Who do we invoice, the agent or the management company?

Either. Most blocks are invoiced to the managing agent who recovers the cost through the service charge. Residents' management companies without an agent are invoiced direct. The specification and the visit record are the same in both cases, which matters when the block changes agent and someone has to evidence what was being paid for.

Do you clean bin stores?

Yes, where it is in the specification. Standard work is sweeping the floor, clearing spillage around the bins, wiping bin lids and keeping the route to the store clear. Jet washing is priced as periodic work because it needs water, drainage and a dry window. Fly tipped bulky items are reported to you rather than removed.

What happens if residents leave items in the corridor?

The cleaner cleans around them and notes it on the visit sheet, then reports it. Corridors and landings are escape routes, so anything stored there is a fire safety matter for the agent or the management company to take up with the leaseholder. We will not move or dispose of residents' property.

Can you hold keys or fobs for the block?

Yes. Keys and fobs are signed for at mobilisation and logged against the block. Where there is a door entry system with a tradesperson code, we prefer that, because it leaves a record of entry and removes the risk of a lost key triggering a lock change across the whole block.

How do you handle a block with no water supply in the communal areas?

It is common in older conversions. We bring water in, use flat mopping systems that need less of it, and where the block allows, arrange access to an outside tap. If neither is workable, the specification says so and the frequency of wet work is set accordingly, so nobody is promised a result the building cannot support.

Will the same cleaner come each week?

That is the aim, and it is the main reason blocks look better under a settled contract. The cleaner assigned to your block knows where the water is, which door sticks and which landing collects leaves. Holiday and sickness cover is briefed from the same written specification so the standard holds when the regular cleaner is away.

Communal Area and Block Cleaning in Manchester

Communal area cleaning for a Manchester block usually costs £60 to £180 per visit, depending on the number of floors, the lift count and whether bin stores are in scope. Most blocks run one or two visits a week on a fixed day. You get a written specification per block and a signed visit record the managing agent can pass to leaseholders.

Signs you need this

Leaseholders are emailing the managing agent about the entrance hall

Bin stores are overflowing between collections and nobody clears the spills

The cleaner's visit day has drifted and nobody can say when they came

Stair nosings and lift floors are marking and no periodic work is booked

Glazing in the entrance lobby has not been touched since the last agent

You are tendering a block and have no specification to send out

What a block cleaning visit includes

The visit follows the route a resident takes. Entrance matting and glazing at the door, the post area, the lift car and lift lobby, then every landing and stair flight down to the lower ground. Bin store last, because it is the dirtiest area and the equipment does not go back upstairs afterwards.

Within that route the tasks are simple and repeated: vacuum or mop the floors, wipe handrails and touch points, clean glass in doors and screens, remove cobwebs, empty any communal bin and check the lighting works. Anything broken or unsafe gets reported the same day.

What we check before quoting a block

Floor count and whether there is a lift, because a six storey walk up block takes far longer than the flat area suggests. The finishes next: carpet on landings holds grit and needs extraction on a programme, while terrazzo, tile and vinyl in older conversions need the right pad and the right dilution to stop them going dull.

Water and power in the communal areas is the question that catches people out. A good number of Manchester conversions have neither on the upper floors. Access is the other one: door entry codes, fob zones, tradesperson access windows and whether the bin store is on a separate lock.

Mill conversions and new build blocks

Ancoats and the Northern Quarter are full of mill conversions with exposed brick, steel and timber in the common parts. They look good and they hold dust. High level dusting on those blocks belongs on a quarterly line rather than a wishlist, or the ledges and the beams get worse every year.

New build blocks around Salford Quays, the city centre and along the river tend to have large glazed entrances, carpeted corridors and a lift lobby on every floor. The glazing is what residents judge the block on, so internal glazing usually earns a weekly line and external glazing goes on a reach and wash programme.

Keeping the service charge defensible

A managing agent gets challenged on cleaning more than almost any other service charge line. The defence is documentation: a written specification per block, a fixed visit day, a signed visit record and a periodic programme with dates. Hand those four to a leaseholder and the conversation usually ends.

We supply all four as standard, and the specification is written so it can be sent out to tender by anyone. That is deliberate. A block cleaning contract should be easy to check and easy to compare.

How the work runs

Block walk and specification

We walk the block from the bin store to the top landing, note the finishes, count floors, lifts and door entry points, and write a specification that states the task list and the frequency for each area.

Fixed visit day

Every block gets a set day and a set time window, so residents and the agent know when the cleaner is on site. Changes are agreed in advance rather than absorbed quietly.

Signed visit record

The cleaner signs a sheet at each visit, kept in the entrance or the plant cupboard. The managing agent gets a copy, which settles most leaseholder questions before they turn into a complaint.

Periodic programme

Carpet extraction, hard floor maintenance, internal glazing, high level dusting and bin store jet washing sit on a dated programme so the service charge budget can plan for them.

What it typically costs

Job	Typical range
Small block, one visit a week Up to around 12 flats, entrance, stairs and landings, no lift	£60 to £110 per visit
Mid size block, one visit a week Around 20 to 50 flats, lift lobby, corridors and bin store	£95 to £180 per visit
Second visit in the week Bins, entrance and lift take most of the time on a second visit	Add 70 to 85 per cent
Bin store jet wash Depends on access to water, drainage and the size of the store	£120 to £320 per visit
Communal carpet extraction Corridors and landings, usually annually with a minimum charge	£1.80 to £3.50 per square metre

Typical ranges for Manchester and the surrounding area , reviewed September 2026. Every quote is written and fixed before work starts.