Updated 22 October 2026 · Avenclear Cleaning
Check your current contract
Find the notice period and any minimum term. Many cleaning contracts need one to three months' written notice. Note whether notice must be given on a particular date or in a particular form.
Understand TUPE
When one contractor takes over a cleaning service from another, the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 usually apply. This is called a service provision change. Cleaners who are mainly assigned to your site normally transfer to the new contractor on their existing terms and continuity of service.
The outgoing contractor must give the incoming one employee liability information, such as staff numbers, terms and any disputes, at least 28 days before the transfer. Ask for this early, because it affects the incoming contractor's costs and plans.
TUPE can be a benefit: experienced cleaners who know your building often stay on. A good incoming contractor will meet them, explain the new specification and retrain where needed.
Plan the handover
- Agree a start date with no gap between the last clean and the first
- Arrange key and alarm code handover, and change codes afterwards
- Walk the site with the new supervisor and agree the starting condition
- Consider a deep clean at the start, so the new team begins from a clean baseline
- Schedule the first audit within the first month
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Take advice on TUPE if your situation is complex.