to managing agents?

You receive photo-evidenced visit reports covering the areas cleaned and any issues found, plus regular quality audits from your named account manager that you can share with leaseholders and directors.

Which parts of London do you cover?

We work across Greater London inside the M25, with a focus on Central London, the City and the inner London boroughs.

How do we get a quote for our building?

Use the quote form, email admin@harmony-cleaning.co.uk or call 020 8092 8835. We arrange a site survey and send a written proposal with the scope, hours and staffing.

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