As a landlord, you’re a business owner. Your renters are your clients, and your rentals are your assets. You’re responsible for taking care of your assets and keeping your clients happy.As a landlord, you’re a business owner. Your renters are your clients, and your rentals are your assets. You’re responsible for taking care of your assets and keeping your clients happy.
Although it can be a point of stress for landlords, professionally cleaning between tenants yields many benefits. Among other legal responsibilities, you have an obligation as a landlord to maintain a “warranty of habitability” with your rentals. That means the rental space needs to be livable, safe, and clean for renters.
But beyond your legal obligations as a landlord, professionally cleaning between tenants will make your renters happier, earning you better online reviews and ultimately more business. Plus, a pristine rental comes with higher rent prices, so it’s important to give your property a deep clean after a tenant moves out.
No matter how clean or responsible your renter may be, living in a house or apartment inevitably creates wear and tear on the property. Cleaning your property thoroughly between tenants can extend the life of your units.
With how many hats you’re wearing as a landlord, the last thing you have time for is giving your rental the deep clean it deserves before your next renter moves in. Hiring a professional cleaning service to deep clean between tenants will ensure all floors, surfaces, and appliances are sanitary, safe, and comfortable for your next renter.
1. Dust Blinds, Fans, Lamps & More
As a landlord, it may seem simple to dust tables and shelves. But what about that ceiling fan in the living room with the ten-foot ceiling? And what about all those lampshades and baseboards?
A professional cleaning service will make sure all surfaces in your home are dusted, including the hard-to reach and easily-overlooked areas. When you hire General Services Company, we’ll dust picture frames, knickknacks, ceiling fans, lamps, furniture, woodwork, shelves, and any other areas you ask us to.
Although you can ask tenants to dust the blinds before they move out, it’s less risky to hire a professional cleaning service to take care of this for you. It’s easy for blinds to break, which isn’t a fun or cheap fix.
Rather than spend hours working on the blinds yourself, a cleaning company can do them in no time with special equipment, saving you time and wasted effort.
2. Clean All Appliances
Even if your last tenant left the insides of your kitchen appliances looking pretty clean, there can still be bacteria lurking inside your property’s major appliances like the fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. Not to mention the dust, dirt, grime, or even food that might be hanging out underneath all these appliances.
To clean out soap scum, hard water deposits and bacteria from the inside of your dishwasher or your clothes washer, you can try pouring a mix of white vinegar with baking soda into the appliance and running a cycle on hot.
A professional cleaning service will make sure the insides, outsides, and undersides of your fridge, microwave, and stovetop are clean, sanitary, and sparkling, which is a welcome sight for any new renter. Plus, clean appliances are more efficient, meaning they’ll save on energy too — a win-win.
3. Clean the Bathrooms
Bathrooms are a favorite place for bacteria to lurk, some of which can cause serious health issues for renters. The bathroom can also be a breeding ground for mold, which is a serious issue, as landlords are required by law to find and clean any mold in their rental, and to fix whatever condition may be causing water to build up.
Don’t risk it — hire a professional cleaning service to make sure the shower, toilet, and sink are clean and sanitary. They’ll also clean the floors, countertops, and drawers too.
4. Clean Carpets & Floors
A professional cleaning service like General Services Corporation will wash all the floors, including tile, linoleum, and dry wood floors, We also vacuum all carpets, rugs, and even over and under furniture cushions, as these are areas where crumbs, dust and allergens like to hide out.
However, it’s smart to enlist the help of a professional carpet cleaning to give your carpets a deeper clean. Carpet can collect germs and allergens that can be hazardous to your next tenants. And thanks to increased heat and other environmental factors, reports show that overall allergic sensitivity is rising.
By hiring a professional carpet cleaning service, you can protect your rental from allergen triggers that could cause tenants to cough, sneeze and wheeze. A professional cleaning also breathes fresh life into your carpets, adding longevity and making them look fresher for new tenants.
How to prepare your rental for a professional carpet cleaning »
5. Don’t Forget Curb Appeal
A property’s exterior is often just as important as the interior, especially if you’re renting a single-family home or a unit in a small apartment building.
Dirty and unkempt sidewalks, driveways, and gutters can leave a bad impression. Not to mention an overgrown lawn in the summer, or a yard covered in dead, molding leaves in the fall.
At GSC, we offer lawn maintenance services to help you maintain a pristine property and up your rental’s curb appeal all year long. From mowing and raking to trash and yard waste removal, we take care of all your seasonal outdoor needs so your rental can wow every new tenant from the very first impression.
And when the winter hits, ice and snow buildup can be dangerous for your renters and your property. We also offer snow and ice removal services to keep your sidewalks, roof, gutters, and driveway clear of ice and snow, preventing any dangerous slips or damage to your property.
(Plus, as a Boulder County landlord, it’s your legal responsibility to keep your sidewalk, driveway, rooftop, and parking lots clear of ice and snow).
A professional cleaning service helps take off some of the stress of being a landlord, so you can focus on the many other responsibilities on your plate (by the way, did you remember to collect rent this month? What about repairing that lightbulb in Unit 3?)
Although a professional cleaning service between tenants will make your renters happier and your reviews higher, it doesn’t hurt to provide tenants with a thorough cleaning checklist on move-out day. A list helps you and your renter have the same expectations for cleanliness, so they can get their deposit back and you have less of a mess to worry about.
Check out our ultimate moving-out cleaning checklist for renters »