Landlords judge a move-out by what they find on the walk-through. This checklist works room by room, with notes on deposits and documentation.
Your lease and your state's rules set the baseline for what you owe. Security deposit law varies by state, including how a landlord may deduct for cleaning, how soon the deposit must be returned and whether an itemized statement is required. Look up your own state's rules and reread the cleaning clause in your lease before you start.
A general principle shows up in many places: cleaning charges should be reasonable and restore the unit to its condition at move-in, not improve it. If you left the unit as clean as you found it, a cleaning deduction is hard to justify. If you have a move-in condition report or move-in photos, keep them next to you while you work.
Timing is the other thing to plan. Cleaning is easier once belongings are out, but you will want to finish before the final walk-through and before you return the keys. Leave a buffer in case a spot needs a second pass, and do not leave the whole job for the last evening.
Cleaning cannot fix damage, and it should not need to fix wear. Commonly cited examples of normal wear and tear include faded paint from sunlight, worn carpet from ordinary foot traffic, dirty blinds and a small number of nail holes. Examples that are often treated as damage beyond normal wear include burn marks or tears in carpet, broken windows or locks, water damage and heavy grime on the stove.
These categories differ by jurisdiction and by lease, so treat the examples as a starting point and not a legal ruling. If you are not sure, ask your landlord or a local tenant resource before you spend money on a repair or a cleaning that may not be your responsibility.
The kitchen is where most deductions originate, because grease and food residue are easy to see. Work from the top down so debris falls to surfaces you have not yet cleaned.
Work in an order that lets gravity help you. Start with the inside of the cabinets and the appliances, then counters and the sink, and leave the floor for last so you are not walking across it with dirty cloths. Keep a bag for trash and a bucket for cloths so the cleaning does not spread to rooms you have already finished.
Bathrooms collect soap film, hard-water deposits and mildew. Use a product suitable for each surface and ventilate the room. Never combine cleaners, especially anything containing bleach; our chemical safety guide explains why.
Allow extra time for hard water and mildew. A product that is gentle on the surface and left on for the length of time its label states will do more than extra scrubbing, and it will protect fixtures from the scratches that scouring can leave.
With the furniture gone, you can reach areas no one has seen in a long time.
Check the small things that inspectors notice: switch plates, outlet covers, door handles and the inside of the front door. These are easy to overlook because they look clean from across the room, and fingerprints show up on a close walk-through.
Photograph or video each room once it is clean and empty, including appliance interiors and closets, with the date visible if possible. Keep them with your lease paperwork. If the landlord later disputes the condition, dated images are far stronger than memory.
Provide your forwarding address in writing so the deposit and any itemized statement reach you, and ask for a final walk-through if the landlord is willing. Return all keys as required. Where state law sets a deadline for the landlord to respond, note the date you handed over the unit.
Finally, return what belongs to the unit. Replace any smoke detector batteries you removed, put back shelves and fixtures you took down, and gather every key and fob. Missing items are a more avoidable source of deductions than dirt.
If you are short on time, a professional move-out clean can take the whole list off your hands. Our move-in and move-out cleaning service is scoped to a handover checklist, and you can send your landlord's list with the quote request. No service can guarantee a deposit refund, but a thorough clean addresses the cleaning part of the question.
Not unless your lease or state law says so. Many leases only require the unit be left in the condition it was received, apart from normal wear. Read the cleaning clause in yours.
In many places a landlord can deduct reasonable cleaning costs if the unit is left dirty, but the rules vary by state. Check your state's deposit law and your lease.
Yes. Dated photos or video of the clean, empty unit are useful evidence if a deduction is disputed later.
Describe the space and the kind of clean you want, and we will reply with next steps.