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by the way, if you have any holes from artwork on the wall, you can get this Spackle in a little container. it works great and makes a huge difference. you just dab some onto the wall, and smooth it. It works great!
I found a spackle product that comes in a tube ... the end of the tube is a putty knife for spreading it evenly, and the cap has a circle of sandpaper for smoothing. A great all in one product.
Things which a tenant often ignores and then gets charged for the cleaning. If the landlord must go in behind you and finish cleaning that you did not do, you will be charged for that cleaning.
Clean the oven and top of the stove, replace the drip pans if you can't get the pans clean.
Clean the inside and outside of the refrigerator and vacuum behind and under the refrigerator.
Clean the windows.
Clean the window tracks of windows and shower glass doors, so there is no dirt or mildew.
Wipe out the drawers and cabinets so there is no spilled food left (you should have been using shelf paper)
Remove finger smudges and grease marks from walls
Remove pet hair and pet odor
Remove cigarette scum smoke odor, ditto for any other smoke residue or odor
Scrub out the bathtub and shower stalls to remove soap scum and mildew
Vacuum what is easily reached in the heater vents.
Floor of the garage should be broom clean without pools of motor oil
Window blinds dusted and in good repair.
Clean the floors, mop solid floors, clean carpets, Consult the landlord about cleaning the carpets and how it should be done. If a tenant rents a machine and I still have to pay the professional truck mounted steam cleaner to come in and do the job correctly, the tenant is going to pay for my carpet cleaner.
Pick up any trash or items from outside. If you are responsible for lawn care, mow the lawn just before you move.
All of this should be day to day routine care of the place you are living in, so it should not be a horrendous job to do when you move out.
Also, after everything has been moved, there will be dust from under the furniture and maybe footprint marks and dirt from the movers. Keep stuff out and available to do a last swipe at dirt as you walk out the door.
Anything that the landlord has to go in after you are moved out and clean himself before he can rent it to a new tenant, you will be charged for.
Last edited by oregonwoodsmoke; 04-14-2024 at 10:32 AM..
I'm going to add this, in case you think I am unreasonable. My tenants always get a full refund (minus carpet cleaning as agreed in our lease) by leaving the rental unit nice and clean so I don't have to hire anyone to come in and clean. It's been nearly 2 decades since I last made deductions from the deposit.
If you have done damage, you will pay for the repairs. if you leave dirt, you will be charged to remove the dirt. Dirt is not wear and tear, it is something that should be removed as you go along with day to day living so it never gets built up to a thick crust.
Things which a tenant often ignores and then gets charged for the cleaning. If the landlord must go in behind you and finish cleaning that you did not do, you will be charged for that cleaning.
Clean the oven and top of the stove, replace the drip pans if you can't get the pans clean.
Clean the inside and outside of the refrigerator and vacuum behind and under the refrigerator.
Clean the windows.
Clean the window tracks of windows and shower glass doors, so there is no dirt or mildew.
Wipe out the drawers and cabinets so there is no spilled food left (you should have been using shelf paper)
Remove finger smudges and grease marks from walls
Remove pet hair and pet odor
Remove cigarette scum smoke odor, ditto for any other smoke residue or odor
Scrub out the bathtub and shower stalls to remove soap scum and mildew
Vacuum what is easily reached in the heater vents.
Floor of the garage should be broom clean without pools of motor oil
Window blinds dusted and in good repair.
So can a tenant charge a landlord for not doing the same? I'm guessing no.
I've always been a good tenant and left places the same or better condition as when I moved in. But sometimes you encounter a lazy landlord. Kind of a turn off when you've just signed a lease and paid a sum of money, then move in to find clumps of hair in the shower drain and poop marks in the toilet. This happened to me once after moving into a unit in an apartment complex. Another time I moved into an apartment and found dirty dishes in the dishwasher and a dirty refrigerator - meaning they didn't look at or clean those appliances at all. I didn't think I'd ever have to deal with this from a tenant-to-landlord perspective, but I did, and asked them clean it before I moved in so I could document a clean move-in condition.
I always take move in and move out pictures in rentals. I moved into a place once where none of the electric outlets had covers on them...strange. I took pictures and then just bought new covers because it was easier than complaining about it.
