- Cleaning
- Moving & Settling In
- Clean & Refresh
Move-In / Move-Out Cleaning
Moving out of a rental, getting a home ready between tenants, handing over a home you've sold, or wanting a thorough clean before you move in? Your cleaner does a full-home clean of a vacant home at handover, including the inside of all cabinets, drawers and closets; the inside of the fridge, oven, dishwasher and microwave; behind appliances that can be safely pulled out; baseboards, door frames, window sills and tracks, light fixtures and vents; built-up grime in bathrooms; and fingerprints and marks on walls. If you need them, you can also add interior windows, blinds, full wall washing, a balcony or a second kitchen when you book. Move-in and move-out cleans use the same cleaning scope.
- Service area
- Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond
Common issues
Cleaning before you hand back a rental
After your furniture and belongings are out, and before you return the keys or the landlord inspects, your cleaner cleans the whole home, including inside cabinets and appliances. The inspection outcome and the deposit are handled between the landlord and tenant under the tenancy agreement and the law.
Getting a home ready between tenants
A landlord or property manager books a clean after the previous tenant moves out and before the next one moves in, so the home is ready for the next tenant.
Selling a home or moving into one you bought
The seller cleans the vacant home before handover, or the buyer cleans after taking possession and before the furniture arrives.
Getting a new rental cleaned before you move in
Your cleaner cleans the whole home, including inside cabinets, closets and appliances, on or after your possession date and before your furniture arrives. If a newly built home has construction dust, that is post-renovation cleaning.
Some furniture is still in the home
If furniture or a lot of belongings are still there on cleaning day, your cleaner will only clean around them and won't move or remove furniture or belongings.
What the pro will do
- 1
Your cleaner finds out the address, type of home, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, whether it's a move-in or move-out, the key handover or inspection date, whether the home is already empty, the types and number of appliances, any add-ons, and details on keys, parking, elevator booking and building hours. Your cleaner then confirms the cleaning scope, timing and price.
- 2
Before the visit, confirm that the home has power, hot and cold water and lighting, and that the fridge has been emptied and defrosted. If a landlord or property manager has given you a cleaning checklist, you can share it too.
- 3
Your cleaner works room by room from top to bottom, cleaning inside cabinets, closets and appliances and behind appliances that can be safely pulled out, then moves on to detail areas, bathrooms and the kitchen. Add-ons are done to the scope confirmed in advance. If your cleaner finds mould, rodent droppings, damage, peeling paint or suspected old materials, a large amount of left-behind items, or areas above a safe working height, they will stop work on that part first and explain the situation to you.
- 4
When the job is done, your cleaner goes over what was cleaned, any areas that couldn't be done, and any existing wear or material limitations. If you need one, a receipt showing the address, date and cleaning scope can be provided. If you find something missed in the cleaned areas after the job, it will be handled under the follow-up arrangements your service provider confirms.
Good to know
Keep the power and water on for cleaning day
Cleaning needs power, hot and cold water and lighting. If you're transferring accounts such as BC Hydro, arrange in advance for service to be on for cleaning day.
Empty and defrost the fridge early
A fridge that needs defrosting usually has to be emptied and unplugged two to three days ahead, with the door left open and towels down to catch the water, to avoid pooling water and mould. For a fridge with a water line or ice maker, disconnecting and reconnecting it has to be arranged separately, so let your cleaner know in advance.
Clear out belongings and garbage first
Furniture, mattresses, appliances and large items have to be dealt with separately. Don't leave them in the back lane or at the curb: each city has its own rules on large-item collection and illegal dumping.
Check your building's rules ahead of time
Each strata building has its own rules on elevator bookings, move hours, visitors and fobs. Check in advance and share the concierge, parking and elevator details.
Carpet steam cleaning and repairs are separate
Vacuuming is part of this service; carpet steam cleaning, filling nail holes and painting are other services. If your tenancy agreement or landlord has specific requirements, check them first.
Local tips
Standard for tenants handing back a rental
The BC Residential Tenancy Act requires tenants to leave the rental unit "reasonably clean" when they move out; it doesn't necessarily require professional cleaning. Residential Tenancy Branch guidelines also list items such as the fridge, oven, interior windows and wall marks as generally the tenant's cleaning responsibility.
Leave time to move out
Unless the landlord and tenant agree otherwise, the tenant must move out by 1 p.m. on the day the tenancy ends. Schedule cleaning around the move-out, key handover and landlord inspection dates.
Deposits are handled by the landlord and tenant
Within 15 days of the later of the tenancy ending and receiving the tenant's forwarding address in writing, the landlord must either return the deposit or apply to the Residential Tenancy Branch. Cleaning can improve the condition of the home, but it doesn't decide the deposit outcome.
Building move rules vary
A strata can charge a reasonable move-in / move-out fee that is set out in its bylaws or in ratified rules, and can set elevator booking arrangements. Requirements can differ from building to building.
This service only covers move-in / move-out cleaning of vacant homes at handover (already moved out of, or not yet moved into), plus add-ons confirmed in advance. If furniture or belongings are still in the home, your cleaner only cleans around them. It doesn't include: cleaning homes that are still lived in; cleaning construction dust in new or renovated homes; real estate listing or staging cleaning; carpet and upholstery steam cleaning; exterior windows; skylights; work at height where a fall of 3 m or more is possible, above stairwells, or that needs a work platform or fall protection equipment; range hood interiors and ducts; fridge condenser coils; disconnecting or reconnecting water lines, and defrosting; filling nail holes, patching walls or painting; regrouting; repairing stone or surface damage; removing left-behind items and junk; garages, building storage lockers and outdoor areas (except the balcony add-on); moving heavy items; scraping or cleaning up peeling paint and suspected asbestos-containing materials; mould removal or remediation; biohazards, animal waste, rodent droppings or post-pest cleanup; attending inspections or handling deposits on your behalf; and commercial cleaning and short-term rental turnover cleaning. Cleaning doesn't guarantee the outcome of an inspection by a landlord, property manager or buyer, and doesn't guarantee you'll get your deposit back. Pre-existing wear such as etching, scratches, dents, fading, permanent stains or hard-water stains won't be restored by cleaning.
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