Move-out cleaning checklist: the room-by-room list for an empty home

The move-out cleaning checklist, room by room

A move-out clean means every room is cleaned top to bottom and inside out: the inside of each cabinet, drawer, closet and appliance, every baseboard by hand, and the floors last. Use the checklist below for a tenant leaving a rental, a seller handing over keys, or a crew booked for an end of lease clean.

These are the same tasks the free checklist maker prints and that BroomBook’s crew app loads for a move-out clean. Work through the rooms in the order shown. The kitchen comes first because it takes the longest, and the whole-home list closes the job.

How to use it

• Print one bathroom and one bedroom section per room. A three-bedroom, two-bathroom home needs three bedroom lists and two bathroom lists, so nothing gets skipped when the crew splits up. The cleaning checklist maker does this for you.
• Work top to bottom, dry before wet. Dust fans, light fixtures, vents and the tops of cabinets first, then wipe surfaces, then do floors. Dust that falls lands on a floor you have not cleaned yet.
• Start the slow jobs early. Apply oven cleaner or a degreaser to the oven and range hood when you arrive, following the label, and come back to it once the rest of the kitchen is done.
• Leave each room once. Finish a room, tick it, take the photo, then move on. Walking back into a mopped room means mopping it again.
• Add what the home needs. A garage, patio, basement or inside windows above reach are not on the list. Agree on them before the job and add them as extra lines.

A move in cleaning checklist is the same list

The tasks for a move-in clean are the same as for a move-out: the home is empty, and the new occupant wants the inside of every cabinet and appliance clean before their things go in. Use this list for both. The only change is who you report to, covered in the move-in section below.

What does a move-out clean include?

A move-out clean includes everything in a deep clean, plus the inside of every cabinet, drawer and closet, a final check that the home is empty, and photos of any damage or stains left behind. It skips the lived-in tasks, such as making beds and tidying, because there is nothing left to tidy.

The table shows how the three main types of clean compare, using the same task list as the checklist above. A row says “Yes” when that type of clean includes those tasks.

What a move-out clean adds to a deep clean

• Inside every cabinet and drawer: kitchen cabinets and drawers, bathroom vanities, and the cabinets and shelves in the laundry room. Crumbs, spills and shelf liner residue build up for years behind closed doors.
• Inside every closet: bedroom closets, the coat closet, and their shelves and rods.
• Inside every appliance: the oven, fridge and freezer, microwave, dishwasher door and filter, and the washer drum and door seal. In a lived-in home some of these are add-ons. On a move-out they are the job.
• An empty-home check: open every cabinet, closet and drawer at the end to confirm nothing was left. Anything left behind belongs to someone, so photo it and tell the client rather than throwing it away.
• A record of what you could not fix: photos of stains, burns, holes or damage that cleaning does not remove, so no one blames the cleaner for them later.

Our deep cleaning checklist guide covers the detail work both cleans share, such as baseboards by hand, blinds, window tracks and behind appliances.

What a move-out clean usually does not include

Unless you agree to it in writing, a move-out clean does not include carpet shampooing, wall washing or painting, outside windows, the garage, junk removal, or repairs. Many clients assume one or more of these is included, so list what is and is not in the price on the estimate. Offer the common extras as add-ons with their own price.

Move-in vs move-out cleaning: what’s the difference?

The cleaning is the same. The difference is who books it and what they care about: a move-out clean is usually for the person leaving and their deposit or sale, while a move-in clean is for the person arriving, who wants to know every surface is clean before they unpack.

For a cleaning business, the two are one service with two names. Price them the same way, use the same checklist, and list both on your booking page, because clients search for both.

One tip for tenants moving in: photograph the home before you unpack, even if it was cleaned. Those photos show what the home looked like at the start, which is the standard many states use when the deposit is settled at the end.

What can a landlord deduct from a security deposit for cleaning?

In the states we checked, a landlord can deduct the cost of getting the home as clean as it was when the tenant moved in, but not for normal wear and tear or for problems that were already there. The details, deadlines and paperwork vary by state and sometimes by city, so check the official rules where the home is.

California

The California Attorney General’s consumer alert on security deposits says a landlord can use the deposit for the cost of cleaning the property so it is as clean as when the tenant first moved in. It may not be used for damage that was already there at move-in, for unreasonable or unnecessary costs, or for ordinary wear and tear. The same alert says tenants have the right to ask for an inspection in the two weeks before they move out, so they can fix problems before being charged.

The California Courts’ guide to security deposits adds the deadline: the landlord has 21 days after move-out to return the deposit or send an itemized statement of deductions, and for deductions over $125 the landlord must attach copies of invoices or receipts.

Texas

The Texas State Law Library’s guide to security deposit refunds explains that a landlord may deduct damages and charges the tenant is legally liable for under the lease, but may not keep any part of the deposit for normal wear and tear. The refund, with an itemized list of any deductions, is due on or before the 30th day after the tenant leaves, and the landlord does not have to send it until the tenant gives a forwarding address in writing.

What this means for a move out cleaning checklist for tenants

• Clean to the move-in standard, at least. If the home was spotless when you moved in, the landlord can usually charge to get it back there. Inside the oven, fridge and cabinets are the places most often missed.
• Ask for the pre-move-out inspection if your state offers one. It tells you what the landlord plans to charge for while you can still fix it.
• Read your lease. Some leases list specific move-out tasks. Whether a lease term can be enforced depends on your state’s law.
• Keep the receipt and photos. If you hire a cleaning company, keep its invoice and its room photos with your move-out records.

