The Optus Glean promise: predictability
Three pillars. Three commitments. No exceptions.
Predictable cost. One fixed monthly fee, set against a defined scope and an annual indexed review. No variable hours. No surprise invoices. No padded callout charges. Budgeted once, paid by Direct Debit, reviewed once a year.
Predictable presence. The site is cleaned every day it is meant to be cleaned. A named primary cleaner is rostered to your contract, supported by a named relief who is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard. The schedule does not depend on whether one person is available on one day.
Predictable freedom. A single point of accountability. One contract. One named manager. One number to call. Cleaning is no longer a problem the site has to manage — it is a service that runs.
Why cleaning in Ireland is structurally hard to get right
Most cleaning provision in Ireland — including in healthcare-adjacent settings — is delivered by a workforce that is structurally part-time and casual. A significant proportion of operatives across the sector also work as healthcare assistants in nursing homes, residential care, and acute hospitals. Cleaning shifts are typically taken when healthcare shifts are not available, and released when they are. This pattern is consistent with CSO labour data on accommodation, food, and administrative-support employment, and it is the underlying reason that buyers across Ireland encounter inconsistency from agencies they have contracted in good faith.
The pattern is reinforced by two background pressures specific to Ireland. Housing affordability limits the catchment for any role paying at or near the minimum wage. The Contract Cleaning Employment Regulation Order rate of €14.80 per hour for 2026, set under the Labour Court's sectoral employment framework, sits close enough to flexible care-sector pay that operatives drift toward whichever shift pays slightly more on the day. Both pressures pull cleaning staff away from contracted shifts and toward casual healthcare work.
The result, from the buyer's perspective, is the experience most practice managers, facilities leads, and procurement officers in Ireland describe: a clean that is half-completed when the contracted cleaner is available, missed entirely when they are not, and accompanied by recurring conversations with the agency about cover that may or may not arrive.
This is the structural problem Optus Glean is built to solve. Our operatives are fully PAYE-employed with guaranteed weekly hours, paid leave, and pension contributions under Irish auto-enrolment. They are paid above the ERO floor deliberately — because the structural reliability of the service depends on the cleaner choosing to remain in the role rather than rotating through casual healthcare shifts. A named primary cleaner is assigned to your site, supported by a named relief, both Garda-vetted and trained to Optus Glean's documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard.
Professional Apartment Block Cleaning in Ireland
If you are a director of an Owners' Management Company (OMC), a property management agent, or a residents' association committee member, you know the challenge: keeping communal areas clean, presentable, and compliant with your obligations under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011 — all within a tight service charge budget.
Optus Glean provides contract apartment block cleaning services across all 26 counties of Ireland. We clean hallways, stairwells, lifts, lobbies, bin stores, car parks, communal laundry rooms, and external pathways on a scheduled basis that matches the needs of your development. Every operative is Garda vetted, uniformed, and trained in our documented method statements.
We work with OMC directors, managing agents, letting agents, and housing associations to deliver a consistent, documented cleaning standard that residents notice and appreciate — and that stands up to scrutiny at your AGM.
The Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011: Your Obligations
Under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, every multi-unit development in Ireland must have an Owners' Management Company (OMC) responsible for the common areas. The OMC has a statutory obligation to ensure that common areas are maintained in good repair and condition. This includes cleaning.
Key obligations that apply to communal area cleaning include:
- Duty to maintain common areas — Section 13 requires the OMC to provide common area services including cleaning, maintenance, and waste management.
- Annual service charge budget — Cleaning costs must be included in the annual service charge budget, presented at the AGM, and approved by a majority of unit owners.
- Sinking fund contribution — Major periodic cleaning works (such as external pressure washing or car park cleaning) can be funded from the sinking fund.
- Insurance requirements — The OMC must ensure that any cleaning contractor carries adequate public liability and employer's liability insurance. Optus Glean carries €6.5M PL and €13M EL.
If your OMC is currently managing cleaning informally or relying on a single caretaker, a professional contract cleaning service with documented specifications and quality audits is the most reliable way to meet your statutory obligations and protect the directors from liability.
What Is Included in Apartment Block Cleaning?
