Choosing a reliable cleaning service in Montreal: 7 checks

Hiring a cleaner means giving someone your key. It is a trust decision before it is a price decision, and yet most comparisons discuss nothing but the rate.

1. Liability insurance, with the number

"We're insured" means nothing without a figure. Ask for the coverage amount and what actually happens if something is broken. A serious service answers without hesitating and explains the process.

2. Background checks

Ask whether cleaners are checked before their first visit, rather than after a complaint. It is a simple question that produces very different answers.

3. A flat price, agreed in advance

An hourly rate moves the risk to you. If the visit runs over, you pay. Ask explicitly what happens when it does — the answer tells you a lot about their method.

4. The same person each visit

Continuity changes everything. Someone who knows your home knows which surfaces are delicate, which door sticks, and what matters to you. Constant rotation means explaining it all over again every time.

5. A written scope

What is included should be in writing. Oven interior, fridge interior, interior windows, basement — each is real time. If they appear nowhere, they are not included.

6. A service that says what it does not do

A service that claims to do everything has not yet met a carpet that needs shampooing. Limits stated up front are a sign of seriousness, not weakness.

We do not offer carpet shampooing, full wall washing, exterior windows above the second storey, or renovation debris removal. We say so and refer out.

7. Warning signs worth walking away from

• A firm price quoted by phone without a single question about the home
• Full payment demanded up front, in cash
• No address, no business number, no invoice
• A rate well below market — someone is absorbing that, and it is rarely the company
• Reviews all posted the same week, all five stars, none with any detail

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