The move-out cleaning checklist for Ontario renters

Start with the condition and access plan

Check your lease and building move-out instructions for practical details: the handover time, elevator booking, parking and key return. If a clause about cleaning charges or deposits concerns you, check with the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board; a cleaning checklist is not tenancy advice.

Walk through the unit as you empty it. Photograph any existing damage and point out heavy grease, pet hair or bathroom buildup so the cleaning quote reflects the work needed.

The kitchen, where most of the time goes

The kitchen can take longer than expected, especially when the oven, fridge and cupboards are part of the job.

• Inside the oven, including the racks and the door glass.
• Inside the fridge and freezer, defrosted and dry, with the seals wiped.
• Inside every cabinet and drawer once they are empty, not just the fronts.
• The range hood filter, the backsplash and the gap beside the stove where things fall.

Bathrooms

Hard water spots on faucets and shower glass are the thing inspectors notice from the doorway. Grout lines, the base of the toilet and the exhaust fan cover are the things they notice second.

If there is mould on silicone sealant, know that cleaning it often will not fully remove the staining. That is a maintenance issue rather than a cleaning one, and it is worth photographing rather than scrubbing at for an hour.

The bits people forget

Check these areas once the rooms are empty. Confirm anything outside the agreed cleaning scope before the visit.

• Closet floors and shelves, which stay covered until the day you move.
• Behind movable appliances, only when safely accessible and agreed with the cleaner.
• Light switches, door handles and the marks around them.
• Balcony floors, if your handover instructions call for them. Plum Cleaning does not include balconies in its standard move-out clean.
• The inside of the entry door and the frame, which every single person touches on the way out.

Timing it properly

Clean after the movers leave and before the handover, in an empty unit. Cleaning around furniture and then moving the furniture undoes the work, and cleaning around boxes means paying for a job that has to be repeated.

In a condo, book the service elevator for the move first and then pick the cleaning window around it. The elevator schedule is the constraint, not the cleaning.

Photograph everything

Take pictures of every room once it is empty and clean, with a timestamp. The photos give you a useful record of the condition at handover, whether you clean the unit yourself or hire someone.