How much does strata cleaning cost in Perth in 2026?
A transparent breakdown of what Perth strata managers actually pay for common-area cleaning — by building size, frequency and inclusions.
The short answer
Most Perth strata buildings pay between $180 and $1,800 per visit for common-area cleaning, depending on size, frequency and inclusions. A 24-unit walk-up complex on a weekly clean typically sits around $260–$340 per visit. A 120-unit secured tower with three lifts, two bin rooms and a basement car park usually sits between $850 and $1,400 per weekly visit.
If you only want a number to compare against your incumbent, those ranges are the honest ones. The rest of this guide explains what drives the difference — so you can read a strata cleaning quote and know which line items are reasonable and which aren’t.
What strata cleaning actually covers
A typical Perth strata scope of works includes:
- Sitewide vacuuming of all carpeted common areas
- Hard-floor mopping, scrubbing and polishing
- Dusting and surface wiping (skirtings, ledges, lift doors, railings, mailboxes)
- Common-area and communal bathroom cleaning
- Bin-room cleaning, deodorising and washdown
- Lift interior and stairwell cleaning
- Car-park sweep and oil-stain treatment (less often, usually monthly)
- Glass and entry-door spot cleaning
- A photo report to the strata manager after each visit
The “less often” items — carpet steam clean, deep car-park sweep, window detail, strip-and-seal hard floors — are usually scheduled on a rotating quarterly or bi-annual cycle and shown as separate line items in your quote.
The six things that change your price
1. Total cleanable area
Not just the building footprint — the actual square metres of carpet, hard floor, lift, bin-room and bathroom that need cleaning each visit. A 40-unit single-level townhouse complex with no lifts is often cheaper than a 20-apartment tower with two lifts, three landings and a bin room per floor.
2. Frequency
Weekly is by far the most common. Fortnightly saves around 25–35% per month versus weekly, but most buildings find owner complaints rise noticeably between visits on a fortnightly schedule. Twice-weekly (Mon/Thu) is increasingly common for higher-end buildings — it adds 60–80% to a weekly cost, not 100%.
3. Lifts
Every lift adds approximately $25–$45 per visit to the clean — the cars need wiping inside, the door tracks need detail, and the lift lobbies need full vacuum/mop. Two-lift buildings clean meaningfully slower than one-lift buildings.
4. Bin rooms
Bin rooms are the single most-complained-about common area in Perth strata. A properly cleaned bin room — washed down, deodorised, edges scrubbed — takes 15–25 minutes per visit. Multiply by the number of bin rooms in your building.
5. Carpets vs hard floor
Carpets vacuum quickly but need steam cleaning periodically (3–6 months) at $4–$9 per square metre. Hard floors are slower to clean per visit but cheaper to maintain long-term. Most quotes show the carpet steam-clean program as a separate rotating line item.
6. Car park
Surface car parks need a monthly sweep at minimum and a pressure-wash every 12–18 months. Multi-storey basement car parks are more expensive because they need a ride-on sweeper sized for the bay layout — ours runs at $180–$280 per visit for a typical Perth basement.
What a reasonable Perth strata quote looks like
For a sample 24-unit, 3-storey walk-up complex in South Perth with one bin room, a small foyer, and a surface car park, a fair weekly quote in 2026 sits at:
| Item | Frequency | Approx cost / visit |
|---|---|---|
| Common-area clean (foyer, hallways, stairwells) | Weekly | $180 |
| Bin-room washdown | Weekly | $40 |
| Mailbox area and entry | Weekly | $20 |
| Carpet steam (rotating) | Quarterly | $260 / occurrence |
| Surface car park sweep | Monthly | $90 / occurrence |
| Weekly total | — | ~$240 |
| Monthly cost (including rotating extras) | — | ~$1,150 |
For a 120-unit secured tower in Perth CBD with two lifts, two bin rooms per floor, gym and a basement car park, a fair weekly quote sits at:
| Item | Frequency | Approx cost / visit |
|---|---|---|
| Common-area clean (lobbies, hallways, lift lobbies × 12) | 2× / week | $620 |
| Lift car detail | 2× / week | $70 (combined both lifts) |
| Bin-room washdown × 24 | Weekly | $180 |
| Gym amenity clean | Weekly | $60 |
| Basement car-park sweep | Monthly | $260 / occurrence |
| Carpet steam (rotating) | Quarterly | $900 / occurrence |
| Weekly total | — | ~$930 + $50/wk amortised |
| Monthly cost (including rotating extras) | — | ~$4,400 |
Both examples assume Cm3-prequalified cleaners, $20M public liability cover, and photo reporting included — not add-ons.
What you shouldn’t pay for
A few things that should be inside the base price, not separate:
- Insurance documentation. Public liability certificates and workers’ comp cover should be provided free with the quote, and re-issued whenever a new strata manager asks.
- Photo reporting. A short photo log after each visit is now standard. If your cleaner charges extra for it, that’s a red flag about reliability.
- Re-cleans for missed scope. If the agreed scope wasn’t completed, the re-clean is on the cleaner, not the strata.
- Quote turnaround. A site assessment within 24 hours and a written quote within 48 is the Perth market standard now. Slower than that is a sign of operator capacity issues.
How to compare quotes fairly
Three quotes are usually enough. To compare them fairly, ask each cleaner to break out:
- The base weekly/fortnightly visit cost.
- Every rotating add-on (carpet steam, pressure wash, window detail, strip-and-seal) at frequency and unit cost.
- Insurance and Cm3 prequalification status.
- Their re-clean and SLA terms.
- Two reference contacts for buildings of similar size.
A cleaner whose quote is materially cheaper than the others is almost always quietly cutting one of: insurance, supervision, or the rotating-extras schedule. Cleaners whose quotes are materially more expensive should be asked to show why — what does the extra spend buy?
Want a quote?
We provide line-itemed strata quotes within 48 hours of a site assessment, with everything separated out so you can see exactly what you’re paying for. Request a strata cleaning quote or call us on (08) 6118 1818.