......... But sometimes you encounter a lazy landlord. Kind of a turn off when you've just signed a lease and paid a sum of money, then move in to find clumps of hair in the shower drain and poop marks in the toilet. .......
Why did you sign a lease before seeing the apartment? You did, so the thing to do is to take lots of photos that include proof of date and keep them safe until time to move out, since there might be questions about deductions from your deposit.
Looking from the other side, landlords actually do the same. If you encounter a dirty rental, you are not obligated to sign up for it. You can keep looking to find one that you like that is clean. Landlords get lots of applications from people who are not clean. The landlord has the option of refuse to rent to them and to keep looking until they find a clean tenant that they like. Flip side of the same situation.
Many landlords are starting to do a 5 minute quick home inspection for applicants. Looking for filth, hoarding, smoking, pet smells, undeclared roommates, or damage. Not clean and the applicant gets rejected. You, as a tenant, should do the same. Not clean? Then reject and keep looking.
I suspect that these filthy rentals that tenants complain about are probably the lowest rent places and places that accept welfare tenants. If everything you look at is filthy or damaged, perhaps increase the housing budget. If you can not increase the budget and everything, no exception, is filthy and damaged, then your only option appears to be to sign the lease and do some deep cleaning before you move your stuff in. I find it a bit hard to believe that 100% of everything available to rent is filthy and damaged. So move on and keep looking and find a place that is well maintained.
In the 2 places I rented we were there over 2 years. I just hired a company that had a moving out discount cleaning offer. So they took their professional equipment and took care of it for me. I always got my deposit back so it worked for me.
I've never moved out of an apt yet, but when I do, I plan on hiring a cleaning co. & carpet cleaner too. There's no way just husband & I are doing it. We have a few ailments & it's just us & we've been in this apt just about 12 yrs already & still counting, so lots to clean by now.
I found a spackle product that comes in a tube ... the end of the tube is a putty knife for spreading it evenly, and the cap has a circle of sandpaper for smoothing. A great all in one product.
The last apt I moved from the leasing agent asked if I wanted the move out clean for $125, I said yes because it was their company and they could not then come back to me. The bathrooms were cleaned, the carpets vacuumed and stove and fridge were spotless so the cleaners didn't have any heavy cleaning but I've read stories where LL or leasing agents always find something so I protected my security deposit by using their move out cleaning
Things which a tenant often ignores and then gets charged for the cleaning. If the landlord must go in behind you and finish cleaning that you did not do, you will be charged for that cleaning.
Clean the oven and top of the stove, replace the drip pans if you can't get the pans clean.
Clean the inside and outside of the refrigerator and vacuum behind and under the refrigerator.
Clean the windows.
Clean the window tracks of windows and shower glass doors, so there is no dirt or mildew.
Wipe out the drawers and cabinets so there is no spilled food left (you should have been using shelf paper)
Remove finger smudges and grease marks from walls
Remove pet hair and pet odor
Remove cigarette scum smoke odor, ditto for any other smoke residue or odor
Scrub out the bathtub and shower stalls to remove soap scum and mildew
Vacuum what is easily reached in the heater vents.
Floor of the garage should be broom clean without pools of motor oil
Window blinds dusted and in good repair.
Clean the floors, mop solid floors, clean carpets, Consult the landlord about cleaning the carpets and how it should be done. If a tenant rents a machine and I still have to pay the professional truck mounted steam cleaner to come in and do the job correctly, the tenant is going to pay for my carpet cleaner.
Pick up any trash or items from outside. If you are responsible for lawn care, mow the lawn just before you move.
All of this should be day to day routine care of the place you are living in, so it should not be a horrendous job to do when you move out.
Also, after everything has been moved, there will be dust from under the furniture and maybe footprint marks and dirt from the movers. Keep stuff out and available to do a last swipe at dirt as you walk out the door.
Anything that the landlord has to go in after you are moved out and clean himself before he can rent it to a new tenant, you will be charged for.
That's a good list. It's just regular cleaning that people should be doing anyway. I can't even count the number of apartments or houses I've cleaned out since college.
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