Average Professional Cleaning Fees?

Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

8y

Kailey Schiesl Sounds like stories of my time renting in college. No matter how clean the unit is there’s an inevitable cleaning charge. There was for me anyway. They know that students are transient, often not local, and are you going to go to small claims court for $200? I’m guessing that’s your 1/3 share and even then I’m guessing the manager can make an assertion that some cleaning was needed. So you go to small claims court for $100? Most people won’t. It’s unlikely that you will. So it just continues. I always took pictures at move out to show there was no damage. Hopefully your roommates did the same. But the reality is that you have to decide if going to court is worth $100 each.

Sam Shueh

Real Estate Agent · Cupertino, CA · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes

8y

Sounds steep. May be cleaners and property managers have vested interest.

Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

8y

@Account Closed wants to spend her money to “make a point” that’s awesome. I’ll just guess it will take more than $100 in time, effort, gas, etc. to make that point. Maybe it won’t 🤷🏻♂️ When I graduated it would have made any sense to buy plane tickets to fly back to where I went to college to make a point and *hopefully* get $100-$200. Nor would I want to ask for a day off to fly up to go to small claims court to seek it. But that’s me, Kailey’s mileage may vary. And that’s leaving out that she didn’t see the condition the unit was returned (out of the area) so she’s probably not the best/right person to file. But, by all means, do what you want to make your point! 👍🏻

3 Reply

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Andrew Johnson @Account Closed To be specific, she is claiming our $1,000 deposit and asking for $604.13 on top of that. So that's about $535 each. She had a lot of nit-picky charges, but the fact that the cleaning fee amounts to about 1/3 of all of those charges was the red flag for me.

Like I said, I was studying abroad for the summer, but I can't imagine that my roommates managed to destroy the place in three months, and the pictures we have from the inside show it being spotless upon move out. I appreciate hearing both sides of this, though! That's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

8y

@Account Closed’s side and say make them take you to small claims court to get it. I can’t imagine it’s worth their time to come after you. Speaking as an owner, it wouldn’t be worth mine. Even if I thought it was “due” because of a bashed up unit I’d still (likely) let it go because it’s not worth the time/hassle to try and collect from students that have scattered to the wind. So it’s basically my initial pragmatism, just in reverse.

2 Reply

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Andrew Johnson Thank you for your advice! At this point I think our stance is going to be to send a letter trying to negotiate. If she keeps our $1000 deposit, we'd like her to drop any further claims she has towards us. I see it as both sides winning then, and still maintaining a halfways decent relationship. If she doesn't want the hassle, we're hoping she won't come after us. We thought we had a great relationship with her (she commended us in several e-mails, thanking us for taking such great care of the house), so this is really a shock to have her asking for money on top of a fairly hefty deposit.

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Bettina F. Our first response asked for the photos, and she replied (in 22 consecutive e-mails) with dozens of pictures of the outside. Curiously, none of them were of the inside?

Andrey Y.

Specialist · Honolulu, HI · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

8y

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

Recently received a hefty cleaning fee, being taken out of our deposit. We were renting a 3 bedroom, 1 level house. Half of it was hardwood, the other half carpet. We were charged $109 for the carpet cleaning (per our lease, that makes sense to me), but then we were charged $595 for a cleaning fee on top of that!

Apparently, two people, at $35/hour each, took 8.5 hours (so, 17 hours of work total), to clean our house - and these are professionals! Unfortunately, I was studying abroad during our transition to a new place, so I only know what my roommates told me about the condition of the house, but I trust that they didn't leave it so badly that it warranted that kind of cleaning.

They claim they did the usual (vacuuming, sweeping, swiffering, wiping down all of the countertops, cleaning the bathrooms head to toe, spot cleaning walls, wiping down window sills, and running drain cleaner through the sinks).

Does this seem unreasonable? What are average cleaning rates for this kind of house? I want some opinions from other landlords here. I know we weren't the "tenants from hell" (we paid rent on time, never broke anything, never had neighbor complaints), but we also live in a university town. I want to make sure that we aren't being taken advantage of here.

I recently payed $410 for terminal clean and $175 for carpet clean, in Hawaii. Those cleaners in your case were being generous by also snaking the toilets.

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Andrey Y. I guess I wasn't specific - those things were what my roommates did prior to move-out, before the cleaners came in

Matthew Crawford

Denver, CO · Member since 2016 · 21 posts · 6 votes

8y

@Andrew Johnson and @Account Closed I have a similar issue to pertaining to the theme of this thread. Essentially my landlord used almost all of my security deposit to lay sod in the backyard after I had moved out. There was no sod prior, just burnt seeded grass and dirt patches when I first moved in. Is she legally able to improve her yard property beyond what is was upon my arrival 6 months prior? Would this hold any weight in small claims court?

Marian Smith

Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes

8y

I think in Texas tenets are awarded triple damages when landlords act in bad faith...cheat them. Colorado may have similar penalties, making small claims worthwhile. Call and price a cleaning local service or a different property management company would know prices for move-out apartment cleaners.

Bart H.

Dallas, TX · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 745 votes

8y

Originally posted by @Account Closed:

@Andrew Johnson Thank you for your advice! At this point I think our stance is going to be to send a letter trying to negotiate. If she keeps our $1000 deposit, we'd like her to drop any further claims she has towards us. I see it as both sides winning then, and still maintaining a halfways decent relationship. If she doesn't want the hassle, we're hoping she won't come after us. We thought we had a great relationship with her (she commended us in several e-mails, thanking us for taking such great care of the house), so this is really a shock to have her asking for money on top of a fairly hefty deposit.

