Bungalow Cleaning Policy

How it works:

  • Standard Monthly Cleaning Service: All properties receive one monthly clean of common areas, as long as there are no personal items left on the ground/surfaces or pets outside of their crates.

  • Cleans are set every 28 days. This is so that the day of the week doesn't change month on month. There are some months that a property might get 2 cleans because of this.

  • Cleaning Products: The cleaners purchase and provide their own cleaning supplies. In the event that you have an intolerance to the cleaning products that the cleaners use, feel free to purchase and provide cleaning supplies for the cleaners to use during their monthly standard property clean. If you decide to provide the cleaners with cleaning products: We request that you leave the cleaning products in a common area & provide a note giving the cleaners permission to use the products. We recommend that you do this for every single clean, as the cleaner may change or the resident may turnover.

What is included in my cleaning?

  • Bedroom cleans

    • In order to have your room serviced, please ensure that it’s tidy and the door is left wide open. If clothing, blankets, or personal items are strewn about the room, the cleaners are not permitted to service the bedroom.

    • If any personal belongings are damaged during the cleaning process, the resident is responsible for filing a claim with their rental insurance company. Bungalow cannot replace broken or missing items that occur from the cleans.

    • If you do not want your room serviced, please keep the door closed.

  • Dust Surfaces

    • The cleaners will dust surfaces that are within reach. We want to be 
respectful of your belongings, so we’ve 
instructed the cleaners to limit moving your personal belongings 
around. This means that if personal belongings are cluttering these areas, the cleaners have been advised to skip the area.

  • Vacuum / Sweep / Mop Floors

    • The cleaners will provide a light sweep & mop of the floors. Scrubbing and deep clean the floors is the responsibility of the residents.

  • Bathrooms

    • The cleaners will wipe down the bathtub, shower walls & door, countertops, and mirrors. The cleaners are not responsible for a deep scrub or mold removal. If you’re experiencing mold growth in your bathroom, please submit a maintenance ticket via the Bungalow App for further investigation. If you have a moldy shower curtain, replacing the shower curtain falls on the responsibility of the residents.

  • Trash Bins

    • The cleaners will empty all trash bins & discard the trash bags in the outdoor trash bin. The cleaners will only empty trash inside of the bin. Removing any trash outside of the bin falls on the responsibility of the residents. We also recommend leaving replacement trash bags 
where cleaners can easily find them. If you have boxes or other items that may be confused for trash that you’d like to keep, please mark them and move them to your private bedroom.

      • NOTE: If you’d like the cleaners to not empty the trash bin, please leave a note on the trash bin advising them to not empty the trash bin. Some residents prefer that the cleaners empty the trash bin during every clean regardless of how full the bin is, other residents don’t.

Kitchen

  • The cleaners will clean the face of the refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, stove / oven. Cleaning inside of the appliances falls on the responsibility of the residents.

  • The cleaners are not responsible for washing, drying, or putting away dishes. In the event that dishes are left in the sink or on the countertop, we’ve advised the cleaners to skip this area.

  • The cleaners are not responsible for cleaning the inside of the microwave or refrigerator.

  • The cleaners are not responsible for washing / folding / picking up any clothing. If your personal laundry is strewn about the home the cleaners have been advised to skip these areas.

Not a replacement for regular cleaning

  • Cleans are not meant to replace residents regularly cleaning their homes. The cleaners are only responsible for providing a “regular” standard clean, not a “deep clean”. A deep clean of the property is the responsibility of the residents.

Roommate communication

  • In order to keep a clean living environment and to foster positive roommate relationships, we recommend keeping an open and honest dialogue with your household about cleanliness expectations for both bedrooms and common areas.

What happens if the cleaners don’t show up to clean my home?

Missed Property Clean: 

  • Submitting missed cleaning tickets: If the cleaners failed to show up for a scheduled appointment, you can report this on the clean survey that is sent within 48 hours of the scheduled clean.

  • This is the only way to report a missed clean, so please navigate to the clean survey and provide details. Were are unable to assist with any submissions that occur after the survey is sent.

Lock-outs

  • Lock-outs occur when the cleaners run into entry issues. Entry issues include: malfunctioning SmartLocks, inaccurate or missing entry instructions, jammed or damaged lockboxes, etc. In the event that the cleaners encounter a “lock-out” - we ask the cleaners to knock on the door, ring the doorbell, announce themselves, & reach out to Bungalow’s lock-out support team to troubleshoot. 

  • In the event that the cleaners are unable to gain access to the unit, our lock-out support team will submit an internal maintenance request to resolve the entry issue before your next scheduled clean. If possible, Bungalow will work to reschedule within 14 days. If Bungalow is unable to reschedule your monthly standard clean, we will reimburse each resident for the missed clean the following month.

Resident-caused lock-out

  • If you or your roommates are the cause of a lockout, we’re unable to reschedule or reimburse for that specific clean. To clarify the difference between a lock-out vs a resident-caused lock-out is, a resident-caused lockout includes locking a deadbolt / screen door where our vendors wouldn’t have access to a key or a key doesn’t exist to unlock the door to gain entry to the unit.

  • Residents who turn away a service on their own will not be reimbursed.

Inclement Weather / Natural Disasters / City Mandated Curfew: 

  • In the event that there’s inclement weather (snow / flooding / fires / city mandated curfews, etc) that is preventing the cleaners from servicing your home & it results in Bungalow having to cancel your monthly standard clean. Bungalow will work to reschedule within 14 days. If Bungalow is unable to reschedule your monthly standard clean, we will reimburse each resident for the missed clean the following month.

