A small accounting firm on Flinders Street signs a new cleaning contract. On the first night, the cleaner arrives at 7pm and finds the front doors locked, nobody at the security desk and no swipe card that works after hours. The cleaner leaves and the bins stay full until Wednesday.

CBD offices come with rules most suburban sites don’t have. Office towers have building managers, security desks, contractor inductions, goods lifts and set hours for after hours access. Cleaning your floor is only part of the job. Getting into the building, up the lift and back out again is the other part.

This guide explains how office cleaning works in Adelaide’s CBD and North Adelaide, what the building usually handles, what your cleaner handles, and what to sort out before the first clean.

Quick answer: In most CBD office buildings, the building’s own cleaner handles common areas such as the lobby, lifts and shared bathrooms, while each tenant arranges cleaning inside its own tenancy. Before booking a cleaner, check your lease and building rules for after hours access, contractor inductions, insurance requirements and loading dock or parking arrangements. Commercial cleaning in Adelaide usually costs $32 to $56 per hour.

Base Building Cleaning vs Tenancy Cleaning

This is the first thing to check, because it decides what you’re paying for.

Base building cleaning is arranged by the building owner or manager. It usually covers the main lobby, lifts, shared corridors, common bathrooms, end of trip facilities and the building’s exterior entry. The cost is often recovered from tenants through outgoings, depending on the lease.

Tenancy cleaning is arranged by each tenant. It covers everything inside your leased area: desks, your kitchen, meeting rooms, floors and any bathrooms inside your tenancy.

Some buildings require tenants to use the building’s nominated cleaner for tenancy cleaning as well. Others let you choose. Your lease or the building’s tenant handbook will say which.

Building Rules That Affect Cleaning

After hours access

Most CBD towers lock their main entries after business hours. Cleaners usually need a swipe card or fob for after hours access, sometimes registered with security in their own name. Ask building management how contractors get access, and arrange cards before the first clean.

Contractor registration and induction

Many buildings ask contractors to register with building management before they start. They may need to provide a public liability certificate and WHS documents, and complete a building induction covering emergency procedures and exits.

Security desk sign in

Some buildings have a security desk that is staffed after hours. Cleaners may need to sign in and out each night.

Goods lifts and loading docks

Buildings may ask contractors to use the goods lift and the loading dock entrance rather than the main lobby, especially when carrying equipment such as carpet cleaning machines.

Waste and recycling

Each building has its own waste rules, such as where bins go, which recycling streams are collected and when. Your cleaner needs to follow them.

Noise and timing

If your floor is shared with other tenants who work late, the building may limit noisy work, such as vacuuming, to certain hours.

Parking and Getting Equipment In

Parking in the CBD is limited and expensive, and cleaners often carry vacuums, mops and supplies. Ask your building whether there’s contractor parking, a loading zone or access through the loading dock. If not, the cleaning company will need to plan how to get equipment in, and that may affect the price.

Small Offices in Shared Buildings

Many CBD businesses lease a small suite in a shared building, often a few rooms off a common corridor with shared bathrooms. In these buildings, check whether your tenancy cleaning includes your own small kitchenette, whether the shared bathrooms are cleaned by the building, and whether you share a bin area with other tenants.

A small suite may only need cleaning two or three times a week. A clear scope helps keep the price fair.

North Adelaide and Character Offices

North Adelaide and the city fringe include offices in heritage terraces and converted homes along O’Connell Street, Melbourne Street and nearby. These sites are closer to suburban offices: fewer building rules, but timber floors, small rooms, stairs and older bathrooms that need careful cleaning.

CBD Cleaning Checklist for Tenants

Before your first clean, confirm these with building management and your cleaner:

• Whether base building cleaning covers common areas
• Whether you must use the building’s nominated cleaner
• After hours access cards or fobs for the cleaners
• Contractor registration, insurance and induction requirements
• Security desk sign in procedures
• Goods lift and loading dock rules
• Waste and recycling arrangements
• Parking or loading zone access for cleaners
• Any noise or timing limits

A professional office cleaning Adelaide provider used to CBD buildings will ask about most of these during the site visit.

What It Costs

In Adelaide, commercial cleaning usually costs $32 to $56 per hour, or about $1.76 to $3.44 per square metre per clean, set as a fixed monthly price. CBD sites may cost a little more if access takes extra time, parking has to be paid for or work has to fit tight time windows. Ask for these to be shown clearly in the quote.

Questions to Ask a Cleaner for a CBD Office

Ask whether they already clean in CBD buildings, whether they can provide the insurance and WHS documents your building asks for, whether their staff will complete the building induction, and how they handle parking and equipment. Also ask who covers your site when your regular cleaner is away, because the replacement will need access too.

An experienced commercial cleaning Adelaide company should already have a process for this.

How Ms Clean AU Works With CBD Offices

Ms Clean AU provides commercial cleaning Adelaide SA businesses rely on, from our base at 71 Alexandra Street, Prospect, about ten minutes from the CBD. Our service areas include the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide. Every new site starts with a free on site assessment and a fixed written price. We can provide documentation for building management and procurement, including certificates of currency for our $20 million public liability insurance, and we inspect and report after every visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who cleans common areas in a CBD office building?
Usually the building’s own cleaner, arranged by building management. Tenants arrange cleaning inside their own tenancy.

Can I choose my own cleaner in a CBD building?
Often yes, but some buildings require a nominated cleaner. Check your lease or tenant handbook.

How do cleaners get into CBD buildings after hours?
Usually with swipe cards or fobs arranged through building management, sometimes with a security desk sign in.

What documents do CBD buildings ask cleaners for?
Often a public liability certificate, WHS documents and completion of a building induction.

Does CBD office cleaning cost more?
It can, if access, parking or tight time windows add time. Commercial cleaning in Adelaide usually costs $32 to $56 per hour.

Do you clean offices in North Adelaide?
Yes. Ms Clean AU’s service areas include North Adelaide and the Adelaide CBD.

Talk to Us About Your CBD Office

Ms Clean AU cleans offices across the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide. We start with a free on site assessment and give you a fixed written price.

Call 0480 321 027 or email [email protected] for your free quote.
Ms Clean AU, 71 Alexandra Street, Prospect SA 5082