The short answer
Agree access, a contact for questions and how completion will be shown before arranging an unattended visit. The provider must confirm that the actual job can be carried out under those arrangements.
Confirm whether the job needs you there
Some enquiries can be described well through photographs; others need assessment or decisions at the property. Ask the cleaner what they require before the appointment. Do not assume an unattended visit is suitable simply because the work is outside. Explain who is authorising the scope and who can answer questions if the provider finds a different condition on arrival.
Make the access plan precise
Discuss gates, shared entrances, parking, pets and any equipment route with the provider. Confirm who will make the area available and whether a keyholder is needed. Share sensitive access information only when necessary in the booking conversation, rather than placing it in photographs or public comments. Ask what happens if the agreed access is unavailable on the day.
Agree the limit on changes
The selected quote should make the surfaces and exclusions clear before the visit. Tell the provider how to contact you about additional work or an unexpected defect. A photograph of another area is not an instruction to clean it. Confirm a changed scope and price in WhatsApp before the work is varied, particularly if you cannot inspect it in person.
Plan completion and payment
Ask how the agreed work will be shown and who will check any area that cannot be reviewed in a photograph. Record aftercare instructions and any return visit. You pay the cleaner their agreed cleaning amount after the completed job. Keep completion questions in the same WhatsApp conversation so the provider can refer to the original brief and booking.