Household cleaning in a home with Supported Independent Living (SIL) supports needs a clear agreement about who does what. A support worker may already help with daily cleaning, while housing maintenance and other residents’ needs have different responsibilities. If you are considering a separate cleaner, tell us which tasks remain unmet and who can agree to them. We can quote a defined cleaning service, but a quote does not establish additional NDIS funding.
Check each area before asking for a quote
- The participant’s own room: the participant chooses priorities and what may be touched. Check whether a SIL worker already helps with cleaning or skill-building there. The housing or property contact handles repairs and building condition. A separate cleaner would do only the domestic tasks agreed for that room.
- Shared household areas: agree the participant’s contribution and preferences without overriding other residents’ rights. Check the rostered household routine and any building or maintenance duty. A separate cleaner would work only in the shared area authorised for the participant’s request.
- An unusual condition: ask permission before assessing it. Share relevant safety information, identify who is responsible for a defect or damage, and leave mould investigation, biohazards or other specialist work to an appropriate assessment rather than adding it to routine cleaning.
The participant and the people with the relevant authority should agree on these boundaries. Smurfettes cannot decide a dispute between residents, SIL workers and a housing provider.
Understand what SIL, SDA and separate cleaning mean
SIL supports help or supervise a participant with daily tasks and building independence; household cleaning may already be part of that support. Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) is the specialised housing, not the support worker service. A separately arranged cleaner needs a distinct task list, price, authority and invoice path. Being in a SIL or SDA home does not automatically make a second cleaning service separately funded.
Compare the proposed cleaning with existing support
Ask the participant or authorised contact to compare the current SIL service agreement, roster or household routine with the cleaning request. Note whether a worker already does a task, helps the participant do it, supervises skill development or has no responsibility for it. If the same task and time appear in both arrangements, resolve the overlap in writing before accepting another charge.
Describe only the spaces and tasks requested
Give the exact address and identify private rooms, agreed shared areas and places outside the request. Tasks may include reachable surface wiping, accessible floor cleaning, standard bathroom or kitchen cleaning, or defined laundry steps. Tell us the task order, product restrictions, equipment or access needs and belongings that must stay in place. A request to clean one person’s space is not permission to clean or move another resident’s property.
Agree who can approve access, tasks and cost
The participant or their authorised representative decides about their own belongings and instructions. Shared-area work may need agreement from others with rights in that space. A person who can let a cleaner into the home may not be able to approve additional tasks or spending. Name the appropriate contacts, a backup contact and what each may decide, including who can approve a change to the quote. Record any change and its approval in writing before the work or price changes. Share only the information needed for safe access and the agreed work.
Keep property and specialist work separate
Repairs, maintenance, damage rectification, pest treatment, mould investigation, biohazards, high-access work and restoration need the responsible party or a qualified assessment. Exit cleaning that is a direct cost of meeting a tenancy agreement is generally excluded from NDIS supports. Limited transitional exceptions may apply to certain existing plans; ask your NDIS contact to check whether an exception applies before booking. If routine disability-related household cleaning is also needed around a move, describe those tasks separately and ask the authorised funding contact to check the plan before booking. If an ordinary cleaning task can proceed only after another problem is resolved, leave that task on hold until it is safe and agreed. Do not include a private or property charge inside a proposed NDIS household-cleaning line.
Check funding and provider rules for the actual service
The participant’s plan, management type and support being purchased determine funding and provider requirements. The NDIS Commission’s mandatory SIL registration guidance applies to providers delivering SIL, with transition arrangements. A separately proposed household cleaner is not automatically the SIL provider. Smurfettes Service Pty Ltd is registered for Household Tasks, but registration does not establish individual funding approval. Ask your authorised funding contact to check the actual cleaning proposal under the plan before booking.
Ask for a quote that avoids duplicate work
- Give the participant’s name, exact address and authorised contacts.
- List only the rooms and tasks proposed for the separate cleaner, with frequency, estimated time and rate.
- State exclusions, any separately priced charges and what happens if the home is in a different condition than expected.
- Record who can approve a change and where the invoice should be sent under the participant’s funding arrangement.
Compare the quote with the SIL agreement and household routine before accepting it. The comparison should not require sharing unrelated plan or medical information. A quote cannot guarantee a particular hygiene, inspection or tenancy outcome.
Confirm the visit and check the invoice
Before the visit, confirm the person providing access, the agreed tasks, private areas and relevant safety or communication details. Afterward, check what was completed, left undone or changed with approval. Compare the invoice with both the separate cleaning quote and any SIL record for that date. Check provider identity, service date, description, time or units, rate and total. Ask for clarification before approving a charge if a task appears twice or the invoice is broader than the agreed scope.
Pause when an important boundary is unclear
Do not proceed with a disputed shared area, a task already covered by rostered support, property work included as cleaning, uncertain funding or provider rules, or an extra charge requested by someone without authority. Take the specific question to the participant’s my NDIS contact, support coordinator or another authorised adviser. Other agreed cleaning can continue only where it remains safe and properly authorised.
Request a separate cleaning quote
Call 1300 525 336 or email info@smurfettescleaningservice.net with the address, proposed rooms and tasks, existing support boundaries and the right contact to approve the work. Ask for a dated written quote. We will confirm an available appointment and agreed scope before booking; plan funding must be checked separately.
Related guides
- Cleaning in SDA dwellings and homes with SIL supports explains the broader home-and-living boundary.
- Information for support coordinators and plan managers helps with authorised referrals and invoices.
- NDIS cleaning information introduces household-cleaning requests nationally.