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Landlord Service Agreements UK: Cleaners & Gardeners

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Part ofUK Property Law Guide

Written by Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)
Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice.
Updated June 2026 · England & Wales
Running a rental property rarely means doing everything yourself. Most landlords end up relying on a small network of trusted people: someone to keep the gardens tidy, a cleaner between tenancies, a handyman for the jobs that crop up out of the blue. What often gets skipped is putting the working relationship down on paper. A written service agreement may feel like overkill when you are just hiring a gardener for a monthly visit, but it sets expectations on both sides and gives you something to fall back on if a job is missed, a price changes unexpectedly, or the quality slips. This guide walks through how service agreements work between residential landlords and the contractors they engage, what tends to go inside them, and where landlords most often run into trouble when these arrangements are left informal.

What this document is

A service agreement, in this context, is a written contract between a landlord and a person or business providing ongoing or repeat services at a rental property. It is not the same as a tenancy agreement and it is not an employment contract.

The contractor remains self-employed or operates through their own company, and the landlord is simply paying for a service. These agreements tend to be used for recurring work rather than one-off jobs. Think weekly cleaning of a communal area, fortnightly garden maintenance, monthly pool servicing, or a rolling handyman arrangement covering small repairs as they come up.

They can be used whether the contractor is a sole trader working alone or a limited company with staff. Larger service providers often present landlords with their own standard terms, while smaller outfits may have nothing in writing at all.

In that second scenario, the landlord can put forward their own contract and set the terms that matter most to them: scope of work, pricing, payment timing, insurance, and how either side ends the arrangement.

How to use this document

  1. Work out what you actually need. Before drafting anything, be specific about the service. A 'gardener' could mean lawn mowing once a fortnight or full landscaping with seasonal planting. Write down visit frequency, the tasks included, what is excluded, and any access arrangements at the property. The clearer you are upfront, the less room there is for disagreement later.
  2. Pick the right type of agreement. A cleaner or gardener contract usually sets out regular scheduled visits with predictable pricing. A handyman arrangement is different because the work is unpredictable, so the contract tends to cover hourly rates, call-out procedures, and how jobs get authorised before the contractor starts. Match the contract shape to how the service will actually run in practice.
  3. Agree payment terms in writing. Decide whether you pay per visit, monthly in arrears, or on invoice. Set out when invoices are due, how they should be submitted, and what happens if a visit is missed or cancelled at short notice. If the contractor wants to increase prices, the agreement should say how much notice they need to give and whether you can refuse and end the contract instead.
  4. Deal with insurance, access and liability. Contractors coming onto a rental property should carry their own public liability insurance, and many landlords ask to see a copy of the certificate before work starts. Think about keys, alarm codes, and whether the contractor needs to coordinate with tenants before visits. Your tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment, and contractor access should respect that.
  5. Plan how the arrangement ends. Every service agreement needs a clean exit route. Set a notice period that works for both sides, usually somewhere between one week and one month depending on the service. Include a shorter route out for serious problems, such as repeated no-shows, poor workmanship, or loss of insurance. Without this, ending a contract can turn into a dispute of its own.

Common questions

If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £89.

Common questions

Q Do I legally need a written service agreement with a cleaner or gardener?
There is no law requiring a written agreement for basic contractor services, and many landlords operate on a verbal understanding for years without issue. The risk is that when something goes wrong, such as damage to the property, a missed visit, or a pricing dispute, you have nothing to point to. A short written contract is inexpensive protection and helps both sides understand what was agreed.
Q Does a service agreement make the contractor my employee?
Not automatically, but the way the relationship actually works in practice matters more than what the document says. If you control their hours closely, provide all their equipment, and they work only for you, HMRC may view the arrangement as employment regardless of the label. A properly drafted service agreement reflects genuine self-employment by leaving the contractor in control of how the work is done.
Q Should the contractor have their own insurance?
In most cases yes, and it is reasonable for a landlord to ask for evidence before work begins. Public liability insurance covers accidental damage or injury caused by the contractor while working at the property. Some trades also need tools insurance or, if they employ others, employers' liability cover. Never assume a contractor is insured just because they have been trading for years.
Q Can I use the same agreement for multiple properties in my portfolio?
Yes, service agreements can be structured to cover a single property, several named properties, or a portfolio that changes over time. The practical consideration is pricing: a contractor cleaning ten properties has a different cost base than one cleaning a single flat. The contract should be clear about which properties are covered and how new ones get added or removed.
Q What happens if the contractor damages the property?
A well-drafted agreement makes the contractor responsible for damage caused by their own negligence, and this is where their public liability insurance matters. Without a written contract, recovering costs becomes harder because you are left arguing over what was agreed. If damage is significant and the contractor refuses to engage, the matter may need to go through small claims, so keep records of everything.
Q Is a handyman agreement different from a cleaner or gardener contract?
Yes, because the nature of the work is fundamentally different. Cleaners and gardeners usually follow a predictable schedule with fixed tasks. A handyman is called in as and when something breaks or needs attention, so the agreement needs to cover hourly or day rates, how jobs get authorised, spending limits before you need to approve work, and how materials are charged. The framework is looser but still needs to be clear.
Q Can my tenants refuse access to a contractor I have hired?
Tenants have a right to quiet enjoyment of the property, so contractor access needs to be handled sensibly. For communal areas or gardens that form part of the let, access is usually straightforward. For work inside a tenanted property, you typically need to give reasonable notice and arrange a time that suits the tenant. The service agreement itself does not override the tenancy.
If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £89.

Sources

This guide is based on primary UK law and official guidance.

Brad Askew, Solicitor (non-practising)

Written & reviewed by

Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)

Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice. LegalDocuments.co.uk is not a law firm and does not provide regulated legal advice.

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Legal disclaimer
This article is for general information only. It is a tool to help you find your way — not legal advice, and not a substitute for speaking to a qualified adviser about your situation.