# Pilotiko for commercial cleaning companies

> Quebec janitorial company? Organize evening shifts building by building, find replacements fast and see each cleaner's workload. Free 30-day trial of Pilotiko.

Updated on October 15, 2026 · https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/commercial-cleaning

Pilotiko helps a Quebec commercial cleaning company organize its evening rounds building by building, see who is absent and who can cover, track each cleaner's workload and draft proposals for new contracts. AI agents suggest; a supervisor approves any change that affects a client.

## In short
- Each building has its visits, durations and assigned cleaners, all visible in the calendar.
- When someone is absent, assignment suggests compatible replacements with their free hours.
- Cleaning chemicals fall under WHMIS: data sheets and training remain your duty as an employer.
- In the greater Montreal area, a decree governs building maintenance staff.

## Which rules apply to a building cleaning company in Quebec?

No RBQ licence for cleaning, but a collective agreement decree in the Montreal region and WHMIS obligations for hazardous products.

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec answers small building-maintenance businesses directly: if your work is cleaning aimed mainly at keeping a building clean, you don't need a contractor's licence [1]. Construction or renovation work is another matter.

In the greater Montreal area, the Comité paritaire de l'entretien d'édifices publics is mandated by the Quebec government to enforce the decree across the building-maintenance industry [2]. If your buildings are in its territory, check with the committee what the decree requires of your company; it also takes complaints from employees and from employers who see unfair competition.

Professional cleaning products are often hazardous products under WHMIS (SIMDUT in French), the Canada-wide system for labels and safety data sheets. In Quebec, the CNESST sets the employer requirements [3].

| Topic | What applies | Body |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor's licence | Not required for cleaning aimed at keeping a building clean | RBQ  |
| Working conditions | Decree for public building maintenance staff, greater Montreal | CPEEP  |
| Hazardous products | Labels, safety data sheets, worker training | CNESST, WHMIS  |

## When does commercial cleaning get hard to manage?

Daily work runs from 5 p.m. to midnight, and often early morning before offices open. A cleaner who calls in sick at 4:30 p.m. means a building left undone if nobody reacts. On Monday mornings, the weekend complaints arrive all at once.

The year has its peaks too. In spring, winter salt and sand leave entrances and carpets in a state that calls for deep cleaning. Summer vacations complicate cover. In fall, contracts come up for renewal and property managers shop around.

## How does Pilotiko organize evening rounds?

Each building is a client with its visits: two hours for the third floor, one hour for the lobby, floor washing on Friday. Each visit is a job in a cleaner's calendar. Pilotiko makes sure no one has overlapping visits, including the buffer set between two addresses.

When a cleaner is absent, you reassign the visits: assignment suggests replacements who have the required skills (building access, security card, floor stripping), free hours that evening and a workload that stays under 100% after the cover. The supervisor chooses.

In the virtual office, **Dispatch** shows absences and visits to cover, **Accounting** the billed contracts, and **Management** what's waiting for a decision. See how slots and scheduling work.

## Example: how many buildings can 4 evening cleaners cover?

**Worked example: 4 evening cleaners, 5 evenings a week**

- Evening hours (4 × 5 h × 5 evenings) : 100 h a week
- − travel between buildings (15%) : − 15 h
- = cleaning hours : 85 h
- One-floor office: 1.5 h a night × 5 : 7.5 h a week
- 85 h ÷ 7.5 h : about 11 buildings of that size
- **= About 11 small office buildings, before any seasonal deep cleaning**

## What do the AI agents prepare for a cleaning company?

The quotes agent drafts a recurring-contract proposal from your services and prices: frequency, floor area, tasks included and excluded. You adjust it and send it to the property manager.

The dispatch agent can prepare tonight's list of visits to cover and suggest replacements; a supervisor confirms. Every AI agent follows the same rule: it prepares, and a person approves anything touching a client, money or a send. Reports show workload per cleaner and hours per building, useful when renewing a money-losing contract.

## What objections do property managers raise?

- "The cleaning wasn't done Tuesday." Visit history shows who was scheduled and what was done.
- "Your price went up." Real hours per building back up the adjustment with numbers.
- "Who is coming into my building?" Assigned cleaners and approved replacements are listed per client.

## What doesn't Pilotiko do yet?

> Coming soon: evening route optimisation between buildings, prospecting new property managers, and an AI receptionist for night calls. Text notices to cleaners are being commissioned: nothing is sent yet. Pilotiko does not calculate pay under the decree.

## Which add-on services do you offer?

Many cleaning companies also offer [window cleaning](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/window-cleaning) or work with a [pest control](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/pest-control) company. For homeowners, see [residential cleaning](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/solutions/residential-cleaning).

See also: a service business [dashboard](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/dashboard), the [KPIs](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/kpi) worth tracking per building, and how [dispatch](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/dispatch) works.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does a cleaning company need an RBQ licence?

No, if the work is mainly about keeping a building clean; the RBQ says so in its FAQ. A licence becomes necessary for construction or renovation work.

### What is the Comité paritaire de l'entretien d'édifices publics?

It's the body mandated by the Quebec government to enforce the decree for public building maintenance staff in the greater Montreal area. It takes complaints from employees and employers.

### Does WHMIS apply to cleaning products?

It applies to hazardous products used at work, which includes many professional products. In Quebec, the CNESST sets employer requirements: labels, safety data sheets and training.

### Can Pilotiko find a replacement when a cleaner calls in sick?

It suggests compatible replacements based on recorded skills, free hours and workload after the cover. The supervisor picks and notifies the person; nothing is sent automatically.

### Do a contract's visits repeat automatically in the calendar?

No. Today each visit is a job your team enters; Pilotiko then checks for overlaps and workload. Planning the month ahead remains a supervisor's task.

## Sources

1. Régie du bâtiment du Québec, « Foire aux questions : licence », https://www.rbq.gouv.qc.ca/foire-aux-questions-faq/constructeur-proprietaire/licence/ (accessed on 2026-10-15)
2. CPEEP, « Comité paritaire de l'entretien d'édifices publics, région de Montréal », https://www.cpeep.qc.ca/ (accessed on 2026-10-15)
3. CNESST (Répertoire toxicologique), « Le SIMDUT, qu'est-ce que c'est ? », https://reptox.cnesst.gouv.qc.ca/simdut/Pages/quest-ce-que-cest.aspx (accessed on 2026-10-15)