10 Documents Every Cleaning Company Should Have
The compliance checklist every UK cleaning business needs — from COSHH assessments to public liability insurance — and why clients ask for each one.
Whether you're bidding for a new commercial contract or preparing for a client audit, having the right paperwork ready is often what separates a professional cleaning company from one that loses the deal. Here are the 10 documents that come up most often — and why each one matters.
1. Risk assessments
Covers the hazards on a specific job — slips, manual handling, working at height and more. See our full cleaning risk assessment template guide for a ready-to-use structure.
2. COSHH assessments
Required by law wherever hazardous chemicals are used. Our COSHH assessment guide walks through exactly what to include.
3. Method statements
A method statement explains how a job will be carried out safely, step by step. Clients in construction, education and healthcare frequently request these alongside a risk assessment. We cover this in our method statements guide.
4. Public and employers' liability insurance certificates
Almost every commercial client will ask to see current insurance certificates before signing a contract. Keep both public liability and employers' liability certificates up to date and easy to produce on request.
5. Staff training records
Evidence that staff have been trained on COSHH, manual handling, infection control and site-specific procedures. Our guide on managing staff training records covers what to track and how.
6. Health and safety policy
A written statement of how your business manages health and safety, required by law for any business with five or more employees.
7. DBS checks (where relevant)
For contracts involving schools, care homes or healthcare settings, clients will typically require DBS-checked staff and evidence of when checks were completed.
8. Equipment maintenance and PAT testing records
Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) records for vacuum cleaners, buffers and other electrical equipment, showing they're safe to use.
9. Site-specific method statements or risk assessments
Beyond your generic documents, larger clients often expect a version tailored to their specific site, access arrangements and working hours.
10. A clear audit trail
Perhaps the most overlooked item: the ability to quickly produce all of the above, with review dates, when a client or auditor asks. Many cleaning companies have the documents but struggle to find them fast — which can look just as bad as not having them at all during a live audit. Our guide on preparing for a client audit covers how to get audit-ready.
Keeping it all in one place
Spreadsheets and shared drives work until you're managing multiple contracts and staff members at once. Fovexa lets UK cleaning companies generate, store and track all of these documents — COSHH, risk assessments, method statements, training records and more — in one system, with reminders when something needs reviewing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What compliance documents do I need to win commercial cleaning contracts?
At minimum, most commercial clients expect risk assessments, COSHH assessments, public and employers' liability insurance, and evidence of staff training. Larger contracts often add method statements and DBS checks.
How often should compliance documents be reviewed?
Most should be reviewed at least annually, and immediately after any change to how a job is carried out, a new chemical or piece of equipment, or an incident on site.
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