Our apartment block cleaning specification covers every communal area in your development:
Internal Common Areas
- Entrance lobby and foyer: floor cleaning, mat maintenance, glass door and panel cleaning, post box area tidying
- Stairwells: sweeping and mopping all flights, handrail wiping, skirting board cleaning
- Corridors on every floor: vacuuming or mopping, wall spot-cleaning, light switch and door handle sanitisation
- Lift interiors: floor cleaning, mirror polishing, button panel sanitisation, door track cleaning
- Communal laundry rooms: machine exterior wiping, floor cleaning, lint trap cleaning
- Communal storage areas and bicycle stores
Bin Stores and Waste Areas
- Bin store cleaning and deodorising
- Floor cleaning and drainage clearing
- Bin presentation for collection days
- Recycling area tidying and contamination removal
- Quarterly deep clean and pest prevention
External Common Areas
- Car park sweeping, litter picking, and trolley/debris removal
- Pathway and pavement sweeping
- Entrance gate and ramp cleaning
- Communal garden furniture wiping (seasonal)
- Seasonal tasks: autumn leaf clearing, winter salt and grit spreading for pathways
For developments that also need communal window cleaning, external pressure washing, or washroom consumable supply, we can bundle these into a single contract with a single invoice — simplifying administration for OMC directors and management agents.
Per-Block Pricing Tiers
Apartment block cleaning is priced per development based on the number of units, floors, and communal areas. Below are indicative monthly pricing tiers for 2026:
| Development Size | Frequency | Monthly Price (indicative) |
|---|---|---|
| Small block (10–20 units, 2–3 floors) | 2x per week | €300 – €500/month |
| Medium block (20–50 units, 3–5 floors) | 3x per week | €500 – €900/month |
| Large development (50–100 units, multiple blocks) | 5x per week | €900 – €1,500/month |
| Major development (100+ units, multiple buildings) | Daily | €1,500+/month |
All pricing is exclusive of VAT. Every contract is quoted after a site survey, so you receive a price tailored to your specific development rather than a generic estimate. Volume discounts are available for management agents with multiple blocks.
Frequency Options
We offer flexible cleaning schedules to match the needs and budget of your development:
- Twice weekly — Suitable for smaller, well-maintained blocks with lower footfall. Typically Tuesday and Friday.
- Three times weekly — The most common schedule for medium-sized developments. Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
- Five times weekly — For larger developments or blocks with high footfall, young families, or commercial units at ground level.
- Daily — For major developments where the standard demands continuous cleaning presence.
- Monthly deep clean — Supplementary deep cleaning of all communal areas, including high-level dusting, carpet extraction, and bin store deodorising.
Seasonal Services
Irish weather creates seasonal cleaning demands that many cleaning companies overlook. Optus Glean includes seasonal tasks in our apartment block contracts:
- Autumn — Leaf clearing from pathways, car parks, and entrance areas. Gutter and drain clearing to prevent waterlogging.
- Winter — Salt and grit spreading on communal pathways and car park ramps to prevent ice and reduce slip risk. This is a health and safety obligation for OMCs.
- Spring — Post-winter deep clean of all external areas. Pressure washing of pathways, bin stores, and car park surfaces to remove winter grime, moss, and algae.
- Summer — Communal garden and outdoor seating area maintenance. Window cleaning programme for communal windows.
Why OMC Directors Choose Optus Glean
Managing an OMC is a volunteer role, and most directors do not have time to manage multiple service providers. Here is why OMCs and management agents choose us:
- Single invoice for multiple services — Cleaning, washroom consumables, window cleaning, and pressure washing on one contract, one invoice, one point of contact.
- Documented cleaning specification — A written spec that details exactly what is cleaned, how often, and to what standard. This is your evidence at the AGM.
- Quality audit reports — Regular site inspections by our operations managers, with photographic evidence and issue tracking.
- Garda vetted staff — Essential for residential environments where cleaning operatives have access to building interiors and communal key systems.
- Full insurance cover — €6.5M public liability and €13M employer's liability protects the OMC from exposure to contractor liability.
- National coverage — For management agents with portfolios across multiple counties, we provide consistent service standards nationwide.
For Management Agents
If you manage a portfolio of apartment developments across Ireland, Optus Glean can serve as your single cleaning partner for all properties. We offer:
- Portfolio pricing with volume discounts across all managed blocks
- Standardised cleaning specifications adaptable to each development
- Centralised reporting and a dedicated account manager
- Seamless onboarding of new blocks added to your portfolio
- Annual service charge budget templates for OMC AGMs
How Optus Glean handles staff shortages
Every Optus Glean contract is staffed on a redundancy model rather than a single-person model. A named primary cleaner is assigned to the site at contract start. A named relief is assigned alongside them. Both are PAYE-employed by Optus Glean, both are Garda-vetted, both are inducted on the site's specific layout, access protocols, and colour-coded equipment system, and both are trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard. Substitution is built into the contract from the first day, not arranged on the day cover is needed.
