End of Tenancy Cleaning Guide
If you’re a landlord there’s a lot of worries and concerns you may have, and this is common amongst landlords. One of the main ones is the concern that a tenant is leaving your property in a mess, and not just leaving a few crumbs on the side. There’s deep stains in your carpet that will be difficult to remove, things like this which is a common worry amongst landlords. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in this.
Fortunately tenants who are moving out of your property are moving into another one that’s more suited to their current situation, so it’s important to them that they keep your property in good shape. They’ll need a reference in most instances from a previous landlord, so making sure they get a good word from you is something they need and if they’ve left your property in a bad state then they can usually expect an honest letter of recommendation detailing this.
Despite this, when your tenants move out you may find that the property has become used to them being there and there’s areas of the house that need a good scrub before the next guests come and move in. This is where end of tenancy cleaning, or tenant cleaning services come into play. Companies specialise in cleaning may offer this service to help you to rid any hidden dust or dirt to help your new tenants settle into your property as easily as possible.
How Can I Find a Tenancy Cleaning Service?
There’s a few ways of finding companies that will offer this to you, but it’s important to capture what it is that you’d like them to come and do. There’s a few different types of tenancy cleaning that you can expect to find
Pre Tenancy Cleaning – This involves cleaning a property thoroughly before your expected tenants move in so it’s clean and hygienic from day one.
Post Tenancy Cleaning – This is also known as a move out cleaning service. When you’ve had tenants live in a property for a short while, a good spring clean may do the job. If they’ve been there for much longer then a post tenancy cleaning service may help to get rid of naturally congregating dust particles in those hidden places, readying the property for whatever lies ahead next.
The house cleaning service
You want to get your deposit back when you move out of an apartment, don’t you? Cleaning of the apartment could just be everything you need to do. Of course, you may not really need to bother about cleaning the stuff if you have already damaged a lot of fixtures in the apartment but if the mess is all surface dirt, you can clean them up and get your deposit back
Clean the Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the most important parts of your home that need to be cleaned. You need to clean your liners and cabinets, wash the front cabinets, disinfect countertops, clean sink and faucet, clean the refrigerator inside out, clean the oven inside out, clean the dishwasher, exhaust fan and appliances.
Clean Living/Bedrooms and Garage
The empty rooms should be properly cleaned, mopped, dusted and swept. Dust the appliances in the living room and sweep the floor. Remove the cobwebs, clean the ceiling fans, HVAC system and so forth. Sweep the garage and make sure that it is completely empty.
The surroundings
The surroundings should also be properly clean. You will need to cut the grass, remove the weeds, grass strains and ensure that the outside looks clean. You can also check around for some of your stuff hanging in the trees to remove them.
The rest of the home cleaning
The ceiling fixtures, ledges, windows, doors and door knobs should be cleaned and dusted. You should also clean the light switches and outlets, walls and baseboards, and vacuums. Unscrew every screw on the walls and remove every nails. Thoroughly examine the walls to ensure that none is left and when done you can add smoothly add putty on the areas to make them look as if they were not screwed or nailed before.
The Comprehensive Apartment Cleaning Checklist
Use this apartment cleaning checklist to deep clean on moving day.
Before moving out of your current rental and into your new apartment, there’s a lot to do: signing the lease, planning, packing and yes, cleaning. While you may be tempted to walk away as soon as the last box is gone, failing to clean your apartment before officially moving out may cause you to lose a portion, or all, of your security deposit.
Make sure to go over your lease agreement and make note of the stipulations of moving out. If there’s nothing mentioned, you may need to check with your landlord to gauge their expectations.
Once you’ve done that, you can come up with a move-out cleaning checklist. If you can manage it, it’s best to clean your apartment after you’ve already moved into your new place, as furniture and boxes won’t be in the way.
For many, the kitchen is one of the most-used rooms in any apartment. For this reason, it’s important to be sure you’ve thoroughly cleaned before moving out.
