Cleaning a Rental Between Long-Term Tenants

That Cleaning Girl · Airbnb & Rental Turnovers

Not every rental is a short stay. Landlords with long-term tenants face a different kind of turnover: one tenant moves out after a year or more, and the house needs to be ready for the next one. It is a bigger job than an Airbnb turnover but happens far less often. If you also host short stays, including pets, see How to Clean a Pet-Friendly Airbnb Between Guests for that side.

Here is how we approach tenant turnovers for landlords around Waxahachie, Lancaster, DeSoto and the south DFW area.

How it differs from a short-term turnover

An Airbnb turnover is a quick reset of a furnished home. A tenant turnover is closer to a move-out clean. The home is usually empty, which means you can reach every surface. It has also been lived in for a long time, so there is real buildup to deal with: grease in the kitchen, soap scum in the bathrooms, dust on top of everything and marks on the walls.

The goal is different too. Instead of matching listing photos, you want the home to look and feel move-in ready, so the next tenant starts off on the right foot.

What a tenant turnover clean covers

A full clean between tenants usually includes:

• Inside and outside of all kitchen cabinets and drawers
• Inside the oven, the fridge and the microwave
• Stovetop, range hood and backsplash degreased
• Bathrooms scrubbed top to bottom, including grout, tub and toilet
• Shower glass and fixtures descaled for hard water
• Baseboards, door frames and doors wiped
• Light switches, outlets and wall marks spot cleaned
• Ceiling fans, light fixtures and vents dusted
• Blinds and window sills cleaned
• Closets wiped, including shelves and rods
• Floors vacuumed and mopped throughout

Interior windows, wall washing and inside the garage are often added on, depending on the condition.

Timing it around repairs

The order matters. If you are painting, fixing drywall, replacing carpet or making repairs, do the cleaning after the work is done. Otherwise, dust and paint specks end up on surfaces that were just cleaned. A common order is:

• Tenant moves out
• Walkthrough and photos for the deposit
• Repairs and painting
• Carpet replacement or carpet cleaning, if needed
• Final clean
• Move-in walkthrough with the new tenant

If timing is tight, let your cleaner know about any work being done so they can plan around it.

Photos for both sides

Photos protect both landlord and tenant. Take photos at move-out before anything is cleaned, so the condition is documented for the deposit. Then take photos after the clean, so you have a record of the condition the next tenant receives. Together, those photos make the next move-out much easier to sort out.

The common trouble spots

After a year or more of living, a few spots almost always need extra time:

• The inside of the oven and the range hood filter
• The fridge, especially the crisper drawers and door seals
• Bathroom grout and the base of the toilet
• Hard water on shower glass and faucets
• Fingerprints around light switches, doors and cabinet handles
• Dust on top of the fridge, cabinets and door frames
• Window tracks and sliding door tracks, often full of dirt and dead bugs

Here in North Texas, those window tracks also collect a lot of dust and pollen, especially in homes with older windows.

Tips for landlords

A few habits make tenant turnovers easier:

• Give tenants a move-out cleaning checklist with their notice
• Schedule the clean as soon as you know the move-out date
• Leave the utilities on, since cleaning needs water and lights
• Make sure the cleaner knows how to get in, whether by lockbox or key
• Plan the clean before the new tenant’s walkthrough, not the morning of

Furnished rentals and mid-term stays

Some landlords rent furnished homes for a few months at a time, to traveling nurses, families between houses or workers on a job nearby. Those turnovers sit in the middle. The home is furnished like an Airbnb, but it has been lived in long enough to need a deeper clean. Plan for linens, mattress protectors and all the dishes to be washed, plus the deep cleaning jobs of a tenant turnover: inside the oven, the fridge, the cabinets and the baseboards. Check the furniture for stains and wear, and photograph anything that changed since move-in.

A fresh start for the next tenant

A thorough clean between tenants sets the tone for the whole lease. Tenants who move into a clean home tend to keep it that way. For more on our rental cleaning, visit our rental turnover cleaning page.