That matters because the money is everyone's. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 limits service charges to costs that are reasonably incurred, for services carried out to a reasonable standard. A record that shows what was done, where and when is the simplest way to show that a cleaning charge meets that test, and the simplest way for a leaseholder to check that it does.

Start with the specification

A record can only be as good as the specification behind it. The lease usually says that the common parts will be kept clean, but rarely what that means. A workable specification lists every communal area, inside and out, and gives each one its tasks, how often they are done and a standard someone could inspect.

For a typical block, that list includes:

• entrance and reception areas: floors and matting, glass doors, post boxes and the door entry panel;

• stairs, landings and corridors: floors, handrails, skirting boards, light switches and door handles;

• lifts: floor, walls, mirrors, buttons and door tracks;

• bin and cycle stores: sweeping, washing down, and spills and loose rubbish cleared;

• external areas: litter picking and sweeping paths, with leaves in autumn;

• periodic work: carpet deep cleans, hard floor treatment, external windows and bin store jet washing, each with a date in the calendar.

There is no statutory frequency for communal cleaning. A small block with little footfall may be cleaned weekly or fortnightly; a large block may need the entrance, lift and bin store visited several times a week and the upper landings less often. The right answer depends on the building, and residents should be asked before visits are cut or added, because the choice appears in everyone's service charge.

One legal point is worth knowing. In England and Wales, a cleaning contract that runs for more than 12 months can be a qualifying long-term agreement, and if any leaseholder's contribution would be more than £100 in a year, the landlord must consult leaseholders under section 20 of the 1985 Act before entering into it.

What each visit should record

A useful record answers four questions for every area on every visit: where, when, who and what. Where means the area, not just the building: the third-floor landing, not "the block". When means the date and time of the visit. Who means the person who did the work. What means the tasks completed and anything that could not be done, with the reason.

The last part is the one most often missing. A cleaner who could not wash down the bin store because a fly-tipped sofa was in the way should be able to say so. An honest record with one gap and a reason is more useful than a list of ticks that hides it.

A dated photograph helps where words will not: the state of the bin store after a collection, a stain that will not shift, or damage found on arrival.

The things cleaners notice that are not cleaning

Communal cleaners see the shared parts of a building more often than anyone else responsible for it. That makes them the first to notice problems that have nothing to do with cleaning:

• bicycles, pushchairs, furniture or rubbish bags left in corridors and stairwells, where escape routes need to stay clear;

• fire doors wedged open, self-closers that no longer close, or damaged seals and glass;

• failed lights and emergency lights;

• loose stair nosings, torn carpet, leaks or broken glass;

• overflowing bins and anything in the bin store that could be set alight.

In England, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 require the responsible person for a block of flats over 11 metres high to check the fire doors in its communal areas at least every three months. A cleaner's report is not that check, but it is an early warning between checks.

Each of these needs somewhere to go. A note in a cleaner's book records that something was seen; it does not get it fixed. The cleaning contract should say who the cleaner reports to, how quickly, and how the managing agent confirms that the report has been dealt with.

Who reads the record

A record that nobody reads might as well not exist. The signing sheet in the cupboard may be filled in faithfully, but residents never see it. The record works best when it reaches the people who pay for and manage the service without anyone having to ask. For a managing agent, that may be a short report after each visit or a weekly summary. For a residents' management company, it may be a monthly summary for the board, with the exceptions listed first: what was missed, what was reported and what is still open. Residents do not need every tick, but they should be able to see that the stairs were cleaned on Tuesday, and that the propped fire door on the second floor was reported and closed.

It is also fair to the cleaner. A good cleaner is too often noticed only when something is missed. A clear record shows the work that was done, visit after visit, and gives the cleaning contractor a fair answer when a complaint arrives.

Questions for the next contract review

Before a communal cleaning contract is agreed or renewed, the managing agent and the residents' management company can check that:

• every communal area is listed, inside and out, including bin and cycle stores;

• each area has tasks, a frequency and a standard someone could inspect;

• periodic work such as windows and deep cleans has dates;

• the lease allows the cost to be recovered, and section 20 consultation has been carried out where needed;

• cleaners know to report clutter, propped fire doors, failed lights and damage, and to whom;

• each visit is recorded in a way that the managing agent and residents can rely on, and someone reads it.

None of this needs to be expensive. It needs the specification and the record to be written for the people paying for the service, rather than for the cupboard door.

Terry Sullivan is the founder of SiteClara