The Move-Out Cleaning Checklist Atlanta Renters Should Work Through
Deposit deductions rarely come from the obvious things. They come from the oven, the fridge drawers, the blinds and the baseboards. Here's the list to work through yourself or hand off to a professional.
Inspections don't look where you cleaned
When a property manager walks a unit, they're not evaluating whether it looks tidy. They're working down a form. The items on that form are consistent, and most of them are places tenants don't think to clean because furniture was covering them for two years.
Start here: the five items that cost people deposits
- Inside the oven. Racks out, burnt-on residue removed, glass door clear from both sides.
- Inside the refrigerator. Shelves and drawers removed and washed, seals wiped, and the unit left running unless you were told otherwise.
- Blinds. Dusted or wiped slat by slat, including the tilt wand and the head rail. This one gets flagged constantly.
- Baseboards and door frames. Wiped by hand, corners included. Scuffs on white trim are the most-cited item on move-out forms.
- Window tracks and sills. Vacuumed out, then wiped. Debris in the tracks reads as neglect.
Room by room
Kitchen
- Every cabinet and drawer emptied, vacuumed and wiped inside
- Cabinet fronts degreased, including the top edges and handles
- Counters and backsplash cleaned
- Sink scrubbed, drain and disposal flushed, faucet descaled
- Stovetop, drip pans, control knobs and range hood filter degreased
- Dishwasher interior wiped, filter cleaned, door gasket cleaned
- Microwave interior and turntable
- Refrigerator moved out if it's on wheels and the floor beneath cleaned
Bathrooms
- Toilet cleaned inside and out, including the base, bolt caps and behind the tank
- Shower and tub scrubbed, grout and caulk lines addressed
- Glass doors descaled, since Atlanta's hard water leaves a film that needs a descaler rather than glass cleaner
- Vanity emptied and cleaned inside and out
- Mirror, light fixture and exhaust fan cover cleaned
- Floor mopped, edges and behind the toilet included
Bedrooms, closets and living areas
- Closet shelves, rods and floors wiped
- Walls checked for scuffs and marks, spot-cleaned gently so the paint isn't scrubbed off
- Nail holes noted (patching may or may not be your responsibility; check your lease)
- Ceiling fans, light fixtures and smoke detector covers dusted
- Vents and returns dusted
- Carpet vacuumed thoroughly, edges included; hard floors swept and mopped
Everywhere
- Light switches, outlet plates and doorknobs wiped
- Doors cleaned on both sides, tops included
- Cobwebs removed from ceiling corners
- Patio, balcony or entry swept
- All trash and belongings removed, since items left behind can trigger a disposal fee
Two things worth doing that aren't on any list
First, photograph the unit after cleaning, with a timestamp. It costs you ten minutes and it settles disputes. Second, replace burned-out bulbs and missing air filters. They're cheap, they're commonly charged back at a markup, and a fresh filter signals that the unit was maintained.
When it makes sense to hand it off
A thorough move-out clean on a two-bedroom unit is most of a day of hard work, at exactly the moment you have the least time. If the deposit at stake is larger than the cost of a cleaning, the math usually answers itself. Our move in / move out cleaning works from this same list, and we schedule backward from your inspection date. Get a quote with your lease-end date and we'll tell you what's available.
