Changing your caretaker service: an 8-point checklist for a smooth transition

Dissatisfaction with the existing contractor is one of the most common reasons why residents' associations and managing agents change their caretaker service. The biggest worry is almost always the same: a gap in cover — weeks in which nobody feels responsible, the stairwell goes uncleaned and, in the worst case, nobody clears the snow either. With the right preparation, though, the transition can be made seamless.

Why the timing is critical

A change in the middle of the winter maintenance season, or shortly before a deep clean, is considerably riskier than one at the turn of a quarter or a year: if the handover falls in a phase in which a call-out could come up at any time, responsibility has to be settled to the day. Wherever possible, the transition is therefore tied to a contract term or notice period that is coming up anyway — then the old contract ends exactly where the new one begins, instead of overlapping or leaving a gap.

The checklist

1. 1Check the existing contract: the notice period, the term and the agreed scope of services need to be gone through carefully before the new contractor is even contacted. Which contract terms are usual in the industry and what to look out for in the next contract is set out in Cancellable monthly vs. annual contract.
2. 2Document the scope of services: put everything that has been done so far in writing — including the extras that were taken on informally and appear in no contract. Those are precisely the things that otherwise get lost with the new provider and later stand out as an apparent drop in service.
3. 3Arrange a handover appointment on site: ideally with the old and the new contractor together, so that keys, access and technical quirks can be handed over at the property itself — from the stopcock in the cellar to the peculiarities of the heating controls.
4. 4Update key and access management: record all keys, transponders and access codes and have receipt of them signed for. For sensitive access points, codes should be changed for security reasons — not out of mistrust, but because otherwise it becomes impossible over the years to trace who has access.
5. 5Inform those involved: let residents, the advisory board and, where relevant, tenants know about the change and about the new contact in good time. Otherwise an unfamiliar face in the stairwell quickly leads to queries to the managing agent.
6. 6Hand over ongoing tasks: pass outstanding defect reports, repairs in progress and upcoming seasonal work on to the new contractor explicitly — in writing, not as an aside at the handover appointment.
7. 7Secure records and documentation: archive visit reports, maintenance records and invoices from recent years before contact with the old contractor breaks off. They are needed not only for queries but also for the service charge statement.
8. 8Plan a trial period: where possible, agree a short introductory or trial phase with clearly defined milestones before a long-term contract is signed. After two or three months you can tell more reliably than from any quote whether the working relationship holds up.

What a reputable new contractor should offer of its own accord

A provider that suggests a structured handover process on its own initiative — including a joint on-site appointment and a written overview of services — usually signals that the day-to-day working relationship will be well organised too. If you are using the change to reorganise how the property is looked after anyway, you should also ask whether several individual firms or one provider for everything should be responsible in future; the arguments on both sides are set out in Caretaker service vs. individual firms.

How Zamsa helps

We regularly take over ongoing properties from other contractors and go through the eight points above with you in advance: an on-site appointment, a written overview of services, a signed key receipt and a fixed start date matched to your notice period. Every visit is then documented in the customer portal — from day one you can trace what has been done. Our contracts can be cancelled monthly, so a trial period is built in anyway. More on the scope of services can be found on our caretaker service page.