# How to start an apartment cleaning business: turnovers, per-unit pricing, speed

> An apartment cleaning business has two customers: property managers who need empty units turned between tenants, and residents who want recurring cleaning in buildings you already visit. Turnovers are won with a certificate of insurance, a W-9, a per-unit price sheet and a crew that can clean a one-bedroom in a few hours the day after move-out. Residents come from the same buildings and give you weekly and biweekly revenue.

Published 2026-10-29, updated 2026-10-30 by Broombook · Specialty cleaning services · 12 min read  
Canonical page: https://broombook.com/guides/apartment-cleaning-business

## Key takeaways

- NMHC counts 23 million apartment units in the US, and 41% of them are one-bedrooms: small, repetitive units that reward a system.
- Property managers buy on speed and paperwork: a certificate of insurance, a W-9 and a per-unit price sheet before any work, often through a vendor platform such as NetVendor.
- Price turnovers per unit by bedroom count, with the oven, fridge and cabinets included and a condition clause for units left in bad shape.
- Thumbtack puts a consumer move-out clean at $199 to $354; in our experience, volume turnover pricing for a manager sits below that per unit.
- A two-person crew with a packed kit can turn two to three one-bedrooms a day once the route is tight.
- Cleaning businesses paid a median of $59 a month for general liability through Insureon; managers want proof of it before you get a key.

## What does an apartment cleaning business do?

An apartment cleaning business cleans units in multifamily buildings for two kinds of customers: property managers and landlords who need units turned between tenants, and residents who want recurring cleaning in their own homes. Most successful owners do both, because the turnover work gets you into the building and the residents give you steady weekly revenue.

The market is large and concentrated. The National Multifamily Housing Council’s [apartment stock quick facts](https://www.nmhc.org/research-insight/quick-facts-figures/quick-facts-apartment-stock/) count 23 million apartment units in the US, and 41% of them are one-bedroom units. Small units in buildings with dozens or hundreds of them are the opposite of house cleaning: less variety, more repetition, and less driving between jobs.

|  | Turnover cleaning for managers | Recurring cleaning for residents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who pays | The property management company or owner, on invoice | The resident, by card at booking |
| When | The day after move-out, before the next move-in; heaviest at month end | Weekly, every two weeks or monthly, on a fixed slot |
| What | An empty-unit deep clean: appliances inside, cabinets, closets, walls spot-cleaned, floors | A standard clean of a furnished home: kitchen, bathroom, floors, dusting |
| How it is priced | Per unit by bedroom count, from a price sheet | Per visit by unit size and frequency |
| What wins it | Speed, consistency, paperwork, photos | Reliability, the same cleaner, easy rebooking |

The room-by-room task lists are already written: the [apartment cleaning checklist](https://broombook.com/guides/apartment-cleaning-checklist) covers a furnished unit and the practical side of buildings (buzzers, keys, parking, elevators), and the [move-out cleaning checklist](https://broombook.com/guides/move-out-cleaning-checklist) covers an empty one. This guide is about the business around them.

## How to start an apartment cleaning business, step by step

Register the business, buy general liability insurance and get a certificate of insurance, prepare a W-9 and a per-unit price sheet, build a turnover kit and a checklist, then walk into property management offices with a one-page offer and a free first unit. Expect your first turnover account within a month if you knock on enough doors.

1. **Register.** A structure ([LLC or sole proprietorship](https://broombook.com/guides/llc-for-cleaning-business)), an EIN and any local license, per the guide to [cleaning business licenses](https://broombook.com/guides/cleaning-business-license).
2. **Insure and document it.** Managers will not hand over a key without a certificate of insurance (COI) naming their company. Get it on day one.
3. **Fill out a W-9.** Property management companies pay vendors on invoice and report payments to the IRS, so they will ask for IRS [Form W-9](https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9), Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. Keep a signed PDF ready.
4. **Write a per-unit price sheet** (pricing section below) and a turnover checklist you can hand to a manager.
5. **Build the kit.** A vacuum with attachments, mop and buckets, degreaser, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, oven cleaner, scrapers, magic erasers, trash bags and a step stool, all in totes a two-person crew can carry up a walk-up in one trip.
6. **Practice the system.** Time one full turnover on a friend’s empty unit: two people, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, meeting in the bedroom. Your per-unit price comes from that time.
7. **Sell.** Visit management offices with your COI, W-9, price sheet and checklist, and offer to turn one unit at a discount so they can inspect the result.
8. **Add residents.** Once you have a building, ask the manager if you can leave flyers or be listed as a preferred vendor for residents.

