Move-out cleaning: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering move-out cleaning
Move-out cleaning is judged against a landlord or buyer checklist, so the job is about hitting every item on that list. Winning it means a walkthrough, a written scope tied to the checklist and clear notes on anything you cannot fix.
What customers ask
- Will the home pass the landlord walkthrough
- Do you clean inside the oven and the fridge
- Can you remove grease and odor from the range hood and cabinets
- Will you clean the windows and tracks too
- How long will the clean take in an empty home
- What if the landlord finds something after you leave
How to win the job
- Ask for the landlord checklist or lease cleaning section on the first call and build the quote from it
- Walk the empty home with the customer and photograph each room, noting damage you can and cannot clean
- Quote the oven, fridge, cabinet interiors and window tracks as separate lines so the customer can choose
- Say plainly in writing that stains or damage from wear may not fully lift and that you will report them
- Schedule the clean after the last load leaves, and confirm the walkthrough date and time in writing
- Send before and after photos with a checklist mapping each item to the landlord list
What to put on your profile
- Before and after photos of an empty kitchen, bathroom and oven interior
- A list of move-out inclusions that mirrors common landlord checklists
- Notes on odor treatment and when you use an enzyme or sealing product
- A short statement about your re-clean policy if the walkthrough finds an issue
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer to return within a set window if the walkthrough finds something to fix, at a quoted rate
- Suggest a carpet or window add-on for customers who have not booked it yet
- Share a short list of what to keep clean in the new home so the first months are easier
Licenses and permits
Move-out cleaning is not commonly licensed. Check with your state or local licensing agency for any business registration you need, and keep your current certificate of insurance ready for landlords and property managers who ask.
Questions
Can I promise the home will pass inspection?
No. Describe the scope and what you clean, and say that the landlord or buyer makes the final decision on condition.
What if the customer wants an odor treatment?
Assess the source first. Surface cleaning may not solve an odor that has reached the subfloor, so quote the treatment separately and say so in writing.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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