Alberta condo board guide · 2026 · Last updated: 2026-07-09

Strata and condo common-area cleaning in Alberta

Common-area cleaning for a typical Alberta condo building runs $300 to $600 a month for a small walk-up cleaned weekly, $800 to $1,800 for a mid-rise on a two-or-three-visits-a-week schedule, and $2,500 to $5,000 or more for a high-rise with daily service. That's usually $8 to $25 per door per month — one of the smaller condo fee line items, and one of the first things owners complain about when it slips. One note on the word: "strata" is British Columbia's term for what Alberta law calls a condominium corporation, but plenty of Alberta boards and searchers use it, and the cleaning work is identical either way.

What common-area cleaning includes

The recurring scope covers the shared spaces owners walk through every day: lobby and entrance glass, corridors and stairwells (vacuuming, spot-cleaning walls and doors), elevator cabs and tracks, amenity rooms and gyms, mailbox areas, and high-touch disinfection of railings, door handles, and intercom panels. Pricing follows the same math as any commercial job — roughly $0.08 to $0.20 per square foot per cleaning, or $35 to $60 an hour — but only on the common area, which is a small fraction of the building. A 60-unit walk-up might have 4,000 to 6,000 square feet of corridors and lobby; the units themselves are the owners' problem.

Frequency and cost by building size

Frequency is driven less by unit count than by traffic and finish level: a polished-stone lobby in a downtown Calgary tower shows every footprint and needs daily attention, while a carpeted Red Deer walk-up corridor holds up fine on a weekly cycle. As with office cleaning, more frequent visits cost less per visit, because the cleaner is already routed to your building.

Garbage rooms, recycling areas, and the parkade

These are the spaces that generate board complaints, and they're often priced separately:

• Garbage and recycling rooms. Regular scope should include sweeping and mopping, degreasing around chutes and bins, and odour control. Periodic bin and chute washing is usually a quoted extra — worth scheduling before summer, since a neglected garbage room is a pest problem by August.
• Parkade sweeping. An add-on, not part of janitorial service: a power-sweep and power-wash of an underground parkade is typically a once-or-twice-a-year line item, priced by stall count, most commonly booked for spring to clear a winter's worth of grit and salt residue before it grinds into the membrane.
• Exterior glass and graffiti. Ground-floor entrance glass is normally in scope; upper-floor window cleaning and graffiti removal are not.

How the board should scope the contract

The difference between a contract that works and a stream of owner complaints is a task-and-frequency grid: every space listed, every task against it, and how often. "Clean the building 3× a week" is not a scope; "vacuum corridors floors 1–4 Monday/Wednesday/Friday, damp-mop lobby daily, elevator tracks weekly, garbage room degrease monthly" is. Beyond the grid, pin down:

• Consumables. Who supplies liners, soap, and paper for amenity washrooms? Usually the corporation, as a separate line.
• Access and security. Fob protocols, key sign-out, and whether cleaners work while amenities are open. After-hours or weekend service adds about 10 to 15 percent.
• Inspection and reporting. A monthly walkthrough with the property manager against the grid, and a log the board can see. Under Alberta's occupiers' liability rules the corporation stays responsible for common-area safety, so records of cleaning — especially of wet lobby floors in winter — do double duty as evidence of reasonable care.
• Insurance, bonding, WCB. Cleaners hold after-hours access to your building. Insist on bonding, commercial general liability, and WCB Alberta coverage (janitorial falls under industry code 89701). Our contractor vetting checklist covers the exact documents to request.

Frequently asked questions

What is strata cleaning?

Strata cleaning is common-area cleaning for a multi-unit residential building — lobbies, corridors, elevators, stairwells, and amenity rooms. "Strata" is the BC term; in Alberta the client is legally a condominium corporation, but the service is the same.

How much does condo common-area cleaning cost in Alberta?

Roughly $300 to $600 a month for a small walk-up cleaned weekly, $800 to $1,800 for a mid-rise at 2–3 visits a week, and $2,500 to $5,000 or more for a high-rise on daily service — about $8 to $25 per door per month.

Is parkade cleaning included in a janitorial contract?

Usually not. Parkade power-sweeping and washing is a separate service priced by stall count, typically booked once or twice a year, most often in spring to remove winter grit and salt.

What insurance should a condo cleaning company carry?

Bonding, commercial general liability insurance, and WCB Alberta coverage. Cleaners have after-hours access to the building, so ask for the certificates, not just a yes.

Sources

• WCB Alberta Premium Rate Manual — Janitorial/Cleaning Services, industry code 89701
• Condominium information — Alberta.ca
• Strata housing — Province of British Columbia

Where we work

Upkeep matches condo corporations and property managers with vetted cleaners across Alberta, including Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Airdrie. See all the cities we serve.

Figures are typical 2026 Alberta ranges in Canadian dollars, drawn from advertised vendor rates. Verify against live quotes. This guide is information, not a price guarantee.