Ask a professional carpet cleaning company how much it will cost to steam clean the carpet and you can charge it to the tenant. YOu can also do the work yourself and you can pay yourself. YOu have to get a cleaning lady/company and get a written statement how much it cost to clean the houss. Get estimate first and then you can have ideas as to what to charge. Dont forget to take picture of the empty house to prove the kind of condition your property was left.

I charge outrageous cleaning charges - like $50 to clean an oven and another $30 to clean the stove and $30 more for the vent and $50 to clean a refrigerator.

After you have spent 2 hours on your knees scrubbing 3 years worth of someone else's burned on crap out of what was a nice oven you will understand why that is a fair and reasonable amount.

I charge $20 per window and sill, $45 per room to clean carpet, $100 per wall to paint, and so on. $20 per sink, toilet, and I think $50 for a tub.

I have a service that does complete cleaning, including carpet shampoo for a fixed fee.

They do an excellent job. I prefer that they clean, rather than the departing tenants.

You can charge the prevailing rate in your area,

Charge more and you may not win in court.

Charge the same as a pro without the same equipment and you might be shot down..

Yes tenants win cases..

Judges are not stupid.

We have set amounts plus extra for unusual jobs.

$200 is split from the sec dep and show it on the lease as "Non-Refundable Exit Cleaning Fee." Covers a housekeeper putting a shine on the house and might cover carpets if the tenant was conscientious. Molly Maids charges $350 for just cleaning, so we're below market.

We charge $35/hr to clean and repair. $100/load trash hauling. $50 /room for steam extraction carpet cleaning - required at exit. (we pay $20/room) They can order this or pay us to have it done. The rental machines just don't get the carpet really clean.

We list common items and repairs. Saves us from having to produce receipts and time cards in court. Our judge accepts this. Gotta know your judge.

NEVER clean rentals yourself!! It will mess up your attitude! No landlord who is smart enough to read this board should be spending ANY time cleaning! Cleaning should be a profit center for your business, just like anything else.

There are TONS of people desperate to feed their families. Pay them $10/hr for honest work and use the margin to cover your overhead.

NEVER expect the wife to do the cleaning! Always have a woman clean - men just don't get it.

Great reply Brad,

Always have a professional truck mounted Carpet Cleaning Co.do carpeting. The carpets really get clean and last longer-have their receipt and deduct from security deposit.

First, you need to make sure you are sending your tenant a move-out letter detailing what you expect from a cleaning standpoint when they leave. I.e. - they need to clean inside and outside of refrigerator, inside/outside of stove, wash interior of windows, wipe down baseboards, etc. Move-in ready includes above and beyond normal sweep-the-floor type cleaning, and they need to recognize that is expected.

If a tenant leaves it clean enough that it takes me less than 2 hours to finish up (usually this means they didn't wipe down the baseboards and clean the light globes), then I don't charge. My husband thinks I should, but it's already pretty if I can finish it up that quickly.

If its a more than 2 hour job I hire it done. I tell the tenant in the move out letter that we charge $20/hr + the cost of cleaning supplies. I pass on to them whatever it costs.

Watch your state laws - here if it goes beyond "normal wear and tear" then you can charge AGAIN thank you NJ it is somewhat of a gray area.

In Alaska, we are not allowed to charge for cleaning. Alaska LL/Tenant Act says:

Tenants cannot be charged for damages caused by “normal nonabusive living.” (70 AS 34.03.070(b)). Landlords and tenants

frequently disagree about what constitutes normal, nonabusive living, so here are a few guidelines:

• A family with children or pets will normally wear things out faster than an adult living alone. This type of wear is the landlord’s responsibility, and must be expected when renting to a family with children or pets.

• If something cannot be cleaned because of the landlord’s acts or negligence, it is the landlord’s responsibility. This includes things like walls left dirty because of non-washable paint and stains on

the walls resulting from faulty plumbing.

• Dry cleaning draperies, shampooing carpets, and washing walls are major cleaning tasks that cannot be charged against a tenant’s security deposit if the tenant fails to perform these tasks at the

termination of the tenancy. A landlord must expect that any property in which people live will need walls, carpets and drapes cleaned before another tenant rents the property. Withholding a tenant’s

security deposit for such tasks would be holding a tenant responsible for normal, nonabusive living, in violation of the Landlord and Tenant Act (AS 34.03.040(a)(1), AS 34.03.070(b)).

• Painting the walls, repairing holes in the carpet, and replacing draperies are tenant responsibilities only if such repair or replacement is needed due to tenant negligence.

Another unlawful practice is charging a “nonrefundable cleaning fee.” A “cleaning fee” is simply another name for a security deposit. If the tenant keeps the unit as clean and safe as the condition of the premises permit (AS 34.03.120(c)(1)) the tenant has fulfilled his or her legal obligation, and the landlord has no cleaning

expenses that can properly be charged against the deposit.

Wow! Where is Sarah Palin when you need her?

Let me guess, rent rates don't cover these kind of costs? I mean if you get an extra $100 a month then fine, but if this comes out the the LL's pocket how are you to make any money?

And I thought the People's Republic of CA was bad.

Haha LL[AZ],

Well, housing is pretty pricey up here, and as far as I can tell, rents are high too. We haven't seen the effects of the economy up here when it comes to housing. Good housing is hard to find and people are willing to pay for it. Real estate in general is still expensive for what you get.

Amy, before you give up on all this income, spend some time observing in your court and see what YOUR judge actually allows.

Be sure to observe some of the "big dog" apt complexes.

This sounds too much like urban legend or a pamphlet designed for tenants from free legal aide.

Painting and cleaning are due to resident negligence.