Switching cleaning companies goes wrong in predictable ways. A gap between the old service ending and the new one starting. Keys that never came back. A new cleaner working off assumptions instead of a scope. All three are avoidable with sequencing.
Time the change
Check your notice period before you commit to a start date. Aim for overlap or a same-week transition. Old service ends Friday, new service starts Monday. A fortnight's gap is how sites end up visibly worse during a change that was meant to improve things.
Capture the scope before you switch
Don't carry assumptions across. Write down every area, task and frequency before the first service, or have your new arrangement document them. The switch is the one moment you can reset expectations in writing. Use it.
Run the handover list
Keys, access cards and fobs. Alarm codes: change or reassign them, don't just pass them along. Empty and reallocate storage areas. Confirm waste arrangements. Settle any equipment ownership. Record every item and who holds what.
Check the first week
Walk the site against the new scope in week one, while adjustments are easy and expectations are being set. What you accept in week one becomes the standard.
Tell your people
Staff should know the change date, what's changing, and who to contact when something's off. Otherwise feedback dies in the corridor.
Checklist. The handover:
- Notice period confirmed, dates locked
- Written scope in place before day one
- Keys, cards and fobs returned and reissued
- Alarm codes changed or reassigned
- Storage and equipment settled
- Waste arrangements confirmed
- Week-one walkthrough booked
- Staff told the date and the contact
Tradevero mobilisations run this list as standard.