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!!!

Tandoorigirl -

Not sure abut in your area - but here they have Merry Maids - who are generally reliablefor basic stuff - but I'm sure there's no way they would clean a whole condo for $50.

(My housekeeper is absolutely super - but she is a real treasure - and I had to go through 5 to find her - and she charges us $150 for a 5 room apartment - but it's way cleaner than I would ever get it!)

Professional cleaners are people who do cleaning as a business. Like any profession, there are good ones, bad ones, and all types in between.

If you are an owner renting out your own condo, you are also running a business and part of doing your "job" is to find good cleaners- whether they are professional or youself.

That said, many owners and some professional property managers figure they can get by with less effort, and try to pass it off on the tenants.

You should check your rental contract and see what it says. In no event would you be liable for cleaning beyond the level at which you received the unit.

Tandoori Girl: Have you ever heard of The Cleaning Authority? It's a franchised service and they have standards for the franchises. I have never been happy w/my house cleaning services til I found them. They clean your house on a "rotating basis", meaning each time they come they clean the whole house but emphasize one area which gets super cleaned, like kitchen, baths, bedrooms, or living areas (and I mean super cleaned- like they vacuum behind furniture and around the perimeter of the rm., wipe down baseboards, wipe down each mini or wood blind, wipe down outside of cabinets, clean ceiling fans, scrub the tile grout in the bathrm., wipe down doors for fingerprints, etc.) I have yet to find anything wrong w/their cleaning and the house is immaculate when they leave. They cost a bit more than most services. And they are very careful not to mess up my good high-end furniture and wallpaper, etc. They might be enough even for you (and like you, I also like the house really clean and organized).
I do expect a rental to be very clean- not immaculate but very clean, no visible dirt or yuk. I have called owners or management companies when we check in if it isn't, and if they don't do something about it, I don't rent from them again and tell everyone I know not to either.
Ususally the owners leave a notebook of info that tells us what we are responsible for doing when we leave, which most often includes stripping beds (and sometimes starting the first load), perhaps sweeping hard floors, and getting the food out of the fridge and freezer. And take trash out. That's about it in my experience. But they should tell you.

What I love is when you rent a house on the Outer Banks (NC). In some of the "contracts" they specify that it should be totally cleaned by you upon check out. Now, these houses run 3000-10,000 sq feet, with anywhere from 3 to 10 bathrooms. Here's the kicker -check out time is 10:00AM. So, somehow, you are supposed to clean this whole house and pack yourselves and your car to leave. It's ridiculus - especially at the rates they charge, and given the fact that a professional cleaning service does come in. We basically tidy up, make sure the kitchen is clean, and leave.

We've stayed in several condos. Usually, all they ask is that you empty the trash and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. At one, we were asked to put all dirty towels in the laundry basket provided. One owner told us they asked for this because the cleaners may not come in for a few days, and they don't want trash, dirty dishes, and wet towels laying around that long. Sounds reasonable to me.

We've also passed on places that ask that you bring your own towels and linens. That's more than we want to pack, even if we're driving.

We have professionals clean our rentals. No how, no way would I be cleaning up someone elses mess.

What does drive me insane is when people complain that the windows are dirty and a sometimes musty smell.

Well duh. It's an oceanfront house and the salt air leaves a film on the windows. You couldn't keep the windows clean if you washed them all day constantly.

Musty smell? Ever tried to keep a house cooled off in July with 20 people opening doors, running in and out of the house, ocean spray, and near 100% humidity and the air temp is 95 degrees?

The best complaint is the rotten smell. Hmmn, the house backs up to a tidal creek. Wonder what is in marsh mud? Rotting fish, oysters, crabs, fish, rotting vegitation.

Palmetto bugs. They aren't roaches, they are Palmetto bugs. We have regular and constant pest control and even the cleanest and newest homes have Palmetto bugs. Welcome to the south.

Okay, over my vent.

emd, wow. The Cleaning Authority sounds impressive. I will check them out.

I don't mind cleaning my place myself, it's a cottage, only 1000 sf. And it's only been available twice in the last 18 months so it's not something I do regularly. In fact, it's one of the few times I can get in there to see what's going on. Sometimes I've had my cleaning person go over there but it's a 30-minute drive for her. Lucily, she loves the beach so is often happy to do it.

But she won't clean like "the Authority". Impressive.

Many thanks, all. What I meant by not using the pro cleaning service is that I didn't want to use it -during- our six week stay. I hate the loss of privacy. It was supposed to be professionally cleaned before we arrived. We did make a careful list of the problems for the owners who thanked us for it. They seem like sincere people and the condo was darling, so I hate to do less than what is expected. On the other hand, I don't want to spend more of my vacation cleaning than I already have!

Funny thing. We didn't have a contract. Only an email with an agreement as to price and dates. Later we got a packet full of Savannah info. with instructions for payment.

Very interesting point on not leaving food behind. I deliberately brought spices to leave behind. Should I take them home with me?

Again, many thanks!! I know what to do now!

Palmetto bugs ARE flying roaches. I've lived in Georgia. They are hideous, they hurt when you step on them, and

they are unavoidable.

Now, let's talk about ticks!

pyork: I would never rent without a contract. Ever. Recently an executive w/VRBO posted on here w/his tips for renting a vacation home and even he said do NOT rent without a contract. And if they won't give you one, move on to someone else. Right after his post, I went online to VRBO to rent a house in Tahoe for my husband and daughter to go to in March. The one I really wanted was great but she wanted a $500 security deposit caho now w/full payment (this is for a 3 days stay, long weekend) and she refused to give me a contract. She acted indignant that I asked for it, saying her reputation was her contract, blah blah blah. I said nicely, look I don't know you and you don't know me and for a grand in cash for 3 days (including the deposit) I want a written agreement. She whined, and I moved on and found another place. And yo uknow what- I forwarde dher the post from the VRBO exec on here. You may not be able to recover from a contract gone bad (quite frankly, it can cost more than it is worth to go after them), but at least it spells out what the responsibilites are and shows good faith from both parties. Without it you have nothing.

We always rent condos or private homes (with 5 of us there's really no other choice) and we only rent a place with a contract, and that is cleaned prior to our arrival and subsequent to our departure. Obviously we pay for the cleaning. It is always spelled out in the contract, separate from the security deposit.

We have only had one problem, with a house in Kona that had dirty linen, trash in the kitchen along with old food, and uncleaned bathrooms. We called the property manager and we were told that the cleaning crew couldn't be there until the next day. I wasn't happy, because at a minimum, I would have to do laundry before we went to bed. I was willing to do that since the place was beautiful and right on the water, but the last straw was the "toys" we found in the bedroom. Since we had three girls under the age of 15, I didn't feel that I had the time to scout the rest of the place out to see what other treasures I would find. I called the managers again and requested to be moved, which they were able to do.Apparently there was a mix up between the owner and the manager on who was doing the cleaning. We wound up staying the rest of the week in a beautiful, clean condo. We have now gone back there three times.

Cleaning a vacation rental should just be part of the price, and it shouldn't have to be done by tenants who are leaving. They don't have the proper incentive to leave it as clean as the next tenants expect it to be.