How Clean Should A Condo Be?
 

We rented an upscale condo in Savannah for six weeks. It was not cleaned up to my standards when we got here, but otherwise has been fine.

My question: how clean does it have to be when we leave? Should we strip beds, wash sheets, mop, scrub sinks, etc?
We didn't opt for a cleaning service while we were here, but have kept it up as we do at home.

Thanks.

What does your contract say? If it says nothing about a cleaning fee on departure, it still should only mean you need to leave it partially cleaned up. I would never imagine renting out an apartment after someone stayed in it without providing a full cleaning. In other words the owners should have someone come in who totally cleans it. But if it wasn't very clean, then maybe they don't. In that case, if you leave it as clean as you found it, there certainly should be no problem.

I own a rental and want it to look the way it did when a tenant arrived. I'm often dismayed to see the things the previous tenant has left behind as a "favor" I suppose. Leftover sunscreen or other toiletries, things in the fridge. It's the tenants that opt out of paying for the cleaning that make it so that I have to go back to make sure they've cleaned. But I usually opt out myself.

Do all the linens, make all the beds, sweep and vacuum and mop, do the bathrooms, and when you do the kitchen, don't forget the refrigerator and the stove (if you used it). Hopefully, the owners have left you plenty to clean with, that only seems fair. Remove all of your belongings, everything. Put the garbage on the street. Make sure the front entry looks good, if it's a glass door, do a once-over for prints. Make it as nice as you'd like it to be.

That's too bad it wasn't up to your specs. I guess that means you have some leeway to use less elbow grease. I'd let the owners know how you found it.

When I leave a condo, I strip beds, dispose of any garbage, leave dishes washed, counters wiped, etc. I would certainly not expect to have to scrub sinks, mop, vacuum, etc. How upscale can a place remain if they don't have competent cleaners in between renters?

The "competent cleaners" are the ones that the owners pay to clean the place when the tenants agree to the cleaning fee. I've almost decided not to allow people to clean themselves. They rarely do it worth doing and then I have to clean it myself. It is at least a sure thing when I have the service do it (for exactly the price I'm charging the tenant). This is a no-win situation, IMO, for the owners. The tenants want to barely clean and I always have to go check it out after they leave. It either costs me time or money to have it done right.

It must be different in longer term rentals--I'm only familiar with 1- or 2-week rentals, where there is a security deposit that gets returned when it is ascertained that you have left the place undamaged and followed the (usually minimal) cleaning and clearing out instructions. There is not a separate charge for cleaning, but I assume it is built into the rental cost. Frankly, I would not want to rent a condo that had not been professionally cleaned.

I agree with Marilyn. IMHO, in a truly upscale place, the cleaning fee is not optional, and professional levels of preparation are guaranteed.

Maybe if I were renting out a place for a hundred or two a week, I'd consider letting people clean the place myself. But I would never, ever expect someone to move into a rental after the previous renters "cleaned it themselves". That is apparently what happened with pyork, and of course, it wasn't as clean as they'd like. If I were renting out a place I'd make up my mind to include a professional cleaning in the price, or make that a separate fee, but I would NEVER give the renters an option of a full self-cleaning and then expect the next renters to be happy with that amateur job.
And I'd never rent a NICE place out and expect the tenants to mop and scrub. Most people who rent upscale places wouldn't know how to do that anyway!

I don;t get this. If you rent a place you're a renter - not an owner. It;s up to the onwer to clean it , I wold never do more than throw out the trash. And if the owner doesn;t want to clean themselves they should include the professional cleaning fee in the price of the rental.

(If you think I'm washing mopping floors or vacuuming or cleaning stoves you're nuts- I donl;t do it at home and certainly wouldn't do it on vacation.)

When I go on vacation, I don't plan on having to clean our rental for the next tenant. I do, however, strip linens and towels, have all dishes cleaned and clean up trash to the curb. I have never rented a place that wasn't cleaned professionally before we came and after we leave. It's always been included in the rental fee.

