Letting a cleaner into your building
Access for a cleaner is usually arranged through a company rather than an individual, so a key or code you provide is held by an organisation whose staff change. Buildings often have a sanctioned route for service providers, which is worth asking about first. Buzzing the cleaner in yourself avoids handing over anything, provided the buzz reaches a phone somebody answers.
Cleaning is booked in a slot, on a weekday, in an empty apartment. The entry question is the whole logistics problem, and it is usually settled in a rushed message the night before.
The part people miss about agencies
When you book through a company, your arrangement is with the company. The person at your door is assigned, and assignments change with illness, holidays and staff turnover.
So a key given to a lovely cleaner in March is, by November, a key held by a business you have never visited. That is not a reason to distrust them. It is a reason to be clear about what you are actually handing over.
What your building probably offers
- A service provider register, where the company is recorded and staff sign in.
- A key held at the desk, released against a signature each visit.
- A visitor list you can add a name to for a specific day.
- Nothing, in most smaller buildings and converted houses.
The fourth case is common in older stock, where there is no desk and sometimes no working panel at all. What entry looks like in a converted house.
Comparing the arrangements
| Arrangement | After six months |
|---|---|
| Key to the company | Held by an organisation, copied or not, you cannot tell |
| Door code | Known to everyone who has worked your booking |
| Key at the desk | Traceable, and only as good as the desk hours |
| You buzz them in | Nothing exists to expire, revoke or chase |
The bottom row is the one that needs no maintenance, which matters for something that repeats every fortnight for years. The same problem with a dog walker.
Why buzzing them in usually fails anyway
Cleaning happens on a weekday, in daylight, which is precisely when the one phone stored in the lobby panel is at work and on silent.
The arrangement is not wrong. The buzz simply never reaches anybody who can act on it. Why the panel only holds one number.
BuzzMeBro gives the apartment its own local number, and a buzz on it rings up to 4 phones together for $11.99 a month. Whoever is reachable answers and opens the door, and nothing has to be handed over. Get your number.
Questions people ask
Should I give my cleaner a key?
It is the most common arrangement and it works, as long as you are clear that you are giving it to a company. Ask what happens to it when staff leave.
Can my building hold a key for the cleaner?
Many will, released against a signature. It is the best of the handover options because it is logged, and the worst if the desk is closed at cleaning time.
Is a door code acceptable for a regular cleaner?
It is convenient and it is usually a lease breach, because the code protects the whole building rather than your unit alone.
What if I work from home some days?
Then buzzing them in costs nothing on those days. The difficulty is the days you are out, which is exactly the gap a buzz reaching several phones covers.
What is the arrangement with the least admin?
Answering the buzz, because there is nothing to issue, retrieve or change. BuzzMeBro makes that practical by ringing up to 4 phones at once instead of one.