I posted a few weeks back about starting up a cleaning business: post
Just got an email asking for my services to clean a few open apartments. I'm wondering at the moment how I should go about making a contract so that I'm solid on getting paid for the job. I've heard stories about people who do jobs like these and then don't get paid because they didn't create a contract or sign anything.
@vantai324 This is silly. There is no trust relationship established either way. Ton of businesses do this. Or at least some kind of partial payment. You get it just prior to starting.
This is especially true when dealing with another business. Unless a property manager is going to be available to provide payment immediately after the work, you’re giving that business credit. Be flexible, ask questions but be firm in getting paid. A contract will not fix this problem. If someone won’t pay, that paper won’t make them either.
@pastorpontibus I'm definitely not asking for payment up front, as other people said that's not a good look when I don't have any reputation to back it up. I looked for contract templates online and found a pretty good one. If I make any mistakes, which I probably will, I'll learn to do better next time.
@rnai Look friend. Don’t take advice from one sentence answers on the internet. Do some research. Get a free consultation from an attorney. Let that attorney tell you that a contract is not a guarantee.
How much are you going to charge? $200 -$300 per unit? 3 open units? That’s small claims court. That means YOU need to file paperwork, get a date set for many months later. Then you need to plead your case. Assuming you win, the judge will order them to pay. However if the other people don’t show up, you’re still not getting paid. You will have a judgement that is basically like a credit collection that you’ll never collect.
Just ask the customer. Have a clear honest conversation about getting paid. That’s the professional way to handle yourself.
@pastorpontibus I'm charging $85 per one-bedroom unit. $125 per 2 bedroom unit. I came up with my prices by looking at the costs of cleaning services in my area. Then I went just a little lower, because I'm new and I don't The experience under my belt to justify charging more.
@rnai It doesn't matter what you charge. You're just making my point and it's an even worse case. We're talking about contracts. We're talking about working with a business who doesn't care about you or what you've done in the past. If you do a days work and don't get paid immediately, you may never get paid and there is nothing you can do about it. At less than $500, it's not going to be worth your time to chase it. You'll have to wait MONTHS if you take them to small claims court.
Just be professional. Set terms for payment. Daily at minimum. Know who is supposed to pay you and make sure they will be ready with your payment when you're done. Provide a receipt. It's that simple.
On the flip side, You keep mentioning the lack of experience and reducing price. That's why you're there, you're cheap. I can guarantee if you try to hand them some half assed contract for a few hundred dollars, they are going to know for sure you're in experienced. This is a rookie move for sure. They probably won't sign it because they don't normally do it or the property manager doesn't have that power. Heck, they might even decide not to work with you because you're acting weird.
@pastorpontibus So I should probably do my work without a contract, at least for now. I should make it very clear that I expect to be paid immediately after completing the services, and be as professional as possible at all times. And if they beat around the bush about paying me, I should pack up my stuff and leave immediately and do no further business with them.
This is completely foreign territory to me. I've done plenty of cleaning jobs before, but operating solo is a new experience. I appreciate you being blunt, because I feel like the importance of what you said comes across more clearly.
@rnai you need to understand that running a business is completely different than cleaning apartments, cutting grass or whatever else. Running a business is navigating the complexities of documents and regulations set for by the local, state and federal governments and every other agency out there. Delegating the work, getting an attorney and a bookkeeper and a dozen other things to stay in compliance and run efficiently. If you start running around doing side jobs without some kind of plan, payment schedule, etc. is only a matter of time.
@katt50 I'm not expecting to make a lot of money right out of the gate, so right now anything I do is to supplement my current income. My concern and drive for my startup is to ensure a comfortable future for myself and my family.
