TL;DR
The single most important access rule is that every person who enters gets a unique credential -- a unique alarm code, a unique badge, or a named key assignment. Shared codes destroy the entire audit trail, which is the main thing access control buys you. The second most important rule is that offboarding is written down in advance, because credentials that outlive the person holding them are the most common gap in commercial buildings.
Why access is treated as its own subject
A cleaning crew works in an empty building, often at night, with the alarm disarmed. That is a level of trust few other vendors get, and it is why access arrangements deserve a written protocol rather than a verbal handoff.
The protocol is not really about suspicion. It is about being able to answer questions later: who was in the building on Tuesday, who has a key to the third floor, and what happens when someone leaves the job. A building that can answer those three questions has adequate access control. A building that cannot is relying on nothing having gone wrong yet.
What should a cleaning access protocol include?
A workable protocol covers five things: who holds credentials and how they are issued, a log recording every issue and return, unique codes or badges per person so entries are traceable, a documented process for what happens when a crew member leaves, and a defined contact for after-hours problems. Everything else is detail.
Unique credentials, not shared ones
The most common shortcut in commercial buildings is one alarm code shared by the whole crew, sometimes shared with other vendors too.
It is convenient and it destroys the value of the system. A shared code cannot tell you who entered, which means the alarm log becomes decorative. It also cannot be revoked selectively -- when one person leaves, either everyone changes their code or the departed person keeps access.
Unique codes per person cost nothing on most modern panels. Badge and fob systems do the same job with better logging. Either way, the principle holds: a credential should identify a person, not a company.
Source: Commercial building access management practice
Key control and the log
Physical keys are still common, and they need the same discipline.
A key log records four fields: which key, issued to whom, date issued, and date returned. That is the whole system. It works on paper and in a spreadsheet, and the discipline is in updating it rather than in the format.
Two practices are worth adopting. Number the keys and reference the number in the log, so a returned key can be verified against what was issued. And keep the log with the building owner or manager rather than with the crew, since a log held by the party it is auditing is not really a log.
Lockboxes: useful, and often misused
A lockbox at a service door is a practical solution for buildings with rotating crews. It becomes a weakness when the combination never changes.
Sensible practice: change the combination on a schedule and immediately after any personnel change, mount the box out of casual view, and never store more than the single key needed for entry. A lockbox containing a master key is a master key with a four-digit lock on it.
Alarm arrangements
The alarm is where the practical friction lives, because a mistake here produces a response call at midnight.
Settle these before the first service: which zones are armed, how long the entry delay runs, what the crew does if the alarm trips accidentally, who the monitoring company will call, and whether the crew's names are on the authorized caller list with a passphrase.
That last item is most often missed. A crew member who trips an alarm and cannot verify themselves will get a dispatch, every time. It also matters that arming times are compatible with the actual route -- a crew needing ninety minutes in a building with a sixty-minute window will either rush or trip the alarm, which is why access and scheduling are one conversation. See scheduling around business hours.
Rooms the crew does not enter
Most buildings have some -- server rooms, records storage, executive offices, controlled-supply areas, and cash-handling spaces.
Name them explicitly rather than assume. An excluded room is not a failure of service if the specification says it is excluded; it is a failure if nobody wrote it down and the buyer expects it cleaned. Where a restricted room does need cleaning, escorted access on a defined schedule is the usual arrangement, and it belongs in the scope with a stated frequency -- see what a scope of work should list.
Offboarding, the gap almost everyone has
When a crew member leaves the job, three things should happen the same week: their unique code is deleted, their keys or badge are returned and logged, and any lockbox combination they knew is changed.
In practice, the first often happens, the second sometimes does, and the third almost never does, because offboarding is nobody's explicit job unless it is written into the protocol with an owner's name attached.
The fix is a two-party step. The contractor notifies the building of the departure, the building confirms the credential is deactivated, and both note it in the log.
Who to call when something goes wrong
Access problems happen at inconvenient hours by definition. A protocol should name a primary and a backup contact, with the hours each is reachable, and state what the crew does if neither answers -- typically secure the building, leave, and report in the morning.
Documenting the escalation path is part of the relationship described in working with a building manager. Settling it during the pre-award walk, covered in what a pre-bid walkthrough covers, is far easier than settling it at 11 pm.
FAQ
Should a cleaning crew have their own alarm codes?
Yes. Unique codes per person are what make the alarm log meaningful and what allow access to be revoked for one individual without disrupting everyone. Shared codes cannot identify who entered and cannot be revoked selectively, which defeats most of the system's purpose.
How should building keys be tracked for a cleaning crew?
Use a numbered key log recording which key, issued to whom, the issue date, and the return date. Keep the log with the building owner or manager rather than the crew. Numbering keys allows a returned key to be verified against what was actually issued.
Is a lockbox safe for cleaning crew access?
A lockbox is workable if the combination changes on a schedule and immediately after any personnel change, and if it holds only the single key needed for entry. A lockbox holding a master key with an unchanged combination provides very little real protection.
What happens when a cleaner leaves the job?
Their unique code should be deleted, keys or badges returned and logged, and any lockbox combination they knew changed. Making this a two-party step -- contractor notifies, building confirms, both log it -- closes the gap that one-sided offboarding usually leaves.
Can a cleaning crew be added to the alarm company call list?
Usually yes, and it is worth doing. A crew member who trips an alarm and cannot verify themselves to the monitoring company will trigger a dispatch every time. Adding crew names with their own passphrase prevents a recurring and avoidable expense.
What about rooms the cleaning crew should not enter?
Name them explicitly in the scope of work rather than relying on assumption. Server rooms, records storage, and controlled-supply areas are common exclusions. Where a restricted room does need service, escorted access on a defined schedule is the usual arrangement.
Access arrangements differ at every site, and getting them settled before the first visit prevents most of the friction that follows. Get a quote and we will work through the details with you, or read more about commercial cleaning services.