Remove belongings from your cabinets and drawers
Use a wet paper towel to wipe cabinets out and clean the outside
Use an all-purpose cleaner to disinfect the countertops
Clean the sink basin, faucet and handles
Use an oven cleaner to remove interior grime
Spray the oven’s interior, then use a scraper to remove grease and grime
Clean the stove using an old sponge and/or scouring pad, then rinse and wipe down
Wipe down the refrigerator’s interior, including the drawers and shelves
Move the refrigerator and sweep the floors behind it
Disinfect the dishwasher and wipe down the exterior door
Sweep and mop the floors
If you want to make the bathroom sparkle and shine when moving out, an all-purpose cleaner is your new best friend. Be sure to clean every nook and cranny in your bathroom to guarantee you’ll get your deposit back.
Wipe down the countertops with an all-purpose cleaner
Clean the sink basin, faucet and handles
Wipe down the mirror with a glass cleaner
Clean the toilet bowl, then wipe down the toilet lid, tank and handle
Use a toothbrush to remove mold or stains from any surfaces
Remove grout stains with bleach
Wipe down drawers and cabinets — interior and exterior
Wipe down the shower and bathtub
Vacuum and mop floors
A Checklist for Landlords With Tenants Moving Out
A checklist can help ease the stress of tenant move-out. It makes both sides aware of the expectations. Landlords can customize this checklist to meet the specific needs of their property. The items on this list should include the condition the rental property should be left in, as well as any additional move-out procedures and obligations.
Your tenant should provide notice that they intend to move out of your rental unit. Most often this is in the form of a letter but you may specify it be delivered in another format in your lease. Check with your local landlord/tenant laws to see how much notice the tenant should give before they vacate a rental unit.
Move-Out Checklist
A tenant move-out checklist is a form that landlords should attach as a rider to the original lease agreement. This checklist provides instructions for the tenant on the procedures and the tasks they need to complete when they vacate your property.
Why It’s Important
Move-out checklists are especially important when it comes to the security deposit. Security deposit disputes are a big issue between landlords and tenants. If the tenant understands the proper procedures for move-out, including the condition they are supposed to leave the rental property in, it will help minimize these issues.
All of the aforementioned items need to be done PRIOR to your move-out inspection so that you can RECEIVE YOUR FULL SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK (less any withholding from earlier tenancy). Any and all repairs, repainting, trash removal, cleaning, and/or any other expenses that are attributed to restoring your home to its condition prior to your tenancy will be deducted from your Security Deposit.
Move Out Reminders
Clean your apartment
All surfaces within your apartment shall be clean and free of debris, stains and damage. Such surfaces include but are not limited to, flooring, walls, doors, windows, shelving, appliances, cabinets, lighting fixtures, and bathroom fixtures.
Pay special attention to the inside, under and behind of the stove, refrigerator, shower & toilets as these often need additional care to clean when moving out. You may find it’s easier to replace the drip pans under the stove burners than taking the time to clean them. Also remember to pull the refrigerator out to clean behind. Make sure all the shelves in the cabinets are free of items and wiped clean. Tile floors shall be swept & mopped. Carpets shall be vacuumed and we recommend renting a carpet-cleaning machine to remove any stains.
If all surfaces are not clean and free of debris, stains or damage, Tenant shall pay for costs of cleaning at a rate of $30 per man-hour and repair at $60 per man-hour plus materials cost. Cleaning the apartment is important, so please make sure your roommates are cleaning their space.
Keys
All keys shall be turned over to landlord. If keys are lost or otherwise not returned, Tenant shall pay for costs of replacing all non-returned keys at $30 per key and $100 per lockset for re-keying apartment entry doors locks. When you move out, please leave your keys (apartment, bedrooms & mail if applicable) on the kitchen counter and lock the door as you leave.
Security Deposit Return
We want to return to you as much of your security deposit as possible, so please follow the above recommendations so we can do that. A good faith effort on your part does make a difference. Security deposits are returned in a one lump sum check payable to the tenant designated on the lease. If you are the designated tenant, let us know where to send your security deposit return by completing the Security Deposit Return Address section of the Tenant Info Update form.