The general steps shared by every service business, from a bank account to bookkeeping, are in [how to start a cleaning business](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-start-a-cleaning-business).

## How do you win turnover work from property managers?

Property managers hire the vendor who answers fast, shows up the day after move-out, cleans every unit to the same standard, and has the paperwork done before they ask. Price matters less than speed and consistency, because every day a unit sits empty costs more rent than the clean.

### What they require before you start

- **Certificate of insurance.** General liability, usually with the management company listed as certificate holder or additional insured, and workers’ compensation once you have employees.
- **W-9** for their accounts payable.
- **Vendor credentialing.** Larger management companies route every vendor through a compliance platform that collects insurance and tax documents. NetVendor, one of them, says [275,000-plus vendors](https://www.netvendor.com/) use it to get credentialed and handle insurance outreach with property managers. Expect to upload your COI there and to keep it current, or your invoices stop getting paid.
- **Background checks** for anyone who will hold keys, at some companies.
- **A price sheet and a scope.** What a “standard turn” includes, what is extra, and how you handle a unit left in bad condition.

### Who to call

- **On-site managers and maintenance supervisors** at larger communities: they schedule turns and feel the pain of a late vendor.
- **Small property management companies** that run scattered units for owners: they juggle many vendors and value one that is reliable.
- **Landlords with a few units**, found through local landlord associations and real estate investor meetups.
- **Student housing and corporate housing** operators, who turn dozens of units in the same week.

### The offer that gets a first unit

One page: your per-unit prices, your turnover checklist, how fast you can be there (next day), how you handle keys and lockboxes, a sample photo report, and an offer to turn the first unit at a discount. Then do that unit perfectly and on time. The [cleaning proposal template](https://broombook.com/tools/cleaning-proposal-template) is a good base, and the guide to [commercial cleaning contracts](https://broombook.com/guides/commercial-cleaning-contracts) covers how buyers evaluate vendors, bids and insurance in more detail.

## How much should you charge per apartment turnover?

Price turnovers per unit by bedroom count, with the inside of the oven, fridge and cabinets included, a surcharge for units in bad condition, and a volume rate for managers who send several units a month. Build the number from your timed two-person turn, not from what the last vendor charged.

For a reference point, Thumbtack reports that consumers pay a national average of [$199 to $354 for a move-out clean](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/move-out-cleaning-cost), from $132 for small, well-kept spaces to $541 or more for larger homes. A manager sending you ten units a month expects a per-unit price below the one-off consumer rate, in exchange for the volume and the lack of marketing cost.

### A sample price sheet (hypothetical numbers)

These are built from a two-person crew paid $20 an hour each, with 55% of the price covering direct cost and the rest overhead and profit.

| Unit | Timed crew hours (2 people) | Labor and supplies | Price (direct cost ÷ 0.55) | Volume rate (5+ units a month) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Studio | 1.5 hours each (3 labor hours) | $60 + $8 | $125 | $115 |
| 1 bedroom, 1 bath | 2 hours each (4 labor hours) | $80 + $10 | $165 | $150 |
| 2 bedroom, 1 or 2 bath | 2.75 hours each (5.5 labor hours) | $110 + $12 | $220 | $200 |
| 3 bedroom, 2 bath | 3.5 hours each (7 labor hours) | $140 + $15 | $280 | $255 |
| Heavy condition surcharge | Added hours at your hourly rate |  | Quoted from photos before you start |  |

### Rules that keep turnover pricing profitable

- **Include the appliances.** Managers expect the oven and fridge inside. Listing them as extras looks cheap on paper and starts arguments on site.
- **Define “standard condition” in writing.** Broom-clean, no belongings left, no biohazards, no heavy grease. Anything else is quoted from photos before you start.
- **Price add-ons separately:** carpet cleaning, inside windows, patio or balcony, trash-out of abandoned items, wall washing.
- **Agree on access and timing.** Who leaves the key, when the unit will be empty, and what happens if the crew arrives and it is not.
- **Invoice per unit with photos.** Unit number, date, scope, price. Managers attach your invoice to the tenant’s deposit statement when a deduction is disputed.