The other thing is time. If I'm leaving for a plane, I don't have time to spend my last day playing MErry Maid!

We rent condos a lot during yearly excursions to different beaches. What we've found is each owner is different in what they expect upon leaving. I agree with another poster who talked about having to catch a plane AND spend time cleaning on your last day. A lot of times, there is a "cleaning fee" added, but not always. But you have to check the contract. Case in point, we are renting a condo on Amelia Island this summer and a condo we were seriously considering prompted us to look elsewhere due to the stringent demands, i.e., launder bed linens the morning of departure. The last thing I want to do on the morning before departing to the airport and while packing is to have to strip the bed and launder linens. In addition, I don't feel comfortable sleeping on a bed where the past tenant evidently had to do it as well....I also don't trust that past tenants would have laundered to my expectations...I feel a cleaning company should be doing this. We also don't rent for more than 1-2 weeks. We also found our last condo on South Padre a little dirty upon arrival and made note to the complex manager.....significant dust on the woodworks, light fixtures, staining/printing on walls, light fixtures...it made you not want to touch too many things.

NYTraveler, I'm with you on this one! I don't do that stuff at home and I'm for sure not doing it on vacation.

It depends on your rental contract, but I would not sign one that required anything of me except stripped linens, clean dishes and bagged trash as I left. When I'm on vacation, I try to never touch a mop or a vacuum cleaner!!! :-d

As has been said by most: simple, professionally cleaned upon arrival and departure.
M

As pyork said, she didn't opt for a cleaning service. That means she chose to save some cash and do it herself. This is not the same as renting a place and the cleaning is included.

I think the owner of this upscale condo (or any condo really) is making a huge mistake by not having a professional cleaning service.

I don't rent condos but if I did I would sure pay to have a cleaning service as like others here I would not spend the last day or two of my vacation doing housework.

A good thing this thread brought up though; a reminder for those that are going to rent condos to check to see if it is cleaned properly before they rent it and to find out the requirements before they vacate.

Another way to look at it. How many of you would be happy staying in a hotel or motel that said they had fired their housekeeping staff to keep your costs down so you needed to clean your own room at the end of your stay? Would that make you think that when you arrived the room would be really clean? I wouldn't! I would prefer not to stay anywhere that the standard of cleanliness on my arrival was determined by how neat, thoughtful, and ambitious the previous guests were.

Tandoori-Girl, pyork said she didn't opt for a cleaning service while they were there. So there was nobody coming in to clean once or twice a week, or daily, or whatever. That is not the same as having the condo cleaned in between rentals.

Yes, it is unclear. I'm curious by what you mean by a "professional cleaning service" you posters that have used the term? This is hilarious. I know it's a cliché but it is hard to find good help. The work is seasonal, and it's maids work. There are problems with people not showing up, problems with the caliber of work that they do. I own a beach cottage -- it's not like I'm going to alert the condo management folks that I've got a vacancy and they send the full-time cleaning staff. My problem is that I do like it clean, very clean. My neighbor (a beach bum) does this kind of work and I had her do it once and I was not happy with her $50 worth of work. I'm always doing my own cleaning because of that. When I've hired people I find they don't clean it as much as I'd like. And in that case I have to go back and re-do it.

So pray tell, what does this term professional cleaning staff mean. Do you check for credentials? How about a degree? Do they need a masters or will a bachelors suffice? Or does this mean a sublet type thing where you use a company that cleans? Do you know how many of those are around -- and how many fold every year? OK. I guess you guys know something here that I don't.

That's why you really need to let the condo owners know that the place wasn't cleaned. So the owners can get their butts in and make sure it's done right.

Presumably you are still there. You do not need to "strip beds, wash sheets, mop, scrub sinks, etc." You have "kept it up as you wld @ home". That's enough. Now enjoy the remainder of your 6 weeks, pack up & go home!
Clean out the fridge & freezer, stack the dishwasher & run it, wipe the countertops in kitchen & baths, clean the kitchen sink, get rid of all the newspapers....& leave a note saying what a great time you had!!!