Before you start
Move everything out first, including what is in the closets and under the sink. Inspections almost always catch the areas that were hidden by furniture: under the fridge, behind the stove, the floor of the closet. If movers are coming the same day, book the clean for after they leave.
Take dated photos of each room once it is clean. In Ontario, the Residential Tenancies Act limits what a landlord can deduct, but a photo record ends most disputes before they start.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where most deductions happen. Inspectors open the oven and the fridge first.
- Oven: inside, racks, door glass, drawer underneath
- Stovetop, burners or elements, drip pans, hood filter
- Fridge and freezer: inside, shelves, seals, pull out and clean behind and underneath
- Dishwasher: filter, door edges
- Inside and outside of every cabinet and drawer, including tops of upper cabinets
- Sink, taps and backsplash descaled
- Floor washed, including under appliances
Bathrooms
Soap scum, grout and the toilet base are the usual misses.
- Tub, shower walls and glass; grout scrubbed
- Toilet inside, outside, base and behind
- Vanity inside and out, mirror, light fixture
- Exhaust fan cover removed and washed
- Floor, including behind the door
Bedrooms, living areas and hallways
These go quickly if the room is empty. The items below are the ones that get flagged.
- Closets: shelves, rods, floor, inside the door
- Baseboards and door frames wiped
- Light switches, outlet covers, door handles
- Window interiors, sills and tracks; blinds dusted
- Walls spot-cleaned for scuffs; nail holes filled if the lease requires it
- Light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Floors vacuumed edge to edge, then washed if hard surface
Often forgotten
Inspectors have a short list of places tenants rarely think about.
- Inside the front and balcony door frames
- Top of the fridge and top of the water heater closet
- Dryer lint trap and the vent behind the dryer
- Furnace filter (replace if the lease requires it)
- Garbage and recycling removed; no bags left in the unit
DIY or hire it out?
A one-bedroom apartment is a long day for one person doing it properly. A three-bedroom house is a weekend. If your lease ends at month-end and the movers are booked for the same day, the math usually favours a professional clean, which runs roughly $350 to $1,100 in Ontario depending on size, according to the 2026 Hellamaid index.
If you do hire it out, ask for a written checklist and a signed completion sheet you can show at the walkthrough.
