Contracts for a maid or janitorial services in New Jersey may be far from your mind if you’re starting your little cleaning business. After all, you’re still trying to get clients — the legal stuff can wait, right?
Janitorial services in New Jersey contracts are, in fact, a vital element of keeping customers satisfied and preserving their business. It is because written contracts:
- Establish professional connections
- Define each party’s responsibilities.
- Client expectations should be managed.
- Become more consistent in your client interactions.
Cleaning contracts, in particular, can assist your maid or janitorial firm avoid common industry hazards like disagreements over what cleaning chores you’ll perform, how often you’ll deliver those services, and how and when the client should pay you.
But what should be included in your contract? To construct boilerplate client contracts, you’ll need the assistance of a lawyer, but first, let’s go through the basics of a good cleaning contract. The following elements are frequently addressed in a standard cleaning services contract.
1. Both parties’ basic information
The following information regarding your company and your client should be included in your contract:
Names, addresses, and phone numbers (email and phone numbers).
2. Services provided
Consider this part of being the contract’s muscle. You’ll better manage client expectations if it’s more detailed. After all, if you solely offer interior home cleaning, you don’t want your client to expect you’ll clean the gutters and wash the exterior windows.
Clients are less likely to sue you for misunderstandings if they know what to expect from your cleaning services. That is to say, give this section some thought and consider specifying:
Where will the work be done?
Make careful to specify which locations your company is accountable for cleaning and which areas it will not clean.
- Your working hours
- Define the length of each cleaning session, the number of times you’ll clean per month, and the hours and days you’ll be at the client’s location. If holidays are not included, make a note of them here.
Cleaning responsibilities
Make this task list itemized so your client knows exactly what you will and will not do. For example, make it clear which tasks are done daily, weekly, or monthly.
3. A list of materials
This section should state whether you or your client is responsible for providing paper products, garbage liners, and other similar items. If it’s you, choose when and how you’d like to be notified of restocking needs, as well as the cost of the service. It is especially true for cleaning companies that provide hotels and commercial office buildings.
4. Termination and renewal clauses
A long-term contract may be intimidating to homeowners and small company clients with whom you engage. If you’re thinking of using renewal and termination clauses, consider the following:
- Your contracts should be month-to-month.
- You want to give your company and the client the option to leave if they give 30 days’ notice.
- It can assist you in avoiding getting stuck with difficult or difficult customers.
5. Payment information
Don’t want to bother your customers with reminders that their payment is due? Make this part airtight after that. Make certain you include the following:
Amount of payment for the services described in the scope of services section
Due dates for payments
How would you charge for your services? (e.g., submit an invoice twice a month)
How would you like to be compensated? (e.g., check or credit card)
6. Dispute settlement
It is where a lawyer’s assistance may be required. Consult a lawyer on managing a disagreement regarding your services or the contract’s fulfillment. Your lawyer may, for example, include the following:
Steps to take if you have a problem with your services It may necessitate a client informing you of a problem before filing a lawsuit out of the blue.
A clause requiring arbitration
This necessitates both parties resolving their disagreement through arbitration. Unlike a lawsuit, in which both parties go to court, and a judge decides on an issue, arbitration is a process in which you and the client present evidence to an unbiased third party known as an arbitrator, who then makes a binding ruling on the matter. Even though this method still necessitates attorneys, it is much faster and less expensive than traditional litigation.