What this means for a cleaning business

When a landlord or property manager hires you, your invoice can end up attached to a tenant’s itemized statement. Make it specific: the address, the date, the type of clean and what was done. A vague “cleaning, $300” helps no one if the charge is disputed. When a tenant hires you, never promise the deposit back. You control the cleaning, not the landlord’s decision or the condition the home was in before.

This section is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, check your state attorney general, your state courts’ self-help site or a local lawyer.

How to document a move-out clean: photos and the walk-through

Take a photo of each finished room and of anything you could not clean or fix, then walk through every room before you lock up. The photos protect the client in a deposit dispute and protect your business if someone later says a room was skipped.

What to photograph

• Each finished room, wide. Stand in the doorway and get the floor, walls and windows in one shot.
• The inside of the oven, fridge, dishwasher and a few cabinets. These are the spots inspectors open first.
• Bathrooms close up: the toilet, the tub or shower, the grout and the sink.
• Anything left behind or not removable: a stain that did not come out, a burn on the counter, a hole in the wall, an item left in a closet. Take one close photo and one wider photo that shows where it is.

Keep the photos with the job record, labeled with the address and date, for at least as long as a deposit dispute could run in your state. Send a set to the client when the job is done.

The final walk-through

Before the crew leaves, one person walks every room with the checklist in hand:

1. Open every cabinet, drawer, closet and appliance door. Look inside, then close it.
2. Check the floors along the baseboards and in the corners, where the vacuum misses.
3. Look at mirrors, glass and stainless steel from the side, where streaks show.
4. Turn off every light and fan, and check that the windows are shut and locked.
5. Take out the trash and recycling, and leave keys exactly as agreed.

If the client, landlord or agent can be there for a walk-through, offer it. Fixing a missed spot while the crew is still in the home costs far less than a return trip.

How should a cleaning business price a move-out clean?

Price a move-out clean from the hours it takes your crew, then add supplies, overhead and profit, the same way you price any other clean. It costs more than a standard clean of the same home because it takes longer: deep cleans usually take about 1.6 to 2 times as long as a standard clean, and a move-out adds the inside of every cabinet and closet on top, according to our house cleaning pricing guide.

• Time your first few. Record how long each move-out takes by home size, then price the next ones from your own numbers, not a guess.
• Build the appliances into the price. Clients expect inside the oven and fridge on a move-out. Listing them as extras makes your price look lower but starts an argument on the day.
• Quote from photos or a visit for anything unusual. Heavy grease, pet hair, mold, or items left behind can double the work. Add a condition clause that lets you adjust the price if the home is not as described.
• Agree on the empty-home rule. State in writing that the price assumes the home is empty, and what happens if it is not.

For the numbers, run the home through the house cleaning price calculator, then send a written quote with the cleaning estimate template, listing what is included and what is extra. Once the job is booked, print the list for the crew with the checklist maker so the estimate and the work match.

How to get move-out work from property managers and realtors

Property managers and realtors need homes cleaned between tenants and before listings, closings and showings, often on short notice. Reach them with a short offer, prove you are reliable on the first few jobs, and they can send you steady move-out work.

What property managers want

• Speed between tenants. Every empty day is lost rent, so a crew that can be in the day after move-out wins the account.
• A consistent standard. The same checklist on every unit, so their inspection finds the same result each time.
• Paperwork they can use. A clear invoice per unit and room photos, which help when a tenant disputes a deposit deduction.
• Key and access handling. Lockbox codes kept private, and doors locked and keys returned the way they ask.

What realtors want

• A home that photographs well before listing photos and showings.
• A clean hand-over at closing, so the buyer walks into an empty, clean home.
• Someone they can recommend without worry. A realtor’s name is attached to the referral, so reliability matters more than the lowest price.

How to start

Call or visit a few local property management offices and real estate brokerages. Bring a one-page offer: your move-out checklist, how fast you can book, how you handle keys, and a sample photo report. Offer to do one unit so they can see the result. Our guide on getting cleaning clients covers partnerships with realtors, property managers, movers and organizers in more detail.

How BroomBook runs a move-out clean

We make BroomBook, a scheduling, booking and crew app for residential cleaning businesses. When a client books a move-out clean, the crew gets the move-out checklist, room by room, with photos.

• The right checklist for the job. The checklist matches the type of clean booked: standard, deep, move-out or Airbnb turnover. A move-out booking loads the inside-every-cabinet tasks, and a standard clean does not.
• Photos checked against the list. Cleaners take photos room by room. Each photo is checked against its checklist item, and the ones that need a look are flagged to the owner, so you can catch a missed oven before the walk-through.
• A private crew link. Each cleaner gets a private link with nothing to download, and clocks in and out from the phone.
• Notes in their language. Job notes, such as the lockbox code or “the landlord inspects at 3 pm”, are translated into Spanish, French or Portuguese for each cleaner.

Pick something else if you mainly run commercial janitorial contracts, need a QuickBooks sync, or want an app from the app store. BroomBook is built for residential cleaning, has no QuickBooks sync and has no app-store app. To see the crew side, try the live demo or read the full feature list.