Stairwell cleaning in Ulm and Neu-Ulm
Every tenant sees the stairwell daily and nobody owns it individually. We clean it on a fixed schedule, on a fixed weekday, with a fixed person. Every visit is signed off, so it can be evidenced.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Fixed weekday, fixed person, every visit signed into the property log.
- Billed per residential unit per month, not per individual visit.
- A recoverable operating cost where the lease provides for it.
- Fixed price after a free site visit, combined quotes for several buildings.
What the service covers
The schedule of work states which surface is touched and how often. On every visit:
- Stair flights and landings mopped
- Handrails, balustrades and balusters wiped down
- Entrance and lobby including the barrier matting
- Flat entrance doors around the handle, letterbox and bell panel
- Light switches and hand-contact surfaces, basement stairs to the first door
- Cobwebs, loose litter, junk mail that misses the letterbox
Monthly or quarterly, itemised separately in the contract: basement passages, laundry and drying rooms, bicycle store, lift car, bin store.
Not included is anything that counts as maintenance: bulbs, door closers, grouting, a loose handrail. That is caretaking, and it belongs on a different invoice.
Frequency by building type
| Building type | Units | Recommended frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Apartment building, 2–3 storeys | 4 to 6 | fortnightly to weekly |
| Apartment building, 4–5 storeys | 8 to 12 | weekly |
| Residential block with lift | 12 to 24 | weekly, often twice weekly |
| Residential block with retail below | 12 and above | twice weekly |
| Furnished or student lettings | 10 and above | twice weekly |
| Commercial building, shared stairwell | commercial units | 2 to 5× weekly |
| Deck-access scheme, open entrance | 3 to 6 | fortnightly |
| Cellar, laundry, bicycle store | all types | monthly to quarterly |
Whatever the lease or house rules specify is binding and takes precedence over this guide.
Fixed day, fixed record
The most common complaint in stairwell contracts is that nobody turned up. It takes a minute to settle when the record is posted in the hallway. So this is how we work:
- One fixed weekday, no moving appointments
- One fixed person who knows the building and its quirks
- Every visit signed into the property log with date and initials
- Cleaning and caretaking commissioned and invoiced separately
That separation is not paperwork for its own sake. An invoice reading “property care, flat rate” forces the manager to strip out the cleaning share with nothing to evidence it. Separate line items cost the same and survive an inspection of the accounts.
Frequently asked questions
Can stairwell cleaning be recovered from tenants?
Yes — building cleaning is a recoverable operating cost under § 2 no. 9 of the German Operating Costs Ordinance, which names entrances, corridors, stairs, cellars, laundry rooms and the lift car explicitly.
Two conditions apply: the lease must provide for operating costs to be passed on, and the cost must be recurring. One-off special cleans do not qualify. We invoice in a form that posts straight into the statement.
How often does a stairwell have to be cleaned?
There is no statutory minimum; weekly is customary. Small buildings without a lift often manage on a fortnightly rota, while blocks with retail units or high turnover justify two visits a week.
Whatever the lease or house rules specify takes precedence. If they say weekly, a manager cannot unilaterally drop to fortnightly.
Can we replace the tenants' cleaning rota with a contractor?
Yes, but not by announcement alone. While the leases assign the rota to tenants, the change needs an amendment to those leases; in an owner association it needs a resolution of the owners' meeting.
The Kehrwoche rota is still common around Ulm, so we flag this in advance. On request we supply a scope description that can be used as the wording for the resolution.
Who provides water, power and cleaning materials?
The building provides water and power; we bring materials, machines and consumables. They are included rather than invoiced on top.
We need a tap inside the building, usually in the cellar or laundry, and an agreed means of access. Keys and fobs are logged and tracked.
A quote for your building
A free site visit, then a fixed price per unit per month with a full schedule of work. Managers with several buildings get one combined quote.