Landlord Turnover Cleaning Checklist Between Tenants

Turnover cleaning sits in a small, loud window: the outgoing tenant hands back the keys, the incoming tenant expects a fresh unit on the first, and anything missed in between either delays the move-in or follows you into the new lease. A checklist run room by room, with photos at the end, is how a landlord makes that window predictable. The list below covers the items most move-in walkthroughs flag first, grouped so a crew can work through them without doubling back.

Use it as the standard your incoming leases are measured against, and as the scope you send to a cleaning company when the vacancy is too tight to clean the place yourself.

Before the clean starts

The handover from the outgoing tenant decides half the turnover. Walk the unit the day they return the keys, with the move-in condition report in hand, and separate what is a cleaning job from what is a repair or a damage deduction. Grease on a hood filter is cleaning. A hole in drywall is a repair, and it is quoted on top of the clean.

Record the condition in writing and photos before any cleaning happens: time-stamped photos of the oven interior, the fridge interior, the baseboards, bathroom grout, carpet stains and any unusual wear. Deductions from the deposit, where provincial or state law allows them, need that paper trail. In Quebec, where security deposits are not permitted, the photos still matter: they are the evidence behind any claim at the Tribunal administratif du logement for cleaning beyond ordinary wear.

Turn off the water and gas to the stove before an oven deep clean. Confirm the HVAC is on and the thermostat is at a working temperature so damp bathrooms and basements have time to dry. If the unit is furnished, inventory items by room and photograph each piece in the condition you want returned at the next tenant's move-out.

Kitchen

The kitchen is where turnover cleans succeed or fail, because it is where the incoming tenant looks first and where grease, crumbs and residue are the most visible.

• Inside the oven: racks, side walls, roof, oven door glass inside and out
• Range hood: filter degreased or replaced, fan grille wiped, bulb working
• Stovetop: burners, drip pans, control knobs, backsplash
• Microwave: inside, outside, turntable, vent above
• Fridge and freezer: all shelves and drawers pulled, wiped and refitted, door seals cleaned, drip pan if accessible, condenser coils dusted
• Dishwasher: filter cleaned, interior wiped, door edges and gasket, run an empty cycle with a cleaner tablet
• Inside cabinets and drawers: shelves wiped, old liners removed, hardware cleaned, hinges checked
• Countertops: full surface including behind the toaster-oven zone, caulk edges wiped
• Sink and faucet: scale removed, drain strainer cleaned, disposal flushed if present
• Floors: swept, mopped, under and behind the fridge and stove

If the fridge and stove come out easily, pull them: dust and dried spills in those gaps are a classic deduction line and a classic complaint on move-in day.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms show water damage, mildew and limescale fast. Give each one a full deep clean, not a wipe-down.

• Toilet: bowl inside and out, base, bolts, tank lid, flush handle, water line
• Shower and tub: tiles, grout lines, caulk edges, soap scum from glass or curtain, drain hair removed
• Faucets and showerhead: limescale, aerator rinsed, handle bases
• Vanity: top, mirror, backsplash, inside cabinet and drawers, under the sink
• Exhaust fan: cover removed, dust vacuumed, blades wiped, cover re-installed
• Light fixtures and bulbs: working, dust-free, no insect debris
• Towel bars, hooks, toilet paper holder: tightened and cleaned
• Floor: edges and behind the toilet included, baseboards wiped
• Walls near the shower checked for mildew spots: cleaned or flagged for paint

Living room, bedrooms and hallways

The rooms with the fewest fixtures are also where tenants notice the most, because the finishes are at eye level and get full daylight.

• Walls: scuffs spot-cleaned, nail holes and anchors flagged for touch-up
• Light switches and outlet covers: wiped, loose screws tightened
• Doors and door frames: both sides, including the tops nobody dusts
• Baseboards: wiped from end to end, including behind doors
• Window glass: inside and out where safe to reach, sills, tracks and screens
• Window coverings: blinds dusted or washed, curtain rods wiped
• Ceiling fans and light fixtures: blades, globes and shades
• Vents and returns: dusted and vacuumed
• Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors: tested, batteries replaced, dates logged
• Closets: shelves and rods wiped, floors cleaned, mirrored doors polished
• Floors: hardwood or laminate mopped per manufacturer, carpet vacuumed, high-traffic lanes checked for extraction needs

Laundry, utility and storage

These rooms are easy to skip and expensive to fix after the next tenant moves in.

• Washer: drum, gasket, detergent dispenser, filter if accessible, exterior
• Dryer: lint trap cleared, vent hose checked, drum wiped, exterior
• Utility sink and faucet
• Water heater area: dust vacuumed, no stored flammables, drip pan inspected
• Furnace area: filter changed, dates logged, access clear
• Storage lockers or basement storage: swept, cobwebs removed, old tenant items disposed of per lease terms

Entry, balcony and shared spaces

• Main entry: door inside and out, threshold, mail slot, peephole, hardware polished
• Balcony or patio: swept, railings wiped, drains clear, any outgoing-tenant furniture removed
• Garage or parking: stall swept, oil stains spot-treated
• Common hallway side of the door and the mailbox tag updated with new tenant name per building rules

In a condo or purpose-built rental, the building management office may have its own turnover inspection on top of yours. Pre-book the move-out and move-in elevator slots and confirm the common-area cleaning rules, especially in high-rises in Toronto and Vancouver where elevator bookings fill up on month-end weekends.

Verification and handover

A turnover clean is only as useful as the record it leaves behind. Walk the unit with the checklist and tick each item physically. Take photos of the oven interior, the fridge interior, all bathrooms, the floors in each room and the balcony after the clean. Save them in the unit's file beside the move-in condition report, so the next move-out has a baseline to compare against.

Replace any batteries you noted, light bulbs that were out, air filter in the furnace. Reset the thermostat to a hold temperature the incoming tenant can adjust. If the unit uses smart locks or key fobs, cycle access and remove the outgoing tenant's codes before the new keys change hands. For a lease that references a flat cleaning fee or a clean-on-return clause, the checklist above gives you the standard to point to. For how that interacts with the deposit, see our note on the landlord cleaning fee versus a hired move-out clean.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours does a turnover clean usually take?

For a one-bedroom apartment in reasonable condition, plan on four to six crew-hours for a full move-out deep clean to a landlord-grade checklist. A three-bedroom house with pets, long tenancy or heavy cooking can run twelve to twenty crew-hours, and add more if carpet extraction, wall touch-ups or balcony pressure cleaning are needed. The condition at handover drives the number more than square footage does.

Should turnover cleaning be charged back to the outgoing tenant?

Only to the extent cleaning was needed beyond ordinary wear and tear, and only where provincial or state law allows a deduction, with an itemized statement. The baseline turnover cost, the general reset between any two tenants, is a landlord expense. Charging more than that back usually fails at the tribunal or small-claims level without documented evidence of specific damage or deep soiling.

What is the one thing most turnovers miss?

Window tracks and the tops of door frames. Both are at the edges of normal cleaning, both collect visible grime quickly, and both are what the next tenant runs a finger across on walk-through day. A checklist that names them by room removes the gap.

Can the same crew handle a run of turnovers on the first of the month?

With enough notice, yes. For portfolios with multiple units closing on the same day, send the full list through the quote form with addresses, access notes and target completion times. Scheduling earlier in the week beats trying to add a last unit on the morning of the first.

Get a turnover quote for your unit or your portfolio

Send the unit details, move-out date and photos through the quote request form. Landlords with several turnovers can list every unit in one message with the dates and access instructions, and the quote returns with the scope, the add-ons and the full checklist that will be followed.