HOA, Condo & Commercial Exterior Cleaning

In a Florida condominium the answer is written into the statute: “Maintenance of the common elements is the responsibility of the association” (§718.113(1)), and the board owes a fiduciary duty to every unit owner. HOAs carry the same kind of duty through their declarations. Pool decks, walkways, clubhouse walls, entry features and common-area roofs sit on the board’s list, not the owners’.

Naples makes that list a moving target. The city averages about 49.6 inches of rain a year, and June through September are the wettest months, with average humidity of 77–79%. Algae on shaded sidewalks, mildew on north walls, black streaks on tile roofs and orange irrigation rust on curbs all come back on a cycle — so a community needs a program, not a one-off wash.

There is a liability side too. Florida’s slip-and-fall statute (§768.0755) turns on actual or constructive knowledge, and a condition that “occurred with regularity” can be found foreseeable. A documented cleaning schedule, with dated records per asset, is part of how a board shows reasonable care. A general summary only; ask the association’s attorney how it applies to your community.

Every service below is written for association buyers — programs, bids and multi-building schedules. Each page links down to the matching service page.

• Managers & planning: Community association manager services · Property managers (5+ homes) & investors · Annual maintenance plans · Bid packet, COI & notice templates
• Roofs & buildings: Community roof cleaning programs · Condo building washing · Gutter, fascia & soffit programs · Stairwells & breezeways · Milestone & SIRS exterior guide
• Amenities: Clubhouse & amenity centers · Pool decks, cabanas & furniture · Golf & country club facilities · Tennis, pickleball & bocce courts
• Hardscape & grounds: Sidewalks & curbs · Common-area pavers & travertine · Gatehouses & entry monuments · Perimeter walls & fences · Irrigation rust removal
• Parking, waste & commercial: Parking garages & decks · Dumpster enclosures · Commercial plazas & retail centers

Clubhouse and common-area glass is handled by our sister brand, Naples FL Window Cleaning.

Yes. When an association adds us to its preferred-vendor list, owners in that community get a discount on work at their own homes. Separately, managers who oversee five or more homes get portfolio pricing. The board, the management company and the association itself receive nothing in return for the listing, which keeps the arrangement clear of the conflict rules in §720.3033. Details are on the Preferred Vendor Community Program page.

Most associations do not need every surface cleaned at once. They need each asset cleaned at the pace it actually gets dirty, so the community never looks neglected and the budget is spread across the year. A useful way to build a program is to list every asset, note how fast it re-soils, and decide how often it should be cleaned.

• Roofs on buildings, clubhouses and gatehouses usually run on the longest cycle. Shaded slopes and low-pitch tile regrow first, so large communities often rotate roofs by phase rather than cleaning all of them in one year.
• Building walls, breezeways and stairwells collect mildew on north faces and in covered corridors. Many condominiums wash them on a regular rotation and spot-clean entrances between visits.
• Pool decks, cabanas and amenity furniture get dirty fastest and carry the most slip risk, so they are often cleaned more than once a year, especially before the winter season when occupancy rises.
• Sidewalks, curbs and common-area pavers are scheduled around irrigation rust and shade. Walks under tree canopy may need attention more often than open frontage.
• Entry monuments, signage and gatehouses are the first thing residents and visitors see. Many boards have them cleaned before the busy season and after summer storms.
• Dumpster enclosures and service areas are on their own schedule because they re-soil quickly and affect odor and pests.

We build that schedule into the written scope so the board can see which assets are due in which month and what each visit costs. The program can then be adjusted as the board learns which areas need more or less attention. Our annual maintenance plans page shows how a program is laid out.

Bids are only comparable when every vendor is pricing the same work. A vague request such as “pressure wash the community” invites proposals that differ in what they include, what methods they use and what they leave out, and the lowest number is often the one that quietly covers the least.

