How to Choose a Janitorial Contractor in the GTA: 12 Questions to Ask

1. Are the cleaners your employees, or are they subcontracted? Both models exist in the GTA, and neither is automatically wrong, but you should know which one you are buying. Employees are easier to train, screen and keep consistent. Subcontracted crews can mean that the people in your building are not the people whose standards you were shown in the proposal. Ask who employs the crew, who trains them and who answers if something goes wrong.

2. How are staff screened and trained? Cleaners have access to offices, files, stock and after-hours space. Ask what background screening is carried out before someone is placed at your premises, what initial training covers, and how often it is refreshed. For medical, financial or legal offices, ask how confidentiality expectations are communicated and recorded.

3. Will the same crew be assigned to us? Continuity is the quiet driver of quality. A stable crew learns your layout, your preferences and what has changed. Ask how often crews rotate, what happens when someone is absent and how a replacement is briefed.

4. Can you show us your insurance certificate? Ask for a current certificate of insurance for commercial general liability, and ask that your company or your landlord be added as an additional insured if your lease or insurer requires it. Check the expiry date and the named insured, and compare the limits with what your own insurer advises. A reputable contractor can produce this the same day.

5. What is your workers’ compensation status? In Ontario, workers’ compensation coverage is handled through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and your building or lease may require evidence of it. Ask for a clearance certificate or written confirmation of status, and confirm current requirements for your situation with your advisor. A contractor who cannot explain their own position is a risk to you.

6. Are you bonded, and what does that cover? Some clients want cover for loss or damage caused by employees. Ask whether the contractor carries it, what it covers and how a claim would be handled. Make sure the answer is in writing rather than in a sales conversation.

7. Will you provide a written scope of work, task by task? This is the most important document in the relationship. A good scope lists each area, each task and how often it is done, and states what is excluded. If a contractor is reluctant to put the scope in writing, the standard will be negotiated verbally, week after week.

8. Who supervises the crew, and how do you record inspections? Ask whether there is a supervisor separate from the cleaners, how often they visit, what they check and whether you receive the results. Documented inspections against a checklist are the most reliable way to keep a programme at the standard it started at.

9. How do we report a problem, and how fast will you respond? Ask for a named contact and a stated response time for routine issues and for urgent ones, such as a spill in reception or an unexpected event. Call the number during your evaluation and see what happens.

10. Which similar premises do you clean, and may we speak to them? A contractor who cleans medical suites is not automatically right for a warehouse, and the reverse is also true. Ask for references from premises like yours and call them. Ask what went wrong in the first three months and how it was handled; that answer reveals more than praise does.

11. What equipment and products do you use, and what do you expect us to supply? Clarify who provides chemicals, machines, paper products and liners. If you have requirements such as low-odour or eco-friendly products, disinfection protocols for shared areas, or specific floor care methods, raise them at this stage so they are reflected in the proposal.

12. What are the contract term, notice period and exit terms? Read these before you sign. Ask how long the initial term is, how it renews, what notice either side must give and what happens to keys, fobs and access credentials if the agreement ends. Fair terms let you leave if the standard genuinely falls, and give the contractor a reason to keep earning the account. Have your lawyer review the agreement before signing.

Once you have asked the questions, look at what comes back. A strong proposal is specific to your premises. It names the areas it will clean, sets out tasks and frequencies, explains how the crew will be staffed and supervised, and describes how the first weeks will run. A weak one could be sent to any business in the GTA with only the company name changed.

• A scope of work that reflects your walk-through, using your floor types, your hours and your priorities.
• Named responsibilities: who supervises, who you call and who covers them when they are away.
• A transition plan for the first month, including any initial deep clean the space needs.
• The evidence you asked for, attached rather than promised: insurance certificates, compliance documents and references.
• Clear commercial terms, including how changes to scope are handled during the contract.

The clearest proposals come in response to a clear brief. Spend twenty minutes on these points before you contact any contractor, and every conversation that follows will be shorter and more useful.

• What kind of premises is it, and what matters most: visitor impressions, hygiene, protection of expensive flooring, or minimum disruption to staff?
• How often is service needed, and at what hours can the crew work?
• Which areas are in scope, and which belong to the landlord or another contractor?
• What has gone wrong with previous arrangements, so that you can ask directly how the new contractor would prevent it?
• Who inside your organisation will be the day-to-day contact and who has authority to approve the contract?

Businesses in different parts of the GTA face different practical questions, from downtown tower access rules to parking and loading in suburban business parks. You can see how we approach commercial premises in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham and across the region on our city pages.

• Vague answers about who employs the crew or who supervises them.
• Reluctance to provide an insurance certificate or workers’ compensation confirmation.
• A proposal with no written scope, or one that is a single paragraph of general assurances.
• Pressure to sign quickly, or unusually long lock-in terms with no performance-based exit.
• References that are unavailable, or only ever from one type of premises.
• A sales process that never includes a walk-through of your actual space.

Score each contractor against the twelve questions, giving most weight to the written scope, supervision and references. Commercial terms belong in the decision, but read them last and alongside everything else, since a proposal that looks comfortable on paper and cannot answer questions four to eight will not look comfortable for long.

If you manage a condominium or a portfolio of buildings, our condo board RFP template lays out how to turn these questions into a formal request. If you are reviewing an office programme, the commercial office cleaning checklist gives you a ready-made scope to start from.