Home cleaning guide
Move-Out Cleaning: What It Takes to Get Your Deposit Back
When you hand back the keys, a landlord or property manager inspects the place against how it looked when you moved in, and a thorough clean is often the single thing standing between you and your full deposit. It is not about a quick tidy; it is about returning the unit to move-in condition, which usually means reaching everything a normal weekly clean skips.
What gets inspected
- Kitchen: inside the oven and fridge, under and behind appliances, cabinets emptied and wiped, sink and counters.
- Bathrooms: descaled taps and shower, grout, mirror, and behind the toilet.
- Floors and walls: scuff marks, baseboards, and any nail holes patched if your lease requires it.
- The easily forgotten: window tracks, light fixtures, closet shelves, and the balcony or patio.
Do it yourself or book it out
You can absolutely do a move-out clean yourself if you have the time and the place is not too far gone, and this checklist is the standard to hit. But move-out week is already crowded with packing and the move itself, and an empty unit is faster and cheaper for a professional to clean than a lived-in one. For many people, paying for a move-out clean is cheaper than losing part of a deposit over a missed oven or a grimy window track.
On ServiSpot you can book a move-out clean the same way as any other job: describe the unit, and a local cleaner responds with their rate for the turnover.
Protect your deposit
Book a move-out clean from a local provider so the unit passes inspection. Describe it once and get a rate for the turnover.
Prefer to browse first? See Home cleaning on ServiSpot.
Frequently asked
Do I need to clean when moving out to get my deposit back?
Almost always. Landlords inspect the unit against its move-in condition, and cleaning is often the deciding factor. A missed oven or grimy window track can cost part of the deposit.
Is it worth paying for a move-out clean?
Frequently yes. A professional move-out clean often costs less than the portion of a deposit you would lose over missed areas, and it saves you time during an already busy week.