Holidays: 

  • No cleanings are scheduled on major holidays. Bungalow will work with vendors to reschedule holiday cleanings within 5 business days of the original intended cleaning date

Scheduling / Rescheduling Cleans: 

  • Scheduling: Homes are serviced on a monthly cadence. You can view the schedule in your resident app. At this time we’re unable to accommodate requests that your home be cleaned on a specific day / time slot.

  • Rescheduling: Residents can not request that a clean be 
rescheduled for a different day / time slot. Bungalow optimizes routes to ensure homes are close together. This schedule ensures that all of our houses get consistent and reliable cleaning. This also applies to areas of your home - if you’d like a bathroom serviced, make sure that it’s not in use when the cleaners are there. The cleaners are unable to wait for a room to be unoccupied in order to service it.

Timing: 

  • Cleaners will only service 
homes between 8:30am-6:30pm local time Monday-Friday, so you never have to worry about 
after-hours disruptions. At this time we’re unable to provide a specific time slot due to the cleaners servicing a set number of homes throughout the day.

Visibility: 

  • You can always see your next scheduled cleaning in the Bungalow mobile app. Residents are responsible for knowing when 
their cleanings will occur.

How will the cleaners get into my home?

Secured self-access: 

  • Vendors will use a lockbox, key or a secured smart lock code in order to access the home.

Do not deny access

  • Residents are responsible for knowing when 
their cleanings will occur, so please do not refuse entry to our housekeepers. You can always see your next scheduled cleaning in the Bungalow mobile app so please plan accordingly. If you do refuse the cleaners access, the entire home will not get a cleaning until the following month, please be courteous of your roommates.

What if I have a pet or ESA?

Preparing for a cleaning: 

  • If your pet or ESA is 
at home during a cleaning, it must either be confined 
to its enclosure or your individual bedroom while the 
cleaning occurs.

Marking your door: 

  • If you've kept your pet or ESA in a 
bedroom during your cleaning, you need to leave a 
visible note on the door so the cleaner is aware. For 
the safety of your pet or ESA and the cleaners, 
properties with uncaged pets or ESAs will not be 
serviced.

Failing to abide by the policy: 

  • If there are pets or 
ESAs loose in an apartment at the time of cleaning, 
cleaners have the right to refuse service for their safety. In the event 
that this occurs, the owner of the pet will bear 
responsibility. The Bungalow cleaning fee paid by all roommates helps to cover the cost of cleaning. Therefore, a penalty will be automatically charged to all roommates.

Who pays for the cleanings?

  • Cleaning fees will be billed and split equally among all residents in each home. However, that said, no individual resident will be responsible for cleaning costs greater than $50 per person per clean through 2023.

Tipping

  • Tipping is neither required nor expected, but of course, they appreciate tips. We do not currently have a way to do this through the app and you will have to do it in person if you wish. If you feel that your housekeepers have done a great job, please give them a high rating and review in your app.

What do I need to do to prepare a new roommate? Can I use a vacant bedroom as storage or a home office?

Vacant Bedrooms: 

  • Make sure that your personal belongings are kept in your personal bedroom. We schedule one-off move-in bedroom cleans to prepare for your incoming roommate. Rest assured that Bungalow covers the cost of this service, meaning your cleaning fee isn’t allocated toward this service. This service may take place on a different day than your regular recurring clean.

  • IMPORTANT: Any belongings left in the vacant bedroom will be discarded by the cleaners upon arrival. Residents will not be reimbursed for any discarded items. No exceptions.

Storage:

  • In the event that you or your roommates would like to rent a vacant bedroom to use as storage. Please reach out to us via the Bungalow App & we’ll connect you to our supply team in order to lease / rent the vacant bedroom. The cost of the bedroom will be split between the residents that lease / rent the space.

Who do I contact if something goes wrong? What happens if something is broken or goes missing during a cleaning?

Broken items

  • We recommend keeping all personal belongings in your bedroom to avoid any items being misplaced or prevent any accidents from occurring. We’ve 
instructed the cleaners to limit moving your things 
around in order to be respectful of your belongings. If an item has been broken, please submit photographs of the item so we can report this to the cleaners. Then move forward with filing a renters’ insurance claim with your personal renters’ insurance company. Replacing the broken / missing item is not the responsibility of the cleaners or Bungalow.

Including proper documentation: 

  • So we can 
quickly help address any issues with your home’s cleaning, submit a new request via the Bungalow App & include photos of the areas that were missed / not properly serviced. We do ask that you ensure that the area that you’re reporting as “missed” is an area that our cleaners are responsible for servicing!

Missing items: 

  • We recommend keeping all personal belongings in your bedroom to avoid any items being misplaced or prevent any accidents from occurring. For missing items, please check with your roommates to see if they moved your item - oftentimes, roommates will help to tidy up the common areas prior to a clean! If you have checked with your roommates and are still missing these items, please let us know so that we can follow up with the cleaners. Then move forward with filing a renters’ insurance claim with your personal renters’ insurance company. Replacing the broken / missing item is not the responsibility of the cleaners or Bungalow.

Move-In Condition: 

  • Upon moving in, if your personal bedroom doesn't meet your cleanliness standards, please report this issue to our Bungalow Support Team via the Bungalow App within 72 hours of your lease start date. It is required that you submit photos of your personal bedroom that clearly depict the areas that fell short of your cleanliness expectations. We use this feedback to create better processes for future residents.

Post-Clean Survey: 

  • You'll receive a Cleaning Survey within 3 days of your clean taking place. This feedback is shared directly with the cleaners. By submitting this post-clean survey you'll be able to highlight what you love & what you think the cleaners can improve on! Please ensure that you understand the Housekeeping FAQ’s - Rate the cleaners based on what they're responsible for servicing, not what they're not responsible for servicing.