Keys, Alarm Codes and After-Hours Access: Security Questions to Ask a Cleaning Company

Hiring a commercial cleaning company means handing over the things that protect your building: keys, badges and alarm codes. The crew will be inside after hours, often alone, near records, equipment and inventory. For a dental or medical practice, a property manager or a warehouse, that access deserves the same care as any other security decision.

Most proposals focus on scope and schedule. This guide covers the questions that often get skipped: who enters your building, how access is controlled, and how you will know who was there.

Who will be inside your building?

Start with the people. Ask:

• Who does the cleaning? Is it the company's own crew, or is the work passed to a subcontractor you never meet? We use our own crews, no subcontractors.
• Are they background-checked? Ask whether every person with access is checked, not only supervisors.
• Will it be the same crew? A rotating cast of strangers is harder to trust and harder to train on your building. We keep the same crew on your building.
• How are new crew members introduced? You should know before a new person is sent to your site.

How are keys, badges and fobs controlled?

A key is only as safe as the process around it. Ask the vendor to walk you through it:

• Who holds your keys or badges, and how many copies exist
• Where they are stored when the crew is not on site
• What happens when a crew member leaves the account
• How a lost key or badge is reported, and how quickly you hear about it

If your building uses fobs or access cards, ask your security provider whether credentials can be limited to the cleaning window and to the areas in the scope. Electronic credentials can be turned off without rekeying.

Alarm codes: avoid one shared code

Many alarm panels support separate user codes. A code assigned to the cleaning company, separate from your staff codes, lets you change or remove it without affecting anyone else, and your alarm history shows when that code was used. Ask the vendor:

• Who will know the code, and how it is kept private
• What the crew does if the alarm triggers or a door will not lock
• Who they call, in what order, during an after-hours issue

Write the arrival, alarm and lock-up steps down. Many missed visits in the first month come from unclear access instructions, not poor cleaning.

Restricted areas and sensitive rooms

Not every room needs to be cleaned, and not every room should be open. Agree in writing on which areas are in scope and which are off limits: server rooms, records rooms, medication storage, executive offices or inventory cages. For medical and dental practices, decide how records and patient areas are handled. Our dental office cleaning standards guide covers what practices typically spell out.

Insurance and bonding

Ask for a certificate of insurance before service starts, naming your company or landlord if your lease requires it. Bonding adds protection if property goes missing. We are insured and bonded, and our crews are OSHA-trained and background-checked. Our guide to insurance, bonding and COIs explains what to look for on the certificate.

How will you know who was there, and when?

Security is not only about who gets a key. It is also about being able to confirm what happened after everyone went home. Ask every vendor how a visit is recorded. We use GPS-verified check-in on every visit and send photo reports, so you have a record of each visit instead of an invoice that says "service performed." See what a cleaning service report should include.

When you switch vendors, close the old access

Changing cleaning companies is the moment access most often gets messy. Before the new crew starts, collect every key, badge and fob from the outgoing vendor, remove or change their alarm code, and confirm in writing that nothing is outstanding. Then issue only what the new crew needs. Our guide to switching commercial cleaning companies covers the full handoff.

Questions to bring to the walkthrough

• Is the crew your own, or subcontracted?
• Is everyone with access background-checked?
• Will the same crew clean our building?
• How are our keys and badges stored, tracked and returned?
• Can you use a separate alarm code we can turn off on our own?
• What happens if the alarm goes off or a door will not lock?
• How will we know when each visit happened?
• Can you send a certificate of insurance before the start date?

A company that runs access well answers these clearly. We offer a walkthrough and written proposal within 48 hours, with month-to-month service and no long-term contract, across the Indianapolis metro, Lafayette, Bloomington and Terre Haute.

Frequently asked questions

Should I give my cleaning company a key and alarm code?

Most after-hours cleaning requires some form of access. Ask how keys are stored and tracked, and use a separate alarm code for the cleaning company so it can be changed without affecting your staff.

Are cleaning crews background-checked?

It depends on the company, so ask whether every person with access is checked. Our crews are background-checked and OSHA-trained.

How do I know who was in my building after hours?

Ask how each visit is recorded. We use GPS-verified check-in on every visit and send photo reports. Your alarm history can also show when the cleaning code was used.

Does the cleaning company use subcontractors?

Some do. Ask directly before signing. We use our own crews, no subcontractors, and keep the same crew on your building.

What should happen to keys when I change cleaning companies?

Collect every key, badge and fob from the outgoing vendor, change or remove their alarm code, and confirm in writing before the new crew starts.

Related guides and services

• Insured, bonded, background-checked: what to ask
• How to switch commercial cleaning companies
• How to choose a commercial cleaning company
• Property management cleaning in Indianapolis