How to Verify Your Cleaning Company Actually Screens Its Employees

Cleaning crews have after-hours access to your entire facility. Sensitive equipment, confidential files, personal belongings at desks. Most cleaning companies tell prospects they screen everyone. Here’s what that actually means, what it often doesn’t cover, and how to verify the answer.

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What a real background check includes

A county-level records search is the minimum and frequently the only thing a quick check covers. It misses crimes committed in other jurisdictions, pending charges, and records that haven’t been processed into county systems yet.

A thorough pre-employment screen for someone with building access should include:

• National criminal history (not just the county where the applicant lives)
• Social Security number verification and identity trace
• Employment history verification (reference checks, not just employment dates)
• Legal right to work in the U.S. (I-9 completion)
• Sex offender registry check, especially for accounts that include residential buildings

For medical facilities, schools, or buildings with sensitive data, the standard rises: federal database checks, drug screening, and ongoing monitoring after hire.

Ask any cleaning company: what database does your screening partner use, and does it cover national records? If they don’t know their screening partner by name, that’s your answer.

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Oregon’s ban the box law and what it means for you

Oregon law (ORS 659A.360) prohibits employers from asking about criminal history until after a conditional offer of employment has been made. The law is intended to reduce discrimination, but it also means that a cleaning company operating legally in Oregon can’t ask about criminal history during the initial application process.

What happens next matters: after a conditional offer, a thorough employer does a complete screen and conducts an individualized assessment before making a final hire decision. An employer who skips the assessment and either hires anyone with any record or disqualifies anyone with any record is not complying with Oregon law.

A cleaning company that says “we check everyone, no exceptions on any record” is either violating Oregon law or not doing the checks they claim. The legitimate answer is: “We run full national checks, and we evaluate any records individually based on the nature of the role and the offense.”

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The subcontractor question

Many cleaning companies use subcontractors rather than direct-hire staff. That’s a common model in this industry, including at smaller and regional operations. It’s not inherently a problem. What matters is what the company actually requires of those subcontractors before they enter your building.

An employer’s background check program covers their own employees by default. For subcontractors, coverage depends entirely on what the cleaning company requires of them. Some companies require documented screening before assigning a sub to any account. Others don’t ask.

When a cleaning company says “we screen everyone,” get specific: does that include subcontractors? What documentation do they require, and can you see it?

Ask directly: who is actually cleaning my building, and what’s the screening requirement for everyone entering my space?

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How bonding connects to screening

A surety bond is often mentioned alongside background checks, but it serves a different function. A bond compensates clients when a screened employee still commits theft or fraud. It’s the financial backstop for when the screening doesn’t catch everything.

A bond doesn’t substitute for screening. It’s meaningful only if the screening is also real, because the bond underwriter evaluates the company’s hiring practices when setting terms.

When a cleaning company says they’re “insured and bonded,” verify both separately. The COI covers liability (property damage, accidents). The bond covers employee dishonesty. Ask for documentation on both.

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Three questions to ask before signing

1. Who is your screening partner, and what does their check cover? A company with a real process names their provider (Sure Check, Checkr, Sterling, or similar) and can describe what the check includes. Generic answers like “we use a background check company” aren’t sufficient.

2. Who are the people cleaning my building, and what’s the screening requirement for each of them? Whether a company uses direct employees or subcontractors, get specifics on how everyone entering your building is vetted.

3. Can you provide documentation? A legitimate employer can provide a summary of their screening policy in writing. They can also confirm whether you’d be added as an additional insured on their policy and whether bond documentation is available on request.

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How RKA Cleaning handles this

Ask us directly about our screening and vetting process for everyone who enters your space. We’ll walk you through it. If your lease, insurance, or compliance program requires documentation, we provide it before the first visit.

We serve commercial accounts across Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Tigard, Gresham, Happy Valley, and Vancouver, WA. Request a quote or call (971) 600-0752.