I would change the negotiation. Is there a tenant advocacy group in fort Collins? (betting there is), see what they say. But basically my strategy would be to sue her for damages, fraud whatever. Tell her you are suing her for a hundred thousand dollars. Make her be defensive not offensive, then you can 'settle' by Forcing her to pay you the whole damage deposit back.

In Texas as another poster mentioned, its 3x's the damage. So anything we take out of the deposit must be itemized and legitimate costs. Sounds like your landlord is trying to make an extra month's rent off of you.

Investor · Henderson, NV · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 39 votes

8y

So you didn't actually see the inside of the apartment after move out and only going by what your roommates provided. To me, the fact that the landlord wants to take you to court suggests there was extensive damage to her property. It would be much more interesting to get the landlord's side of this too.

Will GastonPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

8y

@Account Closed How big is/was your place? On the surface it sounds egregious, however, cleaning can be very expensive. It was one of the biggest surprises to me when I first start getting my student rentals cleaned.

I've found most legitimate companies in my area charge around 20-25 cents/SF for a very thorough cleaning job. And that does not include carpet cleaning.

I think a lot of landlords handle the security deposit the wrong way. It is a very, very sensitive issue for tenants. It is our job as landlords to be forthright about it and set the expectations about it prior to move in and just before move out.

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Will Gaston it is 1,041 sf, so correct me if my math is wrong, but wouldn't that amount to ~$260.25? And @Account Closed, I didn't see the house, but they do have some pictures, and I don't see anything that warranted heavy cleaning at all. She sent pictures to us upon our request, but they were all of the outside, which makes me suspicious. If she had a case against us in terms of the inside of the house, I would've expected her to send those pictures, too. I do genuinely wish I knew her case though, and why she thinks we owe this much.

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

Also @Account Closed, sorry to bombard you with comments, but so far there's no indication that she wants to take us to court. This is just from the initial deposit reconciliation letter.

Will GastonPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

8y

Kailey Schiesl Yes that is way too much for 1000 SF. I would push back with your landlord on that. Perhaps call a few other cleaning places and get 3 or 4 written estimates on cleaning a 1000 SF apartments.

OP

Fort Collins, CO · Member since 2017 · 20 posts · 4 votes

8y

@Will Gaston Thank you for your advice! That sounds like a great idea to get some written estimates.

Will GastonPro Member

Rental Property Investor · Columbia, SC · Member since 2010 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes

8y

Kailey Schiesl objective, unbiased evidence is almost always the best route to go.

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Mindy JensenPro Member

BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes

8y

@Account Closed , I would send another request, via email or postal service, (or both) requesting pictures of the inside. It sounds like she's skirting the issue by sending exterior pics.

Investor · Henderson, NV · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 39 votes

8y

Sometimes you'll have landlords that will nickel and dime you to death. If you feel you have a case, you should take her to small claims court and try to get your money back. Some people need to be taught a lesson. Yes, those fees are excessive and if you have proof of how you left the place prior to move out then you can strengthen your case. I don't see why you have to pay a cleaning fee after move out when you gave it back to her in a decent condition unless it was stipulated in the contract there will always be a cleaning fee. In reality though, it's probably not worth your time or money since the deposit is shared and that's probably what the landlord is relying on. Also, when you move out you can request a move out inspection to see what needs to be fixed so you don't get any surprises later on. Was that done in your case?

I've sued my landlord for keeping my deposit before and they have settled out of court, but my case was strong. Not sure about yours.

It's also odd to me that you should provide this comment,

"If she keeps our $1000 deposit, we'd like her to drop any further claims she has towards us. I see it as both sides winning then..."

Suggests to me you don't really care too much about the money and not willing to put much time and effort into it. Let me at least recommend this: if you feel your landlord really is in the wrong, send her a strongly worded email that if she doesn't refund you your deposit, you will initiate legal proceedings against her. Tell her the cleaning fee is excessive and you have photos to prove the condition before move out. Include estimates of cleaning fees you found as well. Add in any other nitpicked item you feel should not be charged to you. Typically, landlords cannot charge for wear and tear so those nitpicked items may fall in this category. Let her know that too. Throw it out there and see how she reacts. You may or may not follow up on it as you please but she may yield to your liking.

Disclaimer: I've been both renter and landlord. I'm a landlord now.

Investor · Henderson, NV · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 39 votes

8y

Originally posted by @Matthew Crawford:

@Andrew Johnson and @Account Closed I have a similar issue to pertaining to the theme of this thread. Essentially my landlord used almost all of my security deposit to lay sod in the backyard after I had moved out. There was no sod prior, just burnt seeded grass and dirt patches when I first moved in. Is she legally able to improve her yard property beyond what is was upon my arrival 6 months prior? Would this hold any weight in small claims court?

How do you know she used your deposit and not her own money? If she sent you a statement showing she used it for the sod then you might have a case. But if it shows other items then no.

Real Estate Investor · Encinitas, CA · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes

8y

@Matthew Crawford I'd take a look at your lease. At first blush I'd say "Heck no, that sounds crazy to use a security deposit for sod!" But if they have pictures of a nice lawn at the time you moved in and your lease says that you're responsible for keeping up the lawn, who knows what a judge will think. I don't mess around with SFRs so I'm always footing the landscaping bill for my properties so it's really not my area of expertise.