In Queensland, many medium and large strata schemes have a caretaker, often called a resident manager, who also runs a letting business from the building. Others rely entirely on contractors. Plenty use both. Understanding how the roles differ helps committees get value and avoid gaps — or paying twice for the same task.
What a caretaker does
A caretaker is engaged by the body corporate under a caretaking service contract, usually alongside a letting authorisation that allows them to run a letting business from the scheme. The contract lists their duties, which commonly include:
- general cleaning of some common areas
- grounds and garden maintenance
- pool maintenance
- minor repairs and supervision of trades
- bin management
- being a point of contact for residents
These agreements can run for many years and are often bought and sold as part of a management rights business. They are regulated under the BCCM Act, including a code of conduct for caretaking service contractors.
What a cleaning contractor does
A cleaning contractor is engaged to deliver a defined scope of cleaning — usually more detailed and more frequent than what fits within a caretaker’s broader role. Contractors typically bring:
- dedicated cleaning staff and supervision
- commercial equipment and products
- specialist periodic services such as soft washing and carpet steam cleaning
- formal reporting and quality checks
- cover for leave and absences
Where they overlap
Problems arise when the caretaker’s duties include “cleaning of common property” in general terms, and the body corporate also engages a cleaner. Questions to answer:
- Which areas does the caretaker clean, and how often?
- Are those duties being performed?
- Would it be better for the caretaker to focus on other duties while a contractor handles cleaning?
Changing a caretaking agreement’s duties requires agreement and must follow the Act, so get advice from your body corporate manager or a strata lawyer before assuming anything.
Models that work
1. Caretaker does day-to-day; contractor does periodic
The caretaker handles daily presentation and bins; the contractor provides monthly deep cleans, soft washing, carpet cleaning and high-reach work.
2. Contractor does detailed cleaning; caretaker supervises
Where the caretaker’s agreement allows, the contractor takes on all scheduled cleaning, and the caretaker acts as on-site liaison, reporting issues and checking standards.
3. Contractor-only
Schemes without a caretaker rely on the contractor for everything, often with a separate gardener and pool technician.
Making it work in practice
- Write it down. Map each cleaning task to who does it, in a single schedule.
- Communicate. Introduce the contractor to the caretaker; agree on keys, storage, chemical storage and reporting lines.
- Share information. Our client portal can give the caretaker, manager and committee the same view of visits and issues.
- Review annually. Adjust as the building changes.
Respect the relationship
Caretakers are important to their buildings and residents. A good cleaning contractor works with them, not against them. At Strata Cleaning Co. we regularly work in buildings with resident managers, and see our job as making their building look its best.
Performance and accountability
Caretaking agreements usually include duties and standards, but measuring performance can be difficult without records. Cleaning contractors can be held to a written scope with reporting, which makes performance easier to see. Where both work in a building, the committee benefits from asking both parties to record and report what they do, so there’s a single picture of how the building is cared for.
When the caretaker is away
Caretakers take holidays and get sick like everyone else. Some agreements require them to arrange relief; in other buildings, cleaning standards slip when the caretaker is away. A contractor can provide relief cover for caretaker cleaning duties by agreement, so standards don’t drop during holidays or peak periods.
Peak periods and special projects
Even well-run caretaking arrangements can be stretched during peak times, such as summer holidays in coastal buildings, or by one-off projects like soft washing the building’s walls and paths, carpet cleaning or a pre-painting wash-down. Engaging a specialist contractor for those projects frees the caretaker to focus on residents and day-to-day duties.
Questions for the committee
- Do we know exactly which cleaning duties are in the caretaking agreement?
- Are those duties being performed to a standard we’re happy with?
- Are there areas or tasks nobody is responsible for?
- Would a contractor for periodic or detailed work improve results?
- Who residents should contact for cleaning issues?
Answering these together, with the caretaker in the conversation, is the best way to find an arrangement that works for everyone.
Need help sorting out who does what?
Book a free site visit. We’ll look at the caretaking duties alongside the building’s needs and propose a scope that fills the gaps without duplication. Read more on who cleans what in a strata building.
By Strata Cleaning Co. · 24 September 2026