Move Out Cleaning in Vancouver
This clean has an audience, and it is not you. It is the person standing in the empty unit with a condition inspection report and a pen. Everything about how it is scoped should follow from that, which is what makes it a different job from cleaning a home you live in.
BC damage deposit standards
The Residential Tenancy Act requires a tenant to leave a rental "reasonably clean and undamaged, except for reasonable wear and tear". That standard matters: it is not "spotless", and it does not require you to fix things that simply aged during your tenancy. Landlords sometimes apply a stricter test than the law does.
Reasonable wear and tear covers faded paint, worn carpet in traffic paths, minor scuffs. It does not cover grease on the range hood, an oven that was never cleaned, or mould on bathroom silicone. Those are cleaning failures, and they are the ones deposits actually get withheld over.
The RTB condition inspection
The mechanism is a condition inspection at move-in and again at move-out, recorded on a report both parties sign. The move-out inspection is compared against the move-in one — which is why the move-in report is the most valuable document a tenant has, and why the photographs you took on day one matter now.
Attend the inspection if you possibly can. Deposit disputes are resolved by the Residential Tenancy Branch on evidence, and a signed report plus dated photographs is evidence. The timelines for returning a deposit or applying for dispute resolution are set by the RTB and worth checking directly on their site, because they are strict and they run from specific trigger dates.
Landlord checklist coverage
We work the list landlords actually check: inside and behind the oven, the range hood filter, inside the fridge including seals, all cupboards inside and out, bathroom grout and silicone, window tracks, skirtings, light fittings, and the marks left behind furniture that has stood in one place for years.
The commonly forgotten items are the ones that cost people money: the extractor fan cover, the dishwasher filter, the top of the kitchen cupboards, inside the washing machine drawer, and the balcony or patio if you had one. We also flag anything that is damage rather than dirt, so you can decide whether to address it before the inspection rather than being surprised at it.
Timing around your move date
The clean happens after the last item leaves and before the inspection. An empty unit cleans faster, cleans better, and there is nowhere for a landlord to argue you missed something under a sofa that was still there.
Book it early — end of month is when everyone in the province moves, and the last two days of the month go first. If your inspection is booked, tell us when it is and we will work back from that rather than from your moving date, since the inspection is the actual deadline.
What this costs
$290 standard · deep clean $580–$1,100
Standard clean is a three-hour visit for a typical two-bedroom. Deep and move-out cleans are quoted on size and condition, and we bring everything.
Materials are always separate from labour and passed on at cost. Quotes are free and written, and the full rate card is published rather than given out on request.
Common questions
Will this clean get my damage deposit back?
It removes cleaning as a reason to withhold it, which is the part we control. The legal standard is "reasonably clean and undamaged except for reasonable wear and tear" — not spotless. Deposits are also withheld for damage, unpaid rent and missing items, and no clean addresses those. Attend the inspection and bring your move-in report.
What do BC landlords inspect?
Compared against your move-in condition report: oven inside and behind, range hood filter, fridge including seals, cupboards inside and out, bathroom grout and silicone, window tracks, skirtings and marks behind furniture. The forgotten ones that cost people money are the extractor cover, dishwasher filter, tops of cupboards and the balcony.
When should it be booked?
After the last item is out and before the inspection — an empty unit cleans better and leaves nothing to argue about. Book early: end of month is when the whole province moves and the final two days go first. Tell us your inspection time and we will work back from that, not from your moving day.