General Terms and Conditions
for Building Cleaning and Related Services
§ 1 Scope and Subject Matter of the Contract
(1) These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply to all contracts, services and offers between the Contractor and its clients (hereinafter referred to as the “Client”), including both consumers (B2C) and businesses (B2B).
(2) The precise scope of the cleaning services to be provided, the cleaning intervals and any property-specific requirements shall be established individually and bindingly for each property in the respective service contract or quotation (“Service Specification”).
§ 2 Access to the Property, Keys and Equipment
(1) The Client shall grant the cleaning staff free and unimpeded access to the property at the agreed cleaning time. The Client shall provide water and electricity free of charge to the extent required for the cleaning.
(2) Any keys or access codes entrusted to the Contractor shall be stored with due care. Loss of keys is covered under the Contractor’s existing commercial liability insurance.
§ 3 Cancellation Fee for Individual Appointments
(1) The Client may cancel agreed individual appointments free of charge up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time.
(2) If an appointment is cancelled less than 24 hours before its start time, or if the cleaning staff are not granted access to the property on the agreed date (unsuccessful journey), 80% of the agreed invoice amount will be charged as a cancellation fee. The Client may prove that the loss incurred was lower or that no loss occurred.
§ 4 Payment Terms and Due Date
(1) Unless otherwise agreed in writing, all invoice amounts are due for payment without deduction within 14 days of the invoice date.
(2) In the event of late payment, the statutory provisions under § 288 of the German Civil Code (BGB) apply.
§ 5 Contract Term and Termination of Regular Service Contracts
(1) Consumers (B2C): Consumers may terminate contracts for regular cleaning services by giving one month’s notice to the end of a calendar month.
(2) Businesses (B2B): Contracts with business clients are subject to a notice period of three months to the end of a calendar month.
(3) The right of either party to terminate the contract without notice for good cause remains unaffected.
§ 6 Liability, Damage Reports and Time Recording
(1) The Contractor is liable exclusively for property damage and personal injury demonstrably caused through the fault of the Contractor’s cleaning staff while carrying out the agreed cleaning work. Claims will be handled under the Contractor’s existing commercial liability insurance.
(2) The working and attendance times of the cleaning staff at the property are recorded electronically (e.g. using a QR code scanning system or digital time-recording system). Liability for damage or incidents outside the staff’s verified attendance times is excluded.
(3) Reporting requirement: The Client must report obvious damage in writing (by email, including photographic documentation) without delay and no later than 24 hours after completion of the respective cleaning.
(4) No liability is accepted for pre-existing damage, signs of wear and tear, or defective substances present before the cleaning work begins.
§ 7 Complaints and Rectification of Defects
(1) Complaints about the quality of the cleaning service must be submitted to the Contractor in writing without delay and no later than 24 hours after the service has been performed, with a precise description of the defect.
(2) In the event of a justified and timely complaint, the Contractor has the right to provide free rectification. A reduction of the fee is only possible if rectification fails or is unreasonably delayed.
§ 8 Price Adjustments
(1) The Contractor reserves the right to adjust the agreed prices in the event of statutory wage increases (in particular increases in the statutory or collectively agreed minimum wage) or significant changes to the collective or statutory framework conditions. The Client will be notified of any price adjustment in writing at least four weeks before it takes effect.
§ 9 Non-Solicitation and Direct Employment of Staff
(1) During the term of the contract and for 12 months after its termination, the Client undertakes not to directly or indirectly solicit, employ, or engage through third parties any employees of the Contractor. In the event of each culpable breach, a reasonable contractual penalty set by the Contractor shall be payable, subject to review by the competent court in the event of a dispute.
§ 10 Final Provisions
(1) The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies.
(2) If any provision of these GTC is or becomes invalid or unenforceable, the validity of the remaining provisions remains unaffected (severability clause).