A cleaning lady has appeared!

[Fluffernutter]

Wondering where I stand with this? Today I go into work and there's a cleaning lady vacuuming the stairs and landing of the building where I rent a small space for my business.

Up until now, the three occupiers (including myself) have always done the cleaning. One of the other occupiers approached me last year asking if I would be happy to chip in for a cleaner, and I said I'd prefer to do it myself to keep the cost down (they had worked out how much it would be, and I thought it seemed pretty expensive when we can do it ourselves) They occupy a much bigger space than I do and have bigger toilets and a waiting room etc. I just have two rooms and a small toilet. I've still to speak to the third occupant to see if he was happy to pay for a cleaner.

I'm expecting an invoice to be pushed under my door at some point in the near future for a third share of the cleaning bill, which I never agreed to in the first place. My landlord probably won't get involved as I'm guessing it was this particular occupant who arranged it off their own back, plus I didn't get any notification of this from my landlord so he probably doesn't know.

What should I do? Thanks.

 

[kulture]

What does it say in your lease? You are only obliged to pay what you have agreed to pay in a contract. From what you say, there is no agreement between you and the other tenants to pay for a cleaner. So if you do get an invoice, return it unpaid and ask them on what legal basis they expect you to pay.

Of course there MAY be a clause in the lease that says that you have to pay your share of common costs, and the matter may not be as simple as it first appears.

 

[Fluffernutter]

What does it say in your lease? You are only obliged to pay what you have agreed to pay in a contract. From what you say, there is no agreement between you and the other tenants to pay for a cleaner. So if you do get an invoice, return it unpaid and ask them on what legal basis they expect you to pay.

Of course there MAY be a clause in the lease that says that you have to pay your share of common costs, and the matter may not be as simple as it first appears.

Thanks, I didn't think to look in my lease! (I'm still quite new to running my own business) I've now looked and there's no mention of cleaning or common costs.

 

[Daybooks]

From what you have said and if and when you get an invoice either from the other tenant or the cleaner just remind them that you only pay invoices that quote your purchase order number.

It usually ruffles feathers but does make them stop and think before trying anything else.

 

[HFE Signs]

If the bill is being shared, surly it can't amount to much - isn't your time better off spent focusing on your business? I'd just pay and be grateful you don't have to do it anymore

 

[IanSuth]

Or if they invoice ask them for a per square foot pro rata breakdown and then see if that is an amount you would pay. You said they are a much larger tenant so when divided between the 3 tenants by sq foot they may decide to just bite the bullet and pay it all rather than the hassle of a tiny invoice.

Or you may find (as we did in an old building) the cleaner has been hired to clean just their bit but something is lost in translation and they are also doing the common areas anyway - remember the person who did the quote for the cleaning firm is unlikely to be the one with the hoover in hand

 

[Newchodge]

It may be that one of your fellow tenants has decided to get a cleaner and asked them to do the common parts as well, without any intention of charging you for it.

 

[lesliedocherty]

With service charge stuff, its normally split on the size of units.

Ie the smaller units pay a lesser amount than the bigger units

 

[Shopclicks]

This reminds me of the Bristol Zoo parking attendant myth

 

[estwig]

How did you do that, I've been trying really hard and there ain't no one suddenly appeared to vacuum my landing?

 

[IanSuth]

How did you do that, I've been trying really hard and there ain't no one suddenly appeared to vacuum my landing?

i have a daughter who randomly does it just before she asks for money for something

 

[Nico Albrecht]

Introduce them to s a strong word called "NO" and move on. You dont even have to justify why. You dont want a cleaner for your premises say no and move on without an explanation even why.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I have an update... This morning the person who arranged for a cleaner was standing at the foot of the stairs when I got in and more or less 'told' me I'd be paying for a third of the bill.

I reminded her that I hadn't agreed to a cleaner when previously asked. The conversation became a bit heated and she obviously thinks she's in charge of what goes on. I don't appreciate the fact that she's gone ahead and 'bought' a service and is then handing me a bill for it whether I like it or not. Plus her manner rubbed me up the wrong way; I felt like a naughty child being scolded at one point.

We managed to come to an agreement however. I'm not chipping in for the bill and I'll continue to clean as I always have done, in addition to this cleaner coming in.

I'm just wondering if it's a taste of things to come in the premises though. This person is now in charge of her office as it seems the head guy left recently, and she looks like she's on a bit of a power trip making changes that affect me too.

I don't like a bad atmosphere in the place where I run my business from, but at the same time I'm not having another occupier dictate to me the running of the premises when they just rent space the same as I do.

*sigh*

Landlord of the building won't get involved.

 

[BubbaWY]

Just ignore them. Theyve decided to hire a cleaner; youd previously told them you wouldnt be chipping in. If their cleaner is going to clean the communal areas, sobeit. But dont back down...theres no reason why you should.

 

[IanSuth]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I have an update... This morning the person who arranged for a cleaner was standing at the foot of the stairs when I got in and more or less 'told' me I'd be paying for a third of the bill.

I reminded her that I hadn't agreed to a cleaner when previously asked. The conversation became a bit heated and she obviously thinks she's in charge of what goes on. I don't appreciate the fact that she's gone ahead and 'bought' a service and is then handing me a bill for it whether I like it or not. Plus her manner rubbed me up the wrong way; I felt like a naughty child being scolded at one point.

We managed to come to an agreement however. I'm not chipping in for the bill and I'll continue to clean as I always have done, in addition to this cleaner coming in.

I'm just wondering if it's a taste of things to come in the premises though. This person is now in charge of her office as it seems the head guy left recently, and she looks like she's on a bit of a power trip making changes that affect me too.

I don't like a bad atmosphere in the place where I run my business from, but at the same time I'm not having another occupier dictate to me the running of the premises when they just rent space the same as I do.

*sigh*

Landlord of the building won't get involved.

Irrelevant of the fact they are the larger tenant - if it isnt in the lease it isnt happening

Let her know your ground rules - if you have to point out you are nothing to do with her organisation and have your own priorities and procedures. How would she like it if you suddenly decided to have a fire alarm test every week in the middle of her weekly meeting, so why not have a 10 min monthly cup of coffee between reps from the 3 tenants to just cover things that need co-ordinating and otherwise leave each other be

 

[Fluffernutter]

Irrelevant of the fact they are the larger tenant - if it isnt in the lease it isnt happening

Let her know your ground rules - if you have to point out you are nothing to do with her organisation and have your own priorities and procedures. How would she like it if you suddenly decided to have a fire alarm test every week in the middle of her weekly meeting, so why not have a 10 min monthly cup of coffee between reps from the 3 tenants to just cover things that need co-ordinating and otherwise leave each other be

Now there's an idea with the fire alarm test...?

 

[kulture]

Well done standing your ground. I trust that you also made clear that any genuine shared costs would not be 1/3rd as you occupy less than this?

 

[Fluffernutter]

Well done standing your ground. I trust that you also made clear that any genuine shared costs would not be 1/3rd as you occupy less than this?

Thanks. No I didn't but that's something I need to remember, thanks for that. Would a shared cost be worked out per square foot? Or is there another way these things are calculated?

 

[kulture]

The calculation of shared costs is normally defined in the lease. If it is not it is thus negotiated. It is not unusual to use the relative proportion of space occupied.