Cleaning in housing cooperatives and co-ownership properties: how the board writes a good tender specification

Is the board putting common area cleaning out to tender? A good tender describes the area per zone, which surfaces are included, the frequency per task, and the desired quality level according to INSTA 800 – not just "stair cleaning once a week". That way, the quotes become comparable, and you avoid comparing apples to oranges. Also check that the company has a legal status in the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority's Renholdsregisteret. It is a legal requirement.

What should the tender specify?

The most common mistake is sending out a two-line request: "We need stair cleaning in two entrances, how much does it cost?" Then you get five quotes that are impossible to compare because each supplier has guessed differently on the scope. Describe the job precisely instead.

A tender that yields good, comparable quotes should include:

1. Area per zone in square metres. Entrances, laundry rooms, common corridors, lift, garage, bicycle room, rubbish room. Count up the area or get it from the building plans.
2. Which surfaces are included. Floors, handrails, door handles, letterbox racks, glass panels in entrance doors, baseboards, window sills. An item like "stair cleaning" is interpreted very differently.
3. Frequency per task. Mopping weekly, but handrails and contact surfaces perhaps twice a week, entrance windows twice a year. Distinguish between routine tasks and periodic cleaning.
4. Desired quality level (INSTA 800). Specify the level you expect on a scale from 0 to 5 (more on this below).
5. Winter routine for entrance areas. Salt, sand, and slush wear on the floor and are dragged far inside. Describe extra mats, more frequent cleaning of the first few metres, and whether the supplier should follow up throughout the season. See also winter cleaning against salt and slush.
6. Requirement for legal status in Renholdsregisteret and documented public liability insurance.

The more you fill in yourselves, the less room there is for a supplier to price low by cutting back on what you actually need.

How often should the stairs be cleaned?

There is no definitive answer, and that is precisely why frequency should be described, not assumed. A common rule of thumb is wet mopping the entrance once a week, with dry mopping or an extra round mid-week in high-traffic buildings. Low-traffic entrances with few residents can get by fine with every other week.

In winter, the equation changes. When residents drag in salt and slush from the pavement, moisture and lime residue pull far into the entrance, making the entrance area worn and grey. In that case, it can pay off to have two cleans a week for the first few metres, even if the rest of the entrance maintains a weekly frequency.

A better approach than dictating the frequency is describing the result you want. Say that the floor must be free from visible dirt and sand, that handrails and door handles must be clean to the touch, and that the entrance area must not have grey salt streaks. Then the supplier can propose the frequency that actually delivers that result, and you can measure whether they deliver.

What is INSTA 800, and how does the board use it?

NS-INSTA 800 is a Nordic standard for measuring and documenting cleaning quality on a scale from 0 to 5, where 5 is the highest. It says nothing about methodology or how often it is cleaned, only how clean it actually is when the job is done. That makes it useful for a board: instead of arguing about "it doesn't look clean", you can agree on a measurable level and inspect against it.

Be precise in your phrasing. INSTA 800 is a quality standard, not a company certification. A supplier can offer cleaning according to an INSTA 800 level, but no company is "INSTA 800 certified" as a firm. Rather, request that they deliver and document a specific level, and that you can perform random checks.

For stairwells and common corridors, level 3 is often a good starting point: clean and tidy for daily use, without overpricing a level suited for a hospital. Representation areas or reception zones in larger housing cooperatives can be higher. If you want to understand the mechanics behind the levels, we have a dedicated guide on what INSTA 800 means for buyers of office cleaning.

How does the board compare the quotes correctly?

Price is the easiest thing to compare and the most dangerous to look at in isolation. For employees over 18 years old in private cleaning companies, the universally applied minimum wage is 236.54 NOK/hour from 15 June 2025, with a lower rate for employees under 18 and a night allowance of at least 29 NOK/hour. When someone is far below the market on hourly rate, you should investigate whether they have calculated too few hours or omitted parts of the delivery. The price alone does not show what someone is paid in wages or whether the work is legal.

Compare the quotes on equal terms:

Request that each quote specifies the estimated number of hours per month and who is responsible during illness and holidays. A low total amount that assumes cleaning is skipped in July is not a saving. The principles are the same as when purchasing office cleaning, and our overview of office cleaning prices provides a picture of where the market stands as of 2026.

Why must the company have legal status in Renholdsregisteret?

This is not a recommendation; it is the law. Since 1 July 2018, it has been illegal – including for private individuals and thus for a housing cooperative or co-ownership – to purchase cleaning services from a business that lacks legal status in the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority's Renholdsregisteret. Such a purchase is punishable by law.

The check takes two minutes: look up the company in Renholdsregisteret before signing, and verify that the status is "Godkjent", "Søknad under behandling", or "HMS-kortbestilling under behandling". If you get no matches, or if the status is "Ikke godkjent", you must stop there. We go into more detail on this in our guide on legal cleaning help and Renholdsregisteret.

How long should the contract be?

A common and sensible framework is 12 months with mutual termination notice of one to three months. That gives the supplier enough predictability to staff permanently, and the board a real exit if quality fails. Avoid long commitments without a termination clause. A housing cooperative board is replaced regularly, and you should not bind a new board to an agreement no one is happy with.

Include a clause stating that quality can be evaluated, ideally with a simple INSTA 800 spot check after the first few months, and that persistent deviations provide grounds for early termination. Also agree on how price adjustments will be calculated, documented, and notified, rather than inserting an automatic June adjustment.

Reusable tender checklist for the board

Save this and use it every time common area cleaning goes out to tender:

1. Area measured per zone (entrances, hallways, lift, garage, storage rooms)
2. List of which surfaces are included per zone
3. Frequency specified per task, not just "stair cleaning"
4. Desired INSTA 800 level specified (typically level 3 for entrances)
5. Winter routine for entrance area described
6. Requirement for legal status in Renholdsregisteret included in the request
7. Requirement for public liability insurance and at least two references
8. Request estimated number of hours per month, not just total price
9. Clarified who covers illness and holidays
10. Contract length 12 months with 1–3 months termination notice and evaluation point
11. Check that each company has legal status in Renholdsregisteret before signing

A board that sends out a request built on this list gets quotes that can actually be compared, and avoids discovering after three months that "stair cleaning" meant something completely different to the supplier than to the residents. If you want help setting up a tender for your housing cooperative or co-ownership, feel free to contact us for an informal chat. See also our guide to choosing a cleaning supplier.