A good scope lists each asset separately with a measurable quantity: the number of buildings and their stories, roof areas or building counts, linear feet of sidewalk and curb, square feet of pool deck and pavers, the number of entry monuments and gatehouses. For each asset it names the method, such as low-pressure soft wash for roofs, stucco and screens, surface cleaning for concrete, rust treatment where irrigation stains exist, and re-sanding or sealing where pavers are included. It sets the frequency, the working hours and days, gate and parking arrangements, the insurance requirements, how residents will be notified and what documentation the vendor must provide after each visit.

It also states exclusions plainly, such as window glass, interior corridors, or items residents keep on their own lanais. When we prepare a proposal, we write it in that asset-by-asset format so the board can line it up against other bids. If your community already has a scope from a previous bid, we are happy to price against it exactly as written.

On an association job the crew is working where people live. Good resident communication prevents most complaints before they start. We provide notice templates that the management office can send by email, post at mailboxes and clubhouses, or slide under doors. They state which buildings or areas are scheduled on which dates, what residents should do beforehand, and whom to contact with questions.

The usual requests are simple: close windows and sliding doors on the scheduled day, move cars from the areas being cleaned if asked, bring in or move items on ground-floor patios and lanais that sit against walls being washed, and keep pets inside while crews are nearby. For condominium buildings, we schedule floor by floor or stack by stack so residents know when water will be running down outside their unit.

When something unexpected comes up, such as a resident who cannot move a car or a ground-floor unit with an open door, the crew works around it and lets the manager know. Rain dates are announced in the original notice so a weather delay does not require a second round of communication.

Most Naples communities are built around retention lakes, and many storm drains on private streets lead straight to them. The lakes are part of the community’s stormwater system and often its most visible amenity. Cleaning solution and loosened debris should not end up in them.

Before work starts, crews locate the storm inlets near each work area and protect them. Rinse water is directed toward lawns and away from inlets and lake banks where the grade allows. Debris and washed-out sand are swept up rather than flushed into the street. Concentrated products are never mixed or rinsed out near a drain or the water’s edge. Our stormwater compliance page explains the approach in more detail.

Common-area landscaping is protected the same way as at a single home, just at a larger scale. Beds along building walls and walkways are soaked with water before any solution is applied, kept wet during the work and rinsed again afterward. Where a community has a landscape contractor on site, we coordinate so irrigation is not running on the area being cleaned and mowing crews are not working beside us.

Boards answer to owners, and managers need records they can put in front of a board or file with the association’s official records. After each visit we send a written service record that lists the date, the assets cleaned, the method used on each, any areas that could not be completed and why, and photos where they are useful.

The record also notes conditions the crew observed that the board may want to know about: lifted sidewalk slabs that create trip hazards, cracked roof tiles, failing sealant at building joints, rust sources such as misaligned sprinkler heads, or loose pavers on a pool deck. We do not repair those items, but noting them gives the manager an early list for the appropriate contractor. Over a few years, the records also show how fast each asset re-soils, which helps the board refine the schedule and the budget.

Community work is quoted after a walkthrough, per building, per area or per asset, rather than from a fixed price list. Size, building height, access, the number of separate areas, the condition of each surface and the time windows the community allows all affect the cost. A proposal for a multi-year program shows the price of each scheduled visit so the board can budget for it.

Residential starting prices on our service pages, such as single-story roof cleaning from $299 or pool cage cleaning from $249, apply to individual homes. Owners in a community that lists us as a preferred vendor receive the community discount on work at their own homes, which is separate from any contract with the association.

• Can you send a certificate of insurance naming the association as additional insured? Ask for it before the bid is awarded, not after.
• What method will you use on roofs, stucco and screens? The answer should be low pressure with a cleaning solution, not high pressure.
• How will you protect our lakes, drains and landscaping? Expect a specific plan, not a general assurance.
• How will residents be notified, and what happens on rain days? Ask to see a sample notice.
• What will we receive after each visit? A dated, asset-by-asset record is what a manager can use.
• Who will be on site, and how do we reach them? Large jobs need a contact the manager can call while the work is underway.

Associations can find more planning material, including bid and notice templates, on our property manager resources page.