No, only audit spaces that are cleaned on a regular basis. Remember that if occupancy is below 50% during the performance period an audit cannot be conducted during that time.

No, perform the audit based on 10% of the total number of each space type within the entire building, regardless of which tenant occupies which space.

The best way to quality control your audit is to have a third person trained in APPA protocol get involved. Have this person review the audit procedure and spot check a percentage of the audited spaces to ensure that the findings are appropriate and impartial.

While the APPA guidelines were developed for educational facilities they still can be applied to a variety of building types. All projects pursuing this LEED credit, regardless of building type, must use the APPA guidelines.

A cleaning audit based on APPA guidelines should be conducted for your building interior at least once every two years, according to USGBC’s Recertification Guidance (October 2013).

There’s no restriction to the number of audits you can perform. A preliminary audit is a great way to collect information and notify custodial and facilities staff of the building’s cleanliness before certification application. Just be sure to submit an audit that falls within the performance period for your LEED application.

The audit must occur during a period of normal operations when occupant loads and building activities reflect normal levels and patterns (the holidays would be a bad time, for example). The audit can be performed at any time during the day or night: it doesn’t have to be within normal business hours.

No equipment purchases need to be made during the performance period in order to earn the credit as long as your current inventory is at least 20% compliant. Note however that any purchases made during the performance period must comply with the sustainability criteria.

A prescriptive frequency for equipment isn’t established within the credit requirements. So, it’s up to your team to determine the appropriate frequency. However, it is important to demonstrate that there is a maintenance program in place for all of the equipment in your documentation. For example, vacuums will need bag replacements or filter changes. Examples for other less frequent maintenance will include inspections of or replacement of electrical components of equipment.

Yes. A set of Regional Priority credits is available for projects located ouside of the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. The list can be found through USGBC's regional priority page (see Resources).