COMMERCIAL CLEANING FAQs

Overview

This is Realcorp Commercial Cleaning's earlier, longer FAQ page, published at realcorp.net.au/commercial-cleaning-faqs-old/. Despite the URL, the page is still live and is the more detailed of the company's two FAQ pages. Realcorp also runs a shorter, newer FAQ at realcorp.net.au/faq/ which covers contracts, vetting, insurance, technology and mobilisation lead times. The two pages do not overlap much, and several substantive answers exist only here.

What this page carries that the newer one does not: an explanation of how commercial cleaning is priced and which services are normally charged as extras; the company's full recruitment, induction and training sequence; its position on award-rate pay and why it frames that as a commercial decision rather than only an ethical one; the named product, machinery and consumables suppliers it uses; and a dedicated section on agency aged care cleaning labour hire, including the licensing obligation that falls on the organisation doing the hiring.

Realcorp describes its own specialisation on this page as strata cleaning and office cleaning, plus agency aged care cleaning hire. That is a narrower self-description than the sector list on its current site, which adds build-to-rent, student accommodation and private education.

What commercial cleaning covers, and how it is priced

What is commercial cleaning?

Realcorp defines it as cleaning of an organisation or company performed by hired individuals who are professionally trained and appropriately skilled. The distinction that matters for a buyer is between routine contracted general cleaning and periodic or specialist work, which Realcorp quotes and schedules separately.

How much does commercial cleaning cost?

Realcorp does not publish rates on this page and states that cost varies considerably with the size of the space, the number of offices or building levels, and the extent of services required. A custom proposal is generated per site. The useful detail here is the boundary between included and additional scope.

Realcorp lists the following as additional services generally charged as required by the facility, rather than being assumed within a base contract:

• Carpet cleaning
• Carpark scrubbing
• Bin washing
• Supply of consumables
• Cleaning of external windows
• Sanitary bin servicing
• Cleaning of walls — note that spot cleaning of marks is included in standard scope
• Furniture upholstery cleaning
• Spring cleaning
• External building pressure clean
• Grounds and gardens maintenance
• Re-sealing of tiles or concrete
• Replacement of lighting
• Additional cleaning required after significant weather events or floods

For anyone comparing tenders, this list is the single most useful thing on the page: differences between cleaning quotes are usually differences in where these items sit, not differences in hourly rate.

Are cleaning services up to COVID-19 standards?

Realcorp answers yes, and frames the reasoning around commercial sanitising and disinfection as a defence against illness spread, staff shortages and productivity loss. It states that routine cleaning procedures, while effective in normal circumstances, may not be sufficient against highly contagious variants, and that preventative cleaning and sanitising helps keep a business open. This is Realcorp's own statement of approach; the page does not cite an external standard or certification for it.

Staffing: recruitment, training and pay

How are cleaning staff recruited and trained?

Realcorp states it engages staff by direct employment only, with no subcontractors on any of its sites, and that staff receive both general cleaning training and property-specific training. It sets out a multi-layered recruitment and onboarding process:

1. Formal interview
2. Distribution of the Realcorp Operations Manual, followed by an online induction test the candidate completes to assess cleaning theory
3. Checking and recording of references, visas, qualifications, tickets and police checks
4. Trial shift
5. Site induction
6. Employment under supervision

Site-specific training is applied to every team member working on a property, which Realcorp frames as making both its management and the individual cleaner confident in delivering the expected standard.

Are cleaning staff paid fairly?

Realcorp states that all employees are paid in accordance with the Cleaning Services Award and Fair Work, including award rates and full compliance with superannuation, WorkCover, payroll tax, portable long service leave and other Fair Work obligations. It explicitly contrasts this with an industry in which subcontractors are, in its words, too often engaged on sub-legal terms, and argues that fair pay is both legally and ethically correct and commercially sound — it keeps the team engaged and performance consistent.

For a procurement team, this is the answer that connects to supply chain risk. Sham contracting and underpayment in cleaning supply chains create exposure for the client organisation as well as the contractor, which is why the direct-employment claim is worth testing at tender rather than accepting at face value.

