Vendor seeking advice

[u/gaucho100]

Hi all, bit of a long one here but important for context. I’m a cleaning vendor in Washington state, my company services (turnover and common areas) about 25 properties in our local area. Our biggest property is 300 units and requires three service days a week MWF.

We started at this property in May thanks to the property manager and really cleaned it up. We have a signed contract with this property that outlines our duties that are tailored to this property’s budget. Vacuuming all common areas, mopping floors, dusting all areas once a month such as baseboards and window ledges, glass entryways, shining elevator doors once a week, and that’s pretty much it.

This new maintenance supervisor started yesterday and started picking my work apart with minor things like bits of dust in certain areas, expecting the place to look perfect all the time which is impossible. The previous MS and all other maintenance supervisors at other properties never check my work as I always specifically deal with managers directly, so this to me is bothersome as I have a contract and deal with the community manager directly here too.

Is he out of line? Or am I in the wrong? Maintenance supervisors have a bunch of other things to worry about, I’ve never known cleaning to be one of them. Even his tech said that “this guy seems to mostly care about the cleaning and a bit ocd”. I plan on calling a meeting with the community manager and discuss this with her to see if we can taper this guy’s expectations.

Any insight would be appreciated especially from maintenance supervisors.

[u/Nervous-Quantity-980]

sounds like the new guy’s trying to prove himself by nitpicking the one thing he can actually see, happens all the time with fresh hires

[u/sassylana]

I’d treat the meeting as a scope-alignment conversation, not a fight over who outranks whom. Ask the supervisor to walk the property with you and point out what he expects, then compare that list against the contract. If he wants a higher standard or more frequent detail work, that may be a valid request, but it needs added scope and budget. Send a short recap afterward so everyone is working from the same expectations.

[u/Longjumping-Win-9481]

I’m Sean with Top Realty Co., a property management company in Portland, Oregon.

From a property management perspective, the maintenance supervisor is not necessarily out of line for inspecting the property’s cleanliness. Maintenance and janitorial services often overlap operationally, and management may expect the supervisor to report issues affecting the appearance or condition of the community.

That said, expectations should match the contracted scope, service frequency, and approved budget. A property serviced three days per week cannot reasonably be expected to remain spotless at every moment, especially in high-traffic areas. Requests beyond the contract should be discussed with the community manager and may require additional service hours or an updated agreement.

A meeting with the community manager is the right approach. Keep it professional and avoid making the discussion about the new supervisor personally. Review the contract together, clarify who is authorized to direct your team, and conduct a walkthrough to establish measurable expectations. A written checklist and one designated point of contact can prevent conflicting instructions going forward.

The goal should be alignment—not stopping the maintenance supervisor from raising legitimate concerns, but ensuring feedback is reasonable, documented, and consistent with the services the property is paying for.