The [house cleaning price calculator](https://broombook.com/tools/house-cleaning-price-calculator) turns your own labor cost, supplies and margin into a price by unit size, and the [pricing guide](https://broombook.com/guides/house-cleaning-pricing-guide) explains why a deep or move-out clean takes 1.6 to 2 times the hours of a standard one.

## How fast should a crew turn a unit, and how do you staff it?

As a planning target, a trained two-person crew with a packed kit can turn a one-bedroom in about two hours and do two or three units a day in the same building or complex. Speed comes from a fixed order of work, one kit per person, and never leaving the building between units.

### The two-person system

1. Walk the unit together for two minutes: photos of every room, note damage, check the appliances work, and confirm nothing was left behind.
2. Cleaner A takes the kitchen (oven first so the cleaner can dwell, then fridge, cabinets, counters, floor). Cleaner B takes the bathroom (tub and shower first for the same reason, then toilet, vanity, mirror, floor).
3. Both move to bedrooms and living areas: closets and shelves, blinds, baseboards, light fixtures, switch plates, windowsills, then vacuum and mop out the door.
4. Final walk with the same photos from the same spots, then the invoice goes out from the parking lot.

### Staffing as the accounts grow

- **Month-end crunch.** Leases end at month end, so turnovers bunch into the last and first few days. Keep a second crew or two reliable part-timers for those days instead of hiring for the peak.
- **Pay by the unit or the hour?** Hourly keeps quality up; a per-unit bonus for inspections passed keeps speed up. Many owners do both.
- **Hire for keys.** Anyone holding building keys should pass a background check, because the manager will ask and because one lost key can cost a rekey of a whole building.
- **Train on the checklist, inspect on the photos.** The manager’s inspection and yours should look at the same list.

Hiring, pay and the employee-versus-contractor question are covered in [how to hire cleaners](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-hire-cleaners) and [W-2 or 1099 for cleaners](https://broombook.com/guides/independent-contractor-vs-employee-cleaners).

## How do you turn a building into recurring resident clients?

Once you are the turnover vendor, you are already in the building with a key policy, a parking spot and the manager’s trust. Ask to be listed as a preferred vendor for residents, leave door hangers where the rules allow, and price recurring cleans by unit size and frequency so a resident can book without a quote.

- **Ask the manager first.** Some communities list resident services in a welcome packet or portal; others forbid solicitation. Get it in writing.
- **Publish prices by unit type.** “Studio every two weeks: $X. One bedroom: $Y.” Residents in the same building share prices, so keep them consistent.
- **Stack the route.** Four residents in one building on the same morning is the most profitable schedule in cleaning: no driving, one parking spot, one elevator trip.
- **Offer the move-in clean.** A new resident who books a move-in clean is the easiest recurring client to win; ask at the end of that first visit.
- **Keep access notes per client.** Buzzer code, where the key is, quiet hours, pets. The [apartment checklist guide](https://broombook.com/guides/apartment-cleaning-checklist) lists what to collect.

Recurring residents are where booking software earns its keep. Broombook does booking, scheduling and reminders for recurring service businesses: residents book and pay by card on your booking page, their visits repeat on a fixed slot, reminders go out automatically, and the crew app carries the access notes. Turnovers fit the same calendar as one-off jobs invoiced to the manager. See the [features](https://broombook.com/features) page for what is included.

## What insurance and paperwork does an apartment cleaner need?

General liability with a certificate you can send the same day, workers’ compensation once you hire, commercial auto if a company vehicle carries the crew, and a janitorial bond if a manager asks for one. Keep the W-9, the COI and your vendor platform logins in one folder, because they expire and get requested often.

Insureon reports that cleaning businesses buying through it pay a median of [$59 a month for general liability](https://www.insureon.com/cleaning-business-insurance/cost) ($1 million per occurrence, $2 million aggregate), $114 a month for workers’ compensation, $9 a month for a janitorial bond, $250 a month for commercial auto and $81 a month for a business owner’s policy.

