Pricing & estimates · updated August 2026
The Hidden Costs in a New York Cleaning Contract
The recurring ones are consumables billed separately or marked up, minimum-visit and trip charges, after-hours and weekend premiums of 10–20%, holiday and overtime rates, annual escalation clauses, auto-renewal with long notice windows, early termination penalties, and add-on charges for extra restrooms or pantries. New York adds four more that appear on almost no published list.
The General List, Quantified
| Charge | Typical size | How to close it |
|---|---|---|
| Consumables billed separately or marked up | $3–$8 per employee / month, plus any markup | Require cost-plus with the markup disclosed, or buy direct |
| Initial or one-time deep clean on top of month one | $1,500–$2,750 | Negotiate it in, or credit it against the first three months |
| After-hours and weekend premium | +10–20% | Define the standard service window in the agreement |
| Holiday and overtime rates | 1.5×–2× | List the holidays and state whether service occurs |
| Extra restrooms or pantries added later | +10–20% | Price the per-unit adder up front |
| Eco / green product surcharge | +10–15% on product | Ask for it as a line, not a percentage on the whole contract |
| Annual escalation | Open-ended unless capped | CPI-capped at 3–5% |
| Early termination penalty | Sometimes 50–100% of remaining value | Cap at one month's fee |
| Minimum visit / trip charge | Flat | Only relevant for ad hoc work — state it |
The Four New York Ones
1. Certificate of Insurance processing. Some vendors charge a fee per certificate issued to meet a building's additional-insured schedule. It is small, and it should be zero. Ask.
2. Freight elevator overtime and elevator operator charges. Buildings commonly state these are billed “at prevailing rates” without publishing a figure. Ask your managing agent for the actual number in writing, and ask your vendor whether it is inside their price or passed through to you. On a building with restricted freight hours this can be the largest uncosted item in your contract.
3. Compactor and waste-handling charges. Where tenants fail to source-separate into the building's recycling stream, buildings routinely bill monthly for compactor use through their waste management contractor. This is charged to you, not to your cleaner, and it is avoidable by getting the separation right. How the responsibility splits.
4. Union escalators past December 2027. The 32BJ commercial building agreement runs to 31 December 2027. A three-year contract signed today crosses that renegotiation. If your agreement says price is “subject to increases in labour cost” without a cap, you have signed an open cheque for the final year.
The Seven Questions to Ask Before You Sign
- What is not included in this price? Show me the list.
- Are consumables included? At cost, cost-plus, or a fixed adder — and what is the markup?
- What is the escalation mechanism and is it capped?
- Is there an auto-renewal, and what is the non-renewal notice window?
- Is there an early termination penalty, and what is it capped at?
- Are building freight, operator or security charges inside your price or passed through?
- What triggers an additional charge during the term, and who has to approve it?
Last reviewed August 2026. Figures for prevailing wage and regulatory schedules change on 1 January and 1 July — we re-verify this page each cycle.
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