A window cleaning contract looks simple: a price, a frequency and a start date. The problems show up later, when a tenant complains about spots after a storm, when your insurer asks for anchor records, or when four buildings are invoiced four different ways. After walking more than 400 buildings across Metro Detroit, these are the items we recommend every property manager puts in writing.
Scope and schedule
- A clear list of included surfaces: exterior glass, interior glass, frames, sills, entries, canopies and skylights.
- A calendar of visit months or weeks, not just a number of visits per year.
- Hours of work, including whether early morning, overnight or weekend work carries a premium.
- A named site lead who knows the building and a backup contact.
Vague scopes are the main source of disputes. If the lobby atrium glass or the parking structure elevator vestibules are part of the job, name them. If they are not, you want to know before the first visit.
Safety and compliance documents
For any work above ground level, your vendor should provide a written fall protection plan and follow ANSI/IWCA I-14.1. For rope access or suspended work, ask for a rescue plan and anchor inspection records. These documents protect you as much as the vendor if something goes wrong.
- Certificate of insurance with your exact additional insured wording.
- Workers compensation coverage for every technician, not subcontractors.
- Technician certifications: IRATA or SPRAT for rope access, ANSI A92 for lifts.
- Anchor and davit certification dates and who is responsible for testing.
If a vendor cannot send a COI and an access plan before the walkthrough is finished, that tells you how the rest of the contract will go.
Quality and remedies
Glass quality is visible from the street, so define what happens when it falls short. We include a 72-hour spot re-clean for anything missed and a free re-clean of rain-spotted exterior glass within five days on contract accounts. Whatever your vendor offers, it should be written down with a clear way to request it.
- A re-clean window for missed areas, typically 48 to 72 hours.
- A rain or weather clause stating what triggers a free re-clean.
- Photo completion reports so you can verify work without a site visit.
- A defect reporting process for failed seals, cracked glass and loose panels.
Pricing and billing
Ask for a fixed per-visit price by building and a clear rule for price changes. Multi-year agreements often lock rates for two years with a cap on annual increases. If you manage several buildings, request a single monthly invoice with per-building line items and your purchase order numbers. Our Southfield portfolio client saved an estimated 31 administrative hours per quarter just by consolidating billing.
Termination and changes
Finally, include a 30 or 60 day termination for convenience and a process for adding or removing buildings. Portfolios change, and a good contract should make that easy rather than forcing a renegotiation every time you acquire a property.
If you would like a sample scope and contract outline based on your buildings, send us your address list. We return a bid package with access plans, COIs and a fixed annual schedule within 48 hours.