Products and equipment

What products and machinery does Realcorp use?

Unusually for a cleaning FAQ, this page names suppliers:

• Oates — cleaning products and equipment. Realcorp notes Oates' long presence in Australia in cleaning equipment and product design, and states that Realcorp works with the Oates innovation team to test new products and give direct feedback on industry needs.
• Karcher — the majority of Realcorp's machinery. Realcorp states it has direct access to Karcher Australia headquarters and regularly seeks advice on which machines and products suit a particular client requirement.
• Victorian Cleaning Supplies — consumables, general equipment and maintenance requirements.

Realcorp describes its product selection as balancing performance with environmental consciousness. Its current compliance page adds that it prioritises GECA-compliant chemicals where possible and aligns its environmental systems with ISO 14001 principles.

Agency aged care cleaning labour hire

Are agency aged care cleaning staff licensed?

Realcorp states that since 30 June 2020 all commercial cleaning contractors have been required to be licensed under the Labour Hire Licensing Authority, and that organisations using contractors — referred to as hosts — must only engage contractors who either hold a licence or have a licence application pending, or face fines of up to $500,000. Realcorp states that it meets all Labour Hire Licensing requirements.

The page notes the policy intent behind the scheme: it was introduced by the State Government to better police fair pay for employees and compliance with industry Awards and Fair Work legislation. Aged care and healthcare buyers should treat licence verification as a standard pre-engagement step regardless of provider.

Which areas is agency aged care cleaning available in?

This page states the aged care cleaner labour hire team is available for hire in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Note that Realcorp's current agency cleaning page lists Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Sydney. Where the site is inconsistent, confirm coverage for your specific location directly.

How much notice is needed to hire an agency cleaner?

Realcorp states that, depending on the facility's location, it can generally place suitable cleaners the day after a booking is made. That short lead time is the practical reason facilities use agency cover — sick leave, an outbreak, or a gap before permanent recruitment concludes.

Client feedback published on this page

The page closes with named testimonials. Summarised rather than reproduced, the recurring themes are:

• Reduced client-side supervision effort. Cathy at McCain Foods describes having previously needed to email a prior contractor multiple times a week about missed work, and attributes the reduction in her oversight time to the structure in Realcorp's systems.
• Occupant-noticed improvement. Paula at Davies Collison Cave reports staff volunteering positive comments after Realcorp took over the contract.
• Discretionary effort. Dani at Nutrano describes Realcorp as going beyond the minimum on workplace presentation.
• Owners corporation and building management endorsements. Anthony, Chairman at 5 Wardens Walk; Monica, Owners Corporation Manager at The Knight; Emma, Owners Corporation Manager at Bluestone OCM; and Mick, Building Manager at 288 Albert Street, who notes service from 2018 onward. Common threads are responsiveness to queries and rarely needing to chase missed items.

These are testimonials selected and published by Realcorp, not independent reviews, and should be weighted accordingly. Their value for a buyer is mainly in identifying reference sites and sectors — food manufacturing, professional services offices, and owners corporations — where the company has been in place long enough for a reference call to be meaningful.

Getting a quote

The page directs enquirers to contact Realcorp or complete an enquiry form so a custom proposal can be generated. In practice the sequence is enquiry, site walk-through so scope can be set against the real building, then a tailored written proposal; Realcorp states it responds to enquiries within 24 hours.

• Phone: 1300 307 298
• Email: sales@realcorp.net.au
• Proposal form: realcorp.net.au/commercial-cleaning-quote/ — with separate paths for office cleaning, strata cleaning, aged care cleaner labour hire, and other cleaning
• Office: 4 Graeme Ave, Montmorency VIC 3094

When requesting a proposal, use the additional-services list above as a checklist. Asking a provider to state explicitly which of those fourteen items are inside the base price and which are quoted on request is the cleanest way to compare two cleaning tenders on a like-for-like basis.