- Ask your agent to issue certificates with the management company as certificate holder, and as additional insured if their vendor agreement requires it.
- Read the vendor agreement’s indemnity clause before signing; some ask you to cover claims beyond your own negligence, and your insurer may not.
- Keep a key log: which keys or codes you hold, for which units, signed in and out.

The [insurance guide](https://broombook.com/guides/cleaning-business-insurance) explains each policy and the [janitorial bond guide](https://broombook.com/guides/janitorial-bond) explains bonds. This is general information, not legal or insurance advice; confirm coverage with a licensed agent and read any vendor agreement with your own eyes.

## What should the first 90 days look like?

One turnover account in the first month, three by the end of the quarter, and the first recurring residents from the buildings you turn. Judge the quarter on units turned on time and inspections passed, not on how many offices you visited.

1. **Weeks 1 to 2.** Registration, insurance, COI, W-9, price sheet, checklist, kit, one timed practice turn.
2. **Weeks 3 to 4.** Visit 20 management offices and small landlords with the one-page offer. Turn the first discounted unit the day you are asked.
3. **Weeks 5 to 8.** Deliver every turn next-day with photos. Ask each manager for one referral to a sister property. Set up the resident offer in the first building.
4. **Weeks 9 to 12.** Add a second crew or part-timers for month end. Review per-unit times against the price sheet and adjust before you add the next account.

Track three numbers each week: units turned, units passed on first inspection, and average crew hours per unit. When the third number stops falling, your system is done and it is time to sell it to the next building. The guide to [getting cleaning clients](https://broombook.com/guides/how-to-get-cleaning-clients) covers the partnerships and local channels that fill the resident side.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is an apartment cleaning business profitable?

It can be, because units are small, repetitive and clustered: a crew can turn two or three in a day in one building with no driving between them. Profit depends on pricing per unit from your own timed hours, including appliances, and adding recurring residents from the same buildings.

### How do I get apartment turnover cleaning contracts?

Prepare a certificate of insurance, a W-9, a per-unit price sheet and a turnover checklist, then visit on-site managers, small property management companies and landlords with a one-page offer and a discounted first unit. Larger companies will also ask you to register on a vendor credentialing platform and keep your insurance current there.

### How much do property managers pay for apartment turnover cleaning?

It varies by market and unit size, and in our experience managers expect a per-unit rate below the consumer move-out price, which Thumbtack puts at $199 to $354 nationally. Build your own sheet from a timed two-person turn: a one-bedroom often lands well under $200 at volume, with surcharges for units left in bad condition.

### How long does it take to clean an apartment turnover?

As a planning target, a trained two-person crew turns a standard one-bedroom in about two hours and a two-bedroom in under three, assuming the unit is empty and in normal condition. Heavy grease, pet damage or abandoned belongings can double that, which is why the price sheet needs a condition clause.

### What paperwork do property managers ask cleaning vendors for?

A certificate of insurance for general liability (and workers’ compensation once you have employees), a signed IRS Form W-9, sometimes a janitorial bond or background checks for key holders, and a signed vendor agreement. Many route this through a vendor compliance platform that tracks insurance expiry dates.

### Do I need a license to start an apartment cleaning business?

There is no apartment-specific license. You need the usual business registration, a local business license where your city requires one, and sales tax registration if your state taxes cleaning services. Managers care more about insurance and a W-9 than about licenses.

### Can I clean for residents in a building where I do turnovers?

Usually, with the manager’s permission. Ask to be listed as a preferred vendor or to leave flyers where the rules allow, publish prices by unit type, and schedule residents in the same building on the same morning to cut driving to zero.

## Sources

- [NMHC: quick facts on US apartment stock](https://www.nmhc.org/research-insight/quick-facts-figures/quick-facts-apartment-stock/)
- [NetVendor: vendor credentialing for property managers](https://www.netvendor.com/)
- [IRS: about Form W-9](https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-9)
- [Thumbtack: how much does move-out cleaning cost?](https://www.thumbtack.com/p/move-out-cleaning-cost)
- [Insureon: cleaning business insurance cost](https://www.insureon.com/cleaning-business-insurance/cost)

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Broombook is scheduling, online booking and crew software for residential cleaning businesses. More guides for cleaning business owners: https://broombook.com/guides