What Is Base Building Cleaning vs. Tenant Cleaning?

What base building cleaning covers

This shared-area work keeps the parts of the property every tenant and visitor shares in a consistent condition. It is usually performed by the landlord's janitorial contractor and paid for through building operating expenses.

• Main lobby, entry vestibules, building directory and security desk area
• Elevator cabs, door tracks and call buttons
• Multi-tenant corridors, elevator lobbies and common restrooms
• Stairwells, landings and handrails
• Shared conference centers, fitness rooms and tenant lounges
• Loading dock, freight elevator, mail room and trash enclosure
• Parking structure lobbies, exterior walkways and entry glass

What tenant cleaning specifications usually include

Office leases for full-service buildings often attach a cleaning specification as an exhibit. It lists what the landlord's contractor does inside each suite and how often, typically nightly trash and recycling removal, vacuuming of open carpet, dusting of cleared surfaces, spot-cleaning of glass and the cleaning of in-suite restrooms and kitchenettes. Periodic items such as carpet extraction or window washing appear with their own frequencies.

Anything outside that list is above-standard work. Daily dishwashing, catering cleanup after events, a day porter dedicated to one tenant, or cleaning of a server room or lab are common examples, and they are usually billed to the tenant through the property manager.

Common area cleaning vs tenant space: who usually owns what

The split below reflects common practice in Southern California office buildings, but the lease always governs. Single-tenant floors and industrial buildings shift the line considerably.

How the lease type moves the line

In a full-service gross lease, the landlord typically supplies tenant cleaning to the specification and recovers the cost through rent and operating expenses. Under a triple-net lease, common in industrial and some retail property, the tenant usually hires and manages its own cleaning inside the premises while the landlord handles any shared areas. Modified gross leases fall in between and need a careful read.

How those costs are passed through to tenants, and whether they appear in common area maintenance charges, is a separate question worth checking with your lease administrator.

Writing landlord janitorial responsibility into the scope

Disputes usually start where the paperwork is vague. Before the building goes out to bid, or when a new tenant signs, settle these points in writing.

• A space list naming every area as base building or tenant, floor by floor
• Tasks and frequencies for each space type, matching the lease exhibit
• Who supplies paper, soap and liners in shared versus in-suite restrooms
• How tenants request above-standard work and how it is approved and billed
• After-hours access and key or badge rules for each suite
• Rooms that are excluded or require an escort

How EBS works in multi-tenant buildings

EBS Maintenance can carry the base building scope and individual tenant scopes as separate lines under one program, so each suite's work is inspected and billed on its own terms. Property managers get a single point of contact for both, and tenant requests come through that contact rather than directly to the crew.

Crews are trained, uniformed and background-checked, and they follow each suite's key, badge and restricted-room rules. Supervisors log inspections across common areas and suites alike.