Sick day cover. When the primary cleaner is unable to work, the named relief is deployed. The site site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence by SMS or email, with the name of the relief who is attending. The relief follows the same task list, uses the same equipment, and finishes within the same window. The standard of clean is unchanged because the relief was prepared for this scenario before the absence happened.
Annual leave cover. Annual leave is rostered weeks in advance and the relief is scheduled to cover the full leave period. The site is informed at the start of the leave period — not on the morning leave begins. This is the same model used in clinical rota management: known absences are pre-staffed, not improvised.
Long-term cover. If the primary cleaner is absent for more than two weeks (extended illness, parental leave, bereavement leave), cover is drawn from the wider trained bench rather than relying on the single named relief. The site is kept informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration. Continuity of standard is maintained because every operative on the bench is trained to the same documented standard.
Permanent reassignment. If the primary cleaner moves to a new permanent role within Optus Glean — promotion, relocation, retirement — the relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable, a new relief is trained on the site, and both are introduced to the site before the handover takes effect. There is no day on which the site discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed.
Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the site's risk to absorb. The buyer pays a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope to be delivered, every day it is meant to be delivered. The mechanism by which we deliver it — primary, relief, bench, retraining — is our cost to manage and our risk to carry.
Frequently Asked Questions About Apartment Block Cleaning
How much does apartment block cleaning cost in Ireland?
Apartment block cleaning in Ireland typically costs between €300 and €1,500 per month depending on the size of the development, the number of units, the number of floors, and the frequency of cleaning. Small blocks (10–20 units) start from around €300/month for twice-weekly cleaning. Large developments (100+ units) with daily cleaning and multiple buildings can cost €1,500+ per month. Optus Glean provides per-block pricing after a site survey.
Who is responsible for cleaning communal areas in an apartment complex?
Under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, the Owners' Management Company (OMC) is legally responsible for the maintenance and repair of common areas in multi-unit developments. This includes cleaning of hallways, stairwells, lifts, lobbies, car parks, bin stores, and external communal areas. The OMC typically funds cleaning through annual service charges collected from unit owners.
How often should apartment common areas be cleaned?
Apartment common areas should be cleaned at least twice per week for smaller developments. Larger blocks with 50+ units typically require 3 to 5 cleans per week. Lifts, entrance lobbies, and bin stores may need daily attention. Deep cleaning of all communal areas should be scheduled monthly or quarterly. The ideal frequency depends on the number of residents, footfall, and the standard expected by the OMC.
Are landlords responsible for cleaning common areas?
In multi-unit developments governed by an OMC, the management company (not individual landlords) is responsible for communal area cleaning. Landlords contribute to this through service charges. In smaller buildings without an OMC, the landlord or building owner may be directly responsible. Under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, landlords must ensure that common areas are maintained in a proper state of repair and cleanliness.
What does apartment block cleaning include?
Apartment block cleaning typically includes: entrance lobby and foyer cleaning, stairwell sweeping and mopping on all floors, lift interior cleaning and button sanitisation, corridor vacuuming and mopping, bin store cleaning and deodorising, post room and mailbox area cleaning, communal laundry room cleaning, car park sweeping and litter picking, external pathway sweeping, and communal window cleaning.
Can a management company charge for communal cleaning?
Yes. Under the Multi-Unit Developments Act 2011, the OMC can and should include communal cleaning costs in the annual service charge budget. This is presented and approved at the Annual General Meeting. Service charges fund the maintenance of common areas, which includes cleaning, and are legally payable by all unit owners. The OMC has a statutory obligation to maintain common areas to a reasonable standard.
What is included in apartment block janitorial services?
Apartment block janitorial services go beyond basic cleaning to include minor maintenance tasks such as replacing light bulbs in common areas, reporting maintenance issues, managing bin presentation for collection days, receiving deliveries, monitoring security cameras, and acting as a point of contact for residents regarding building issues. Optus Glean offers both standalone cleaning and combined cleaning-plus-janitorial packages.
What responsibility does a landlord have for common areas?
Landlords in multi-unit developments are required to pay service charges to the OMC, which funds communal area maintenance including cleaning. Under the Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations 2019, landlords of rented accommodation must ensure that common areas are maintained in a proper state of repair. Failure to maintain common areas can result in enforcement action by the local authority.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-06
