Domestic Cleaning Contract: Practical Guide to Clauses
A domestic cleaning contract is a service provision contract based on Article 1154 of the Civil Code: the company commits to a result (the house cleaned as agreed) and maintains total technical autonomy. It is not an employment contract. Before the first visit, require three things:
- Clear object — a written list of the rooms and tasks included, specifying what is excluded (e.g., oven cleaning as an extra).
- Proof of regular status — civil liability insurance policy and certificate of tax and social security status of the company.
- Access and confidentiality rules — who holds the keys, how they are recorded, and what personal data the team can access.
Cleaning Point, for example, provides a standard contract that covers these three points before any scheduling.
Key Conclusions
A domestic cleaning service contract protects the client by clearly defining the object, insurance, access, and the autonomy of the service provider.
| Point | Details |
|---|---|
| Object and scope | List included tasks by frequency and specify extras charged separately. |
| Price and billing | Indicate the amount per visit or hour, VAT at 6%, and annual adjustment conditions. |
| Insurance and access | Require civil liability insurance policy and written key management protocol. |
| Termination and replacement | Set notice period and personnel replacement clause. |
| Cleaning Point | Provides standard contract, insurance, checklist, and digital report included in the service. |
Index
- What should be included in a cleaning service contract
- What changes when hiring a company instead of an individual
- How to formalize hiring and termination
- Why a well-drafted contract protects both parties
- Cleaning Point handles the contract for you
- Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in a cleaning service contract
Object, frequency, and price
The object defines what the company does — and what it does not do. A municipal specifications document divides tasks by frequency: daily (vacuuming, disinfecting surfaces), weekly (floor washing), and monthly (window cleaning). Adapting this logic to a residential contract avoids disputes about what was or was not included.
The frequency can be ad-hoc or recurring. For recurring contracts, set the usual day and time and the minimum notice period to cancel a visit. The price should indicate the amount per visit or hour, the applicable VAT rate for domestic cleaning services in Portugal, and the annual adjustment conditions.
Responsibilities, insurance, and access
The company provides its own products and equipment — this clause, common in public cleaning contracts, protects you from reimbursement requests for consumables. In case of accidental damage, the company's civil liability insurance covers the losses; require the policy number and the insurer's contact in writing.
For access to the property, the contract should record who holds a copy of the keys, require the company to identify the personnel assigned to the service, and include a confidentiality clause aligned with GDPR.
Duration, renewal, and termination
Define whether the contract is for a fixed term (e.g., 12 months, renewable) or indefinite. The notice period for termination without just cause must be clearly defined in the contract, in line with usual practices. For termination with just cause (unrepaired damages, repeated absences), the period can be immediate, provided it is documented.
Professional tip: Include separate operational annexes — Annex I with the task map, Annex II with the checklist by room, and Annex III with the monthly report template. This way, you update operational details without altering the main contract.
What changes when hiring a company instead of an individual
Hiring a company transfers to it the management of personnel, vacations, replacements, and contributions to the Social Security of its workers. From the client's perspective, this simplifies everything: there are no labor obligations, no registration with Social Security as a domestic employer. The company is responsible to the Tax Authority and Social Security for its employees.
The risk to avoid is exercising direct control over the workers (imposed schedules, detailed method instructions). This could characterize a subordinate relationship and requalify the contract as labor. The solution is simple: define the expected result (clean house according to the agreed checklist) and let the company decide the method.
How to formalize hiring and termination
To hire, ask the company for:
- Certificate of tax and social security status (issued by the Tax Authority and Social Security).
- Civil liability insurance policy (number, insurer, insured capital).
- List of personnel assigned to the service and nature of the employment relationship with the company.
- Contract model and task checklist (Annex I).
The contract must be signed by both parties before the first visit. For termination, notify in writing (email with read confirmation is sufficient) with the agreed notice period. If there are keys in the company's possession, the return protocol must be included in the contract itself.
Refer to the service provision contract template provided by Doutor Finanças as an adaptable starting point.
Why a well-drafted contract protects both parties
Most clients sign a cleaning contract thinking only of themselves. What few realize is that the company also needs a document that preserves its technical autonomy — and that this, paradoxically, is what protects the client the most.
A well-drafted organizational autonomy clause does two things at once: it prevents the client from giving orders of subordination (which could requalify the contract as labor) and obliges the company to assume full responsibility for the result. When Cleaning Point delivers a standard contract with checklists and a monthly digital report, it is not bureaucracy — it is proof that the company manages its team, its consumables, and its quality standards independently.
Public specifications documents are, in this sense, an underestimated source: they were drafted by lawyers, tested in court, and cover exactly the clauses that a residential contract needs — responsibility for consumables, personnel replacement, reports, inspections. Adapting them to a domestic context is quicker than drafting from scratch.
What concerns me about contracts circulating online is the absence of a personnel replacement clause. If the company does not commit to sending a qualified substitute when the usual technician is absent, the client is left without service and recourse. It is the most forgotten clause and the one that prevents the most operational failures.
Cleaning Point handles the contract for you
When you hire Cleaning Point for regular home care in Lisbon, you receive an adaptable standard contract, the insurance policy, access management, and a digital report after each visit. You do not need to draft anything from scratch.
For one-off deep cleaning, the deep cleaning service covers what regular maintenance does not reach — post-renovation, move-in or move-out, or simply a complete reset of the house. The extras (oven, upholstery, windows, laundry) are added to the contract without altering the base conditions.
Schedule your first cleaning and the Cleaning Point team will send you the contract for review before any visit.
Sources
The documents below contain clauses tested in real contexts that you can adapt to your residential contract:
- Service Provision Contract: what it is, types, and what it should include
- Service provision contract: what it is and what precautions to take
- Public contract template with technical clauses (e.g., provider responsibilities)
- Specifications document for hygiene and cleaning services — Municipality
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the domestic cleaning contract mandatory by law?
There is no explicit legal obligation, but it is strongly recommended. Without a written contract, any dispute over damages, absences, or scope of service lacks documentary basis.
What VAT applies to domestic cleaning services in Portugal?
Can I cancel the contract without paying compensation?
It depends on what was agreed. With notice within the contractual period defined in the contract, there is no compensation. Immediate cancellations without just cause may imply compensation equivalent to the unfulfilled notice period.
Does Cleaning Point provide a contract before the first visit?
Yes. Cleaning Point delivers a standard contract with a task checklist, insurance policy, and access protocol before any visit, without additional formalization costs.
How do I verify if the company is in regular status?
Request the tax status certificate (issued by the Tax Authority) and the social security status certificate (issued by Social Security). Both are free and can be requested by the company itself through the AT and Social Security Direct portals.
