One of the worst nightmares for landlords in dealing with dirty renters is that due to mold or pest infections by wasted food, water puddles, and dirt, the property’s value goes down. That’s the reason some states and cities allow landlords to charge for cleaning if their property is left in an unlivable condition or extremely dirty.
In general, if you rented out your brand new unit and returned very dirty, you can charge 200$ to 600$ dollars to get the things clean, depending on what type of trash and dirt have been left behind. If the size of the unit and problems are significant, the number could go even higher.
Several variables affect the charge for cleaning in a rental property. If you want more information about how much a landlord can and cannot charge a renter for cleaning, how to set your views straight as a landlord for cleaning with the renter to help avoid conflict, and tips on how much a landlord can charge, keep reading this article.
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Do tenants have to pay for cleaning?
Under certain circumstances, landlords can claim money for cleaning from the tenants. Even in most cases, landlords can have a permit to deduct the cost of any cleaning and damage repairs fees from the security deposit.
If the rental property was left in highly damaged condition, the landlord could sue a former renter for additional fees.
Before doing anything like this, make sure to double-check and review the local and state landlord-tenant laws. By doing this, the landlord has a clear idea of what they can and cannot deduct from the security deposit.
Most first-time landlords have made a mistake in viewing the security deposit as a source of extra income that makes them look bad in the rental market.
One of the best solutions is to sign an agreement with the tenant to return the property as clean as when tenants moved in. That way, a landlord feels at ease and avoids being taken to small claims court by the tenant.
Charges for Cleaning
Landlords must answer some questions before they charge renters for cleaning, like how long has the renter lived in the property? Does the rental unit need extra cleaning, such as painting, removing food stains? What is the team’s condition when the tenant moved in compared to the property’s condition on the day they moved out?
After getting answers to these types of questions, the landlord can quickly determine how much to charge a renter for cleaning.
Commonly there are two types of cleaning a landlord can get after the tenant moved out to depend on the conditions of the unit.
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Charge for a move-out cleaning
After the tenant moved out, the standard move-out cleaning includes:
- Cleaning and vacuuming carpets
- Deep cleaning of sinks, mirrors, toilets, and faucets
- Polish wood surfaces like floor
- Dusting flat surfaces
- Inner closet and cabinet cleaning
- Cleaning of appliances like oven and refrigerator
- Overall cleaning throughout the house
Charge for additional cleaning
In case tenants are messy and didn’t clean the house regularly or single-family rental dwellings based on their design and amenities need some additional cleaning that has some extra charges:
- Carpet cleaning
- If the renter was responsible for landscaping, the landlord needs to get the gutter cleaning to remove debris from downspouts.
- Swimming pool cleaning
- Basement and attic cleaning if the renters use these areas
- Chimney sweeping
- Duct and air filter cleaning
- Cleaning the exterior of the house by pressure washing
- Cleaning of the backyard and any storage places in the rental unit
Writer and content creator interested in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Jobs and landlord issues. I have a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the Andrés Bello Catholic University, VE, and I also studied at Chatham University, USA. In this blog I write and collect information of interest around agreements, property and mortgage.