I have a rental property with tenants who are an older couple. They called because of a bad odor coming from their washing machine. On evaluation, the unit was extremely dirty, moldy, and it took my handyman over 3 hours to deep clean it. I was assuming that the tenants would deep clean the appliances on a regular basis, but they said that they were unaware that it had to be done. How do you ensure that appliances are been cleaned regularly? My lease does not explicitly state that the tenant should do this although it does state that the tenants are responsible for keep the appliances in good working order. Should i charge the tenants for this cleaning?
Real Estate Broker · New York, NY · Member since 2020 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
Hey, thanks for sharing this.
Honestly, this is one of those gray areas that a lot of landlords run into. Since your lease says they’re responsible for keeping appliances in good working order, you could argue that regular cleaning falls under that, especially if the neglect caused mold and odor. But if it's not clearly spelled out, it's tough to enforce or charge them without risking pushback or damaging the relationship.
Moving forward, the best thing is to update your lease or create a basic appliance maintenance guide/checklist to give new tenants. Just something simple like “clean washer gasket/filter monthly” kind of thing. That way there’s no confusion.
As for this case, I’d probably eat the cost this time (maybe gently let them know this isn't typical maintenance), but use it as a learning moment. You could say something like: “We took care of it this time, but regular cleaning is part of keeping the appliance working properly, and we’d appreciate your help with that going forward.”
Real Estate Broker · New York, NY · Member since 2020 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
1y
Hey, thanks for sharing this.
Honestly, this is one of those gray areas that a lot of landlords run into. Since your lease says they’re responsible for keeping appliances in good working order, you could argue that regular cleaning falls under that, especially if the neglect caused mold and odor. But if it's not clearly spelled out, it's tough to enforce or charge them without risking pushback or damaging the relationship.
Moving forward, the best thing is to update your lease or create a basic appliance maintenance guide/checklist to give new tenants. Just something simple like “clean washer gasket/filter monthly” kind of thing. That way there’s no confusion.
As for this case, I’d probably eat the cost this time (maybe gently let them know this isn't typical maintenance), but use it as a learning moment. You could say something like: “We took care of it this time, but regular cleaning is part of keeping the appliance working properly, and we’d appreciate your help with that going forward.”
Honestly, this is one of those gray areas that a lot of landlords run into. Since your lease says they’re responsible for keeping appliances in good working order, you could argue that regular cleaning falls under that, especially if the neglect caused mold and odor. But if it's not clearly spelled out, it's tough to enforce or charge them without risking pushback or damaging the relationship.
Moving forward, the best thing is to update your lease or create a basic appliance maintenance guide/checklist to give new tenants. Just something simple like “clean washer gasket/filter monthly” kind of thing. That way there’s no confusion.
As for this case, I’d probably eat the cost this time (maybe gently let them know this isn't typical maintenance), but use it as a learning moment. You could say something like: “We took care of it this time, but regular cleaning is part of keeping the appliance working properly, and we’d appreciate your help with that going forward.”
Realtor · Houston, TX · Member since 2019 · 351 posts · 174 votes
1y
Hey Melissa,
I agree with Mohammed,
Since is not explicitly mentioned in the lease I will probably eat the cost for it this time and let them know this is not the norm and I expect them to do it going forward.
For the future lease I would recommend you to add this in the special provision. Usually when I provide Washer Dryer or Fridge I mention in the lease that I am not responsable for any repairs for those and even if they break the tenant is responsible to fix them or remove them and get their own appliances.
Rental Property Investor · Portland OR · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
1y
this is a topic that has no one answer.
first - how clean was the appliance when they moved in? how do they maintain the appliance? what exactly is "deep cleaning" and is it something a tenant could reasonably do?
additional question: what took 3 hours? I clean all my appliances on turns and cleaning a washer takes maybe an hour?
I'm also unsure what cleaning a washer involves. Mine has a clean setting where you throw a tablet into the machine and it does all the work. Other than giving the machine a fresh smell and removing some of the residue off the glass, not sure it really does a lot. Only other area to clean is the overflow chamber which rarely gets debris.
Box suggests doing this once a month, but I'm more once every several months without issue.
Property Manager · Nashville, TN · Member since 2025 · 66 posts · 35 votes
1y
It really comes down to the contract and lease agreement. Generally, the tenant is responsible for returning the fridge and oven in the same condition they received them, minus normal wear and tear. If the appliances weren’t clean at move-in, you can’t expect the tenant to deep clean them at move-out.
That said, if the tenant left food in the fridge that caused buildup or got into the crevices, they would be responsible for cleaning that up. It’s all about setting clear expectations from the start.
To me this isn't deep cleaning, this is regular cleaning and part of the tenant's responsibility. If it was something like getting the drier duct cleaned, that would be on the landlord.