Move-Out Cleaning Explained In 6 Steps: “I Cleaned the Place. Why Am I Still Being Charged?”

This was written by a previous St. George property management business owner.

1. Move-out Stress!

Or: Move-out Cleaning Explained

Moving out of a rental in St. George or anywhere else can be pretty overwhelming. I know. I’ve moved at least a dozen times.

When doing a move-out cleaning you have so much to do. Then trying to get your rental deposit back creates even more stress.

Move-out cleaning is the last hassle anyone needs at that point.

It just makes sense to have a cleaning pro do your move-out cleaning (Like St. George House Cleaning although we might be a bit biased).

Doing move-out cleanings can even stress out the pros. Really.

2. Oh no! Are you going to get your deposit back?

Rental prices in Southern Utah have become more expensive. Unfortunately, usually the higher the rent, the higher the security deposit is.

Most renters don’t realize how much a poor move-out cleaning can mess with your security deposit.. What happens if the place isn’t clean enough? Your landlord can take money out of your deposit to get your previous rental looking rentable again.

I’ve done dozens of “after the fact move-out cleanings” for a local property manager. I know the price of just the house cleaning can be high: $200 on up to $1,000. Then you want to take into account carpet cleaning at 50 cents/SF, misc. minor repairs, and repairing wall damage (drywall and paint).

3. Landlord & Property Manager Expectations

Professional managers check more than just the floors. They put on their white gloves and inspect nearly everything. Even things you didn’t expect, for example is the thermostat clean?

Under Utah law, you aren’t charged for “normal wear and tear,” but dirt and stains are your responsibility. To protect yourself, request a cleaning checklist and take photos of the finished result.

4.  Move-out cleaning of your rental or just sold home is non-negotiable (Unless you don’t mind losing a chunk of your security deposit)

Move-out cleaning to meet the expectations of your landlord can be a bit tough. There are two things you can do to help make things work better.

1. Get a copy of the move-out cleaning checklist from your landlord. If they don’t have one (which would be kinda odd), get one off the net or use mine.

2. Do a “pre move-out inspection”. This is where you pay the landlord to meet you at the rental you’re moving out of. You work together to see what still remains to be done. Pre-move-out inspections keep your cleaning costs under control.

5. Timing Your Cleaning

Schedule your cleaning at least a month in advance. You’ll want to schedule the cleaning so it starts after you’re completely moved out.

Doing a move-out clean while you’re still living in the home isn’t gonna work. Places your cleaning person just did are probably going to get dirty again. Do your regular cleaning when you’re living in the place and we’ll do the move-out cleaning after you’ve skedaddled.

6. What do we charge?

Call us at First Impressions Home and Office Cleaning at (435) 879-1239 to schedule your move-out cleaning

We charge $40 per person-hour. It’s well worth it.

Reddit post: r/landlord

Does anyone have any tips on how to get a move out clean done quicker?

i’ve been spending like twelve hours on my move out cleans for 1500-2500sq ft homes something has got to give! i’m thinking vacuuming out the cabinets and drawers instead of trying to wipe all the crumbs,, i think the refrigerator ,blinds , and baseboards are what take me the longest.

My answer: Hiring an experienced house cleaner or better yet, a house cleaning service. A service will be in and done in just a few hours. 

From Reddit, r/tenant

Moved out and Landlord is charging us for a professional cleaning.

Hello we moved out of a appartment to our first house. After one week we were invited to do a walkthrough with the landlord. He started talking about how he needs to get the place professionaly cleaned because “it smells like cats”. We have two cats and before signing paper work we ask if the cats were okay and would we need to do a pet deposit. The landlord said “not needed”. There was no mess left behind and the “cat smell” wasnt really there when we were walking through the apartment again. The landlord got a quote for around $450 dollars for the cleaning so my wife and I are fighting it because it seems a little crazy. Do we have any ground to stand on?

My perspective: It sounds like you are making excuses, rather than just getting the work done either by you (not recommended) or by hiring a pro. It’s too late for this apartment, but now you know what to do to get your deposit back. You can use this knowledge to clean your new place when you eventually move. 

Here’s the thing about cats. By the time this is published you will have already paid to replace the carpeting in your old apartment. There is just no way to fix cat urine smell except to start over with new carpeting (and painting the floor under the carpeting with “Kilz” to lock in the smell).

Tap here to view and print the cleaning checklist we gave to our tenants.

“I Cleaned the Place. Why Am I Still Being Charged?”

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