Why Tenants Are Required to Use the Base Building Cleaning Contractor

Why Tenants Are Required to Use the Base Building Cleaning Contractor

Sydney & Melbourne Commercial Buildings

At Performance Facility Management, one of the most common questions we receive from tenants in large commercial office buildings across Sydney and Melbourne is:

“Can we appoint our own office cleaning company?”

It’s a fair and reasonable question. However, in most multi-tenant commercial buildings, the answer is no. This is not due to any commercial affiliation with the existing cleaning contractor, but rather the need to maintain operational efficiency, security, compliance, and overall building performance.

The Reality of Multi-Tenant Commercial Buildings

Commercial office buildings in Sydney and Melbourne—particularly CBD and major metropolitan assets—often house dozens of tenants across multiple levels.

If each tenant were permitted to appoint their own cleaning contractor, all attending at different times and operating under different scopes and responsibilities, the result would be:

• Increased operational risk
• Higher management and security costs
• Inconsistent cleaning standards
• Reduced building performance

From a facility management perspective, standardisation of services is essential in maintaining high-performing commercial assets.

Why Leases Require the Base Building Cleaning Contractor

In Sydney and Melbourne commercial property markets, it is standard practice for tenant leases to require office cleaning to be carried out by the base building cleaning contractor.

This approach allows building owners and facility managers to:

• Control after-hours access and security
• Manage contractor inductions and compliance
• Maintain consistent service standards
• Coordinate waste and recycling efficiently
• Reduce overall operating costs

These efficiencies ultimately benefit tenants through more predictable outgoings and better-managed buildings.

Benefits for Commercial Tenants

For tenants operating in Sydney and Melbourne office buildings, using the base building cleaning contractor offers several advantages:

• Lower cleaning costs through economies of scale
• No need to manage a cleaning contract directly
• Clear escalation pathways via building management
• Ongoing performance monitoring across the building

Tenants still retain the ability to raise service concerns or request adjustments—without taking on additional administrative burden.

The Logistics Most Tenants Don’t See

Consider a 15-level CBD office building with 20 tenants.

If each tenant engaged a different cleaning contractor, the building would need to manage:

• Multiple contractor entries after 6:00 pm
• Security pass issuance and access control
• Individual inductions and insurance verification
• Competing waste and recycling schedules
• Increased supervision by security and facility management teams

In dense Sydney and Melbourne CBD environments, this level of complexity is inefficient and costly.

Building Infrastructure Constraints

Many commercial buildings in Sydney and Melbourne—particularly older stock—have limited back-of-house infrastructure, including:

• A single cleaner’s room
• Restricted storage for chemicals and equipment
• Shared waste handling areas

Allowing multiple cleaning contractors to operate from these spaces introduces WHS, compliance, and liability risks for building owners and managers.

The Importance of Local Building Knowledge

Base building cleaning teams develop critical familiarity with:

• Building-specific security and access procedures
• Emergency response protocols
• Tenant layouts and sensitivities
• Waste, recycling, and sustainability systems

Frequent changes in cleaning contractors dilute this knowledge and increase workload for both facility management and security teams.

Performance Is Built on Consistency

At Performance Facility Management, we view cleaning as a core component of commercial facility performance—not just a standalone service.

Requiring tenants to use the base building cleaning contractor is not about limiting choice. It is about:

• Managing risk
• Controlling costs
• Maintaining security
• Ensuring consistent building performance

When services are standardised and properly managed, commercial buildings perform better—for landlords, tenants, and occupants alike.

📍 Performance Facility Management

Commercial Facility Management | Sydney & Melbourne

If you’d like to understand how a performance-focused facility management approach can improve your building’s operations, compliance, and cost control, Performance Facility Management is here to help.

👉 Contact us to discuss your commercial facility management requirements in Sydney or Melbourne.