Move-Out Cleaning Checklist for Florida Homes and Condos

A move-out clean has one job: leave the place in the condition the next person expects, whether that is a landlord holding your deposit, a buyer walking through at closing, or a new tenant arriving with a moving truck. Below is the checklist Gulf & Bay Cleaning Co. works from, plus the Florida-specific details that trip people up: deposit rules, closing timing and condo logistics.

Before the crew arrives

• Everything out. Cleaning around boxes doubles the time and leaves marks where they sat.
• Utilities on. Water and electricity must be working.
• AC on. In a Florida summer a closed unit hits 90 degrees within hours and nothing dries.
• Note any damage you already know about, so it is not confused with something missed.

Room-by-room checklist

Kitchen

• Oven inside and out, including the racks and the drawer underneath
• Refrigerator and freezer inside, shelves and drawers removed and washed, doors left open if power will be cut
• Range hood filter, stovetop, drip pans
• Microwave inside and out
• Dishwasher door edge, filter and seal
• Cabinets and drawers emptied, wiped inside and out
• Counters, backsplash, sink, faucet, disposal flange
• Floor mopped, edges and under appliances if they pull out

Bathrooms

• Shower and tub scrubbed, glass de-scaled, grout and caulk treated for mildew
• Toilet inside, outside, base and behind
• Vanity emptied, drawers wiped, sink and faucet polished
• Mirror, light fixture, exhaust vent cover
• Floor and baseboards

Bedrooms and living areas

• Closets emptied, shelves and rods wiped, floors vacuumed
• Ceiling fans, light fixtures, AC vents and returns
• Baseboards, door frames, doors, switch plates
• Window sills, tracks and interior glass; blinds dusted
• Walls spot-cleaned for scuffs and fingerprints
• Floors vacuumed and mopped; carpet edges and corners

Laundry, garage, lanai

• Washer drum and detergent drawer, dryer lint trap and around the machines
• Garage floor swept, oil spots noted, shelves wiped
• Lanai or balcony floor swept and washed, screens brushed, railings wiped

Entry

• Front door, threshold, doorbell and light fixture
• Mailbox area if it is yours

Deposit tips for renters

Florida law gives a landlord a set number of days after you move out to either return your deposit or send written notice of a claim against it. The notice has to state the reason. “Cleaning” is one of the most common reasons listed, and one of the easiest to avoid.

• Read your lease. Many South Florida leases require professional cleaning and carpet cleaning at move-out and ask for a receipt. Some list specific items.
• Photograph everything after the clean. Every room, inside the oven, inside the fridge, each closet. Time-stamped photos are the strongest evidence you have.
• Do the walk-through with the landlord or property manager if they will do it. Get the result in writing.
• Give a forwarding address in writing. The landlord cannot return money to an address they do not have.
• Keep the cleaning receipt. A professional invoice for a move-out clean answers most disputes on its own.

Timing around a closing

If you are selling, the buyer’s final walk-through usually happens the day before or the morning of closing. The clean needs to be finished before that walk-through and after the movers have left. The workable order is: movers out, cleaning crew in, walk-through, closing.

Give the cleaning a full day between the movers and the walk-through if you can. Movers run late. If your closing is Friday morning, aim to have the house empty by Wednesday and cleaned Thursday.

If you are buying, a move-in clean between closing and your move is worth scheduling even if the seller cleaned. You want the surfaces yours before your furniture goes on them.

Condo and HOA rules

High-rises in Brickell, Sunny Isles, downtown Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples run on a schedule, and a cleaning crew is treated like any other vendor. Plan for these:

• Elevator reservation. Most buildings require a booked service-elevator window for move-outs. Book the cleaning after the moving window so the crew does not compete with the movers.
• Loading dock and parking. Ask where vendors park and how long they can stay. Some buildings limit vendor vehicles to the dock.
• Certificate of insurance. Many associations require it before a vendor is allowed up. Gulf & Bay is licensed and insured and can send the certificate to your management office ahead of time.
• Working hours. Weekday windows are common, often no work before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m., and no Sundays.
• Front desk and access. Leave the crew’s name with the desk and arrange a key or a fob.
• Balcony rules. Some towers prohibit washing balconies with running water. We work with what the building allows.

How long it takes

An empty one-bedroom apartment can be finished in a few hours. A three-bedroom house with a garage and lanai is most of a day. A four-bedroom home that has been lived in for a decade may take a crew a full day or more. When you request a quote, tell us the size, how long you lived there and whether it is a house or a condo, and you will get a firm price and a time estimate together.

What to send for a quote

City, type of home, bedrooms, bathrooms, approximate square footage, the move-out date, whether the home will be empty, and the building name if it is a condo. Photos help. You will have a firm number back quickly, and the date held on the calendar.