> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.immodio.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.immodio.app/en/anleitung/einnahmen-und-ausgaben/buchhaltung-erweiterung/10122300-treppenreinigung-reinigung-des-treppenhaus-umgelegt-auf-mieter.md). # Stairwell cleaning (recoverable from tenant) Help on the Immodio entry item Stairwell cleaning, cleaning of the stairwell (recoverable from tenant).
Use this category for the **running costs of cleaning parts of the selected property used communally**. The Operating Costs Ordinance expressly counts building cleaning among the recoverable operating costs. It covers the cleaning of parts of the building used jointly by the residents, in particular accesses, corridors, stairs, cellars, attics, laundry rooms and the car of a lift. Allocation requires an effective operating cost agreement in the rental agreement, which is taken into account accordingly in the Immodio rental agreement. ### What can be entered here? Enter here in particular the regularly arising costs for: * sweeping and mopping stairs and landings, * cleaning house corridors and communal entrance areas, * cleaning handrails and stair banisters, * cleaning communal entrance doors, * cleaning doormats and dirt trap zones, * cleaning communal cellar and attic corridors, * cleaning communal laundry rooms, * cleaning the car of a lift, * the regular cleaning of communal windows and glass surfaces, * cleaning letterbox units, bell panels and other communal surfaces, * the cleaning company's labour and travel costs that are directly necessary, * cleaning materials consumed on a running basis, as far as they are part of the cleaning service. {% hint style="info" %} What matters is that the work concerns parts of the building used communally and is carried out on a running basis or recurrently according to plan. {% endhint %} ### Which parts of the building are covered? Typical areas used communally are: * the house entrance and porch, * the stairwell and intermediate landings, * communal corridors, * accesses to the cellar, attic or laundry room, * communal cellar and attic rooms, * the lift car, * glass and door surfaces used communally. It is not decisive whether every tenant uses every individual area daily. What matters first of all is whether the area belongs to the communal building installation or to the chosen billing unit. Where the cleaning concerns only a spatially separate part of the building or a separate stairwell, on the other hand, in principle only the **tenancies** belonging to that area should be charged. ### Cleaning by the tenants or by a service provider Before engaging a cleaning company, it should be checked what the rental agreement provides about cleaning. #### 1. The landlord organises the cleaning Where the rental agreement provides that the cleaning is organised by the landlord and billed through the operating costs, the running costs of a cleaning company can in principle be allocated to the tenants. #### 2. The tenants are themselves obliged to clean Where the rental agreement expressly obliges the tenants to clean the stairwell in turn, regular external cleaning costs should not be allocated to all tenants at the same time. Where a cleaning company is to be used permanently in future, it has to be checked whether: * the rental agreement already permits this change, * a new agreement with the tenants is necessary, * the external cleaning was engaged only because of a breach of duty by individual tenants, * or the cleaning duty has to be effectively regulated anew. ### Assignment For the assignment select **"Property"** and then the building whose communal areas were cleaned. The costs are assigned to the property and allocated to the associated tenancies according to the share of the living space as part of the operating cost statement. ### Ground floor tenants and different use With a property-wide allocation, ground floor tenants too are in principle included in the agreed allocation key. The statutory allocation by living space does not distinguish according to how often an individual resident actually uses the stairwell or particular floors. The mere fact that an apartment is on the ground floor does not automatically lead to an exemption from all building cleaning costs. ### Mixed-use buildings With buildings containing apartments and commercial units, it has to be checked whether the commercial use causes considerably higher cleaning costs. That can be the case, for example, with: * shops with heavy customer traffic, * medical or therapy practices, * restaurants, * day nurseries, * training or event rooms, * businesses with frequent deliveries. A prior deduction of the commercial share is particularly relevant where the commercial use leads to a significant additional burden on the residential tenants. ### Regular deep and special cleaning Cleaning that is not carried out weekly can also be part of the running operating costs where it recurs according to plan. The following come into consideration, for example: * annual deep cleaning of the stairwell, * the regular intensive cleaning of floor coverings, * the regular cleaning of communal windows, * the seasonal cleaning of entrance and dirt trap areas. A one-off cleaning, on the other hand, is regularly not recoverable where it is carried out for a special reason not belonging to the ordinary operation of the building. The following do not belong here, for example: * final construction cleaning after a refurbishment, * cleaning after painting or tradesmen's work, * removing rubble and construction dust, * cleaning after fire or water damage, * cleaning an apartment that has been cleared, * exceptional cleaning after an event held by the landlord, * making good cleaning neglected for years, * cleaning to prepare for a new letting. {% hint style="info" %} Such costs do not arise as ordinary running building cleaning or belong to the respective building, damage or administrative measure. Operating costs have to arise on a running basis; maintenance, repair and administrative costs are excluded. {% endhint %} ### Exceptional soiling Removing ordinary soiling that cannot be attributed to individual residents is part of the running building cleaning. Where a particular tenant demonstrably causes exceptional soiling, on the other hand, for example through: * spilled paint or oil, * building rubble left behind, * considerable soiling during a move, * animal faeces, * waste left improperly, * damage and soiling after a private event, the additional costs should not be allocated to all tenants across the board. A direct claim against the person responsible comes into consideration instead, provided their responsibility can be proved. ### Buying cleaning equipment The following in particular should **not** be entered as running building cleaning: * buying a cleaning machine, * buying a vacuum cleaner, * buying brooms, ladders or durable equipment, * buying cleaning trolleys, * replacing technical cleaning equipment. Cleaning materials consumed on a running basis and low-value consumables, on the other hand, can be part of the cleaning service. Where durable equipment is used by the service provider, its business costs are regularly already included in the agreed cleaning price and may not additionally be allocated to the tenants as a separate purchase. ### The landlord's own work Where the landlord or their own staff clean the stairwell, the materials and work can in principle be applied at the amount that would have arisen for an equivalent service from a third party company. Notional VAT may not be applied where it did not actually arise. **The following should be documented:** * the areas cleaned, * the type and scope of the work, * the cleaning cycle, * the period of the service, * the comparison price used, * the source of the comparison price, * the material costs actually incurred. The amount applied may not exceed the market costs of an equivalent service from a third party. ### The requirement of economic efficiency The landlord has to observe the requirement of economic efficiency when choosing the cleaning service and the scope of the service. That does not mean the cheapest company necessarily has to be chosen. The price, scope of service, reliability and the building's requirements must, however, be in reasonable proportion. Check in particular: * whether the cleaning cycle matches the actual need, * whether rarely used areas are cleaned unnecessarily often, * whether services are included twice in the caretaking and cleaning contracts, * whether exceptional additional services are necessary, * whether price increases are comprehensible, * whether comparative quotations make sense where costs rise considerably.