15 Questions to Ask an Office Cleaning Company Before You Sign
Your cleaners will hold keys and alarm codes and have the run of your building when nobody is watching. Get these answered first, from us or from anyone else you are considering for your office in Meridian, Eagle or Boise.
Janitorial bids come from different kinds of companies: owner-run local firms, franchise systems where each account is run by a separate unit owner, and national brokers that win the contract and hand it to a local subcontractor. These questions show you which one is actually bidding.
How to use this: check a box only when the company gave you a clear answer you could verify. “We’re fully covered” is not an answer. A certificate of insurance with your business named on it is.
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Start checking boxes as you get answers.
Who is in your building
Janitorial contracts are often resold. Find out who actually shows up at night.
In some janitorial systems, each account is run by an independent unit owner who carries their own insurance and sets their own standards. In others, the company that wins the bid hires a subcontractor to do the work.
Red-flag answer"Our independent operators," "our local partner," or any answer that avoids the word employee.
WannyPro answerEmployees. Every WannyPro cleaner is on Wanny Clean’s payroll, trained by us and led by a team lead.
National facility-management firms and bid brokers often win the contract, keep a share, and pass the work to a local company you never meet.
Red-flag answerThe proposal comes from a sales rep, a regional office or a brokerage, and the cleaning crew is "assigned after signing."
WannyPro answerYes. The people who walk your building and write the proposal are the company that cleans it.
A rotating crew never learns your building. A named supervisor means someone owns the result.
Red-flag answer"Our crews rotate," or a supervisor who covers a dozen accounts across a region.
WannyPro answerYou get a consistent crew with a named team lead. When someone is out, another trained member of our own team covers.
Keys, alarms and after-hours access
The building is empty when they work. Ask how access is controlled.
You want keys tracked to a person, alarm codes limited to the assigned crew, and a written plan for a lost key or a tripped alarm.
Red-flag answerKeys kept at a regional office, shared across accounts, or no written key policy.
WannyPro answerOnly the crew assigned to your building holds access, and access is tracked by name.
In a commercial space, the cleaner may be alone near files, computers, cash drawers and inventory.
Red-flag answer"Our operators are responsible for their own staff," or a check done once by a third party.
WannyPro answerYes. We background check every employee before we hire them.
Insurance and risk
Ask for paper with your business name on it.
In Idaho, an employer with even one employee must carry workers’ compensation, and the Industrial Commission lets anyone verify coverage online. Without it, an injury in your space can become your problem.
Red-flag answer"The unit owner carries their own policy," or a certificate that names a different company.
WannyPro answerYes. We carry workers’ compensation and liability insurance and send certificates on request. You can verify our coverage on the state website.
Insurance handles accidents. A bond covers dishonesty. You also need to know who you call and whether that person can authorize the fix.
Red-flag answer"File a claim with the franchisee," or a contract that disclaims responsibility for the crew.
WannyPro answerWe are bonded and insured. If something is damaged, you call us and we handle it directly.
Scope, floors and quality control
Vague scopes are where commercial cleaning contracts go wrong.
"Office cleaning" means different things. A scope that lists daily, weekly and monthly tasks by area lets you hold the company to it.
Red-flag answerA one-line proposal, or a scope that says "as needed."
WannyPro answerYes. Every proposal starts with a walkthrough and ends with a written scope, with tasks and frequencies by area.
Carpet extraction, hard-floor scrubbing and stripping and waxing take real equipment and trained operators. Subcontracted floor care adds another company to your building.
Red-flag answer"We’ll bring in a specialist," or a crew with only a vacuum and a mop.
WannyPro answerWe own and run commercial equipment, including an auto floor scrubber, and train our crews on it. Ask us about your specific floors.
A company that inspects its own work catches problems before you do. You should know exactly who to call and how fast they respond.
Red-flag answer"Just call the main number," or no inspection process at all.
WannyPro answerOur team leads inspect against a checklist. Call or email us, and the owners respond directly.
Know what is used in your space. Some contracts quietly bill supplies as a separate line.
Red-flag answerSupplies billed separately without a price list, or no safety data sheets on request.
WannyPro answerWe bring our own chemicals and equipment, and we can provide safety data sheets on request.
Price, contract and who gets paid
Read the term, the renewal and the exit before you read the price.
A bid built from square footage alone gets "adjusted" after the crew sees the building.
Red-flag answerA quote over the phone, or a price that changes after the first month.
WannyPro answerYes. We walk your space for free and give you a fixed price in writing.
Some janitorial contracts renew automatically, require notice windows of 60 or 90 days, or charge termination fees.
Red-flag answerAuto-renewal buried in fine print, a long notice window, or liquidated damages for leaving.
WannyPro answerOur agreements run 12 months. We put the term, renewal and termination terms in writing before you sign anything.
The number on the proposal should be the number on the invoice.
Red-flag answerSurcharges in the contract that the sales rep did not mention.
WannyPro answerNo hidden fees. The price in your proposal is the price on your invoice.
In some systems, a share of every invoice goes to a franchisor or broker. That share is money that never reaches the people cleaning your building.
Red-flag answerA corporate name on the contract and a local operator doing the work.
WannyPro answerNo. WannyPro is owner-operated. There is no franchisor, broker or royalty between you and the crew.
Take the unanswered questions with you
Copy the questions you have not checked off and paste them into an email or text to the company. A real company will answer in writing.
We answer all 15 before you ask.
WannyPro is the commercial division of Wanny Clean, a locally owned Meridian company. Every proposal starts with a free walkthrough by the people who run the business and ends with a written scope and a fixed price.
