Housekeeping Contract

What is a Housekeeping Contract?

A housekeeping contract can be defined as a legal document that binds the client and an organization that offers housekeeping services. The contract is also known as a cleaning agreement, and it contains the service requirements of the client. There are usually two parties involved in a housekeeping agreement, a client and a housekeeping agency.

In a housekeeping agreement, a competent housekeeping agency is hired by a firm or enterprise to perform a cleaning job. The agency then provides an apt workforce and resources to fulfill the demanded actions for a fixed price.

The consideration of the contract is determined beforehand; however, under special circumstances, additional remuneration can arise in the contract. The contract discloses all the necessary details regarding the cleaning job, resources required, time limit, specific needs, and the concerned area. The involved parties must act according to the guidelines provided in the housekeeping agreement and fully perform their designated jobs. The housekeeping contract steers the agency’s actions towards the specific premise, be it factory, household, or office.

Who Takes the Housekeeping Contract?

There must be at least two parties partaking in a housekeeping contract, namely the hirer/client and a hiree/cleaning agency. Under specific circumstances, more than two parties can take part in the agreement dealings.

In the housekeeping agreement, the client pays a fixed amount to the hired housekeeping agency for the cleaning resources and manpower they provide.

Purpose of the Housekeeping Contract

The housekeeping agreement is useful for any premise when there’s a need for thorough cleaning or minor maintenance. After forming a cleaning agreement, both the involved parties are bound by law to perform their assigned tasks, i.e., cleaning for housekeeping agency and payment for the hirer.

A housekeeping contract must be formed by a client seeking to hire a cleaning agency as it facilitates duties and accountability. Moreover, the contract can be used as evidence in legal dealings. For example, Rajesh Co. has an office situated in Green Park, and the premise is in dire need of maintenance and cleaning. The firm decides to hire ABC Cleaners to take hold of the cleaning job. In this case, Rajesh Co. should form a legal contract to bind ABC Cleaners for ensuring service standards and job performance as well. As for ABC Cleaners, a contract can be their assurance regarding the decided payment.

Contents of the Housekeeping Contract

Numerous factors must be considered and aptly fulfilled before finalizing a housekeeping agreement. These said factors are:

• Payment Terms: The parties should agree on a fixed amount, remuneration method, and payment deadlines, as well.
• Working Hours: The working hours of the hired agency or worker must be disclosed beforehand.
• Service Expectations: The client must express the service standards they expect from the cleaning agency.
• Jobs and Duties: The roles and duties of both parties must be decided upon before contract formation.
• Holidays and Leave Policy: The contract must account for the holidays granted provided and leave policies.
• Establishment Restrictions: Any restricted area must be explicitly conveyed to the housekeeping agency.
• Housekeeper Details: The competencies and the skills of the housekeeper that would be sent, along with the requirements to be provided for her must be mentioned
• Contact of Housekeeper: The contact details of each housekeeper that would be sent to the location should be conveyed. If there will be a rotating shift, the details of the staff must be given to the contractee.
• Work Location: The location of the work, and area covered under the contract must be mentioned. Any changes — increase or decrease in the work area — must be duly communicated to the agency or the housekeeper in writing.
• Miscellaneous: Payment cycles, any benefits offered, termination policies, what constitutes grounds for termination, when will a request for a change of housekeeper be granted must be written clearly.
• Contract Termination Terms: Every involved party must be aware of the events and actions capable of terminating the contract.

Additionally, a cleaning contract can consider the following factors as well:

1. Chain of Communication
2. Premise Access
3. Taxes
4. Pet and Child Policy

How to Draft the Housekeeping Contract?

Drafting this agreement is a straightforward task, but the sequence of events may seem intricate to the parties. Here is how a cleaning agreement can be drafted:

1. Need Arousal: Initially, the client/hirer must feel the need to hire a cleaning agency for the maintenance of their office premises.
2. Performance Capability: After accepting the need for cleaning, the client should then look for competent agencies suitable for their needs. If the scale of operations is large or the premise needs utmost precaution, then the client should only opt for a reliable agency.
3. Offer Making: After aptly evaluating the available prospects, the client should then make a reasonable offer to the suitable candidate.
4. Negotiations: The terms of the contract and consideration amount must be adequately negotiated before proceeding further.
5. Acceptance: The cleaning agency should unconditionally accept the agreement; otherwise, the contract terms should be revised.
6. Additional Factors: Crucial aspects like enterprise access, contract duration, payment procedure, and termination terms must be established beforehand.

While forming a housekeeping agreement, both the client and the cleaning agency must properly negotiate the contract policies. Every concerned party must consider the below-mentioned points while negotiating the agreement terms:

1. The housekeeping agency must be granted apt premise access and rights to let them properly perform their jobs.
2. The consideration amount should be reasonable.
3. No single party should be granted more privileges over others.
4. Responsibilities and accountability must be equally divided, as well.
5. A proper payment channel must be established to facilitate quick and smooth dealings.

Benefits of the Housekeeping Contract

There are numerous advantages to forming an agreement, and some of them are:

1. Accountability: Hiring an agency facilitates the privilege of establishing accountability for the client.
2. Specialization: Hiring professionals to perform cleaning jobs ensures the quality standard and quick performance as the agency excels in the said line of work.
3. Supervision Facilitation: The client can not only oversee the cleaning tasks but can also supervise it if need be.
4. Satisfactory Results: Hiring a reputable agency ensures the maintenance standards to be top-notch.
5. Additional Pros: A reliable agency offers after-task support, as well.

What Happens in Case of Violation?

Housekeeping contracts are governed by federal and state laws. These laws govern how courts interpret the clauses in the contract. While federal law dictates the scope, state laws dictate interpretation. This division makes every involved party obligated to perform their assigned tasks. In case any party fails to do so, then it can be considered a breach of contract. In such cases, the aggrieved party gains the right to sue the other party for damages and losses.

For example, XYZ Co. hired ABC Cleaners for a cleaning job and agreed to pay a specific amount for the same. In this case, if XYZ Co. fails to pay ABC Cleaners for their actions, then they will be held accountable. On the other hand, if ABC Cleaners fails to perform their job, then it would make them liable to compensate XYZ Co.

Even though the guidelines regarding the violation(1) are straightforward, it still has several additional aspects.

1. The aggrieved party must prove that the contract existed.
2. The alleged tasks or actions were assigned to the other parties.
3. It was other parties’ actions or inability to perform that caused them harm.

A housekeeping contract is an agreement between a client and a housekeeping agency where the agency is paid a certain amount to perform specific tasks. The agreement must enlist the primary requirements of both parties, and apt negotiations should take place before the contract formation. The agency is hired to clean and maintain a particular premise for which they are reasonably remunerated.