Cleaning Fee

Full Definition

A cleaning fee is an amount a landlord deducts from the security deposit for cleaning the rental unit after the tenant leaves. The legal rule in most states is that the landlord can only charge for cleaning that exceeds the cleanliness level at the time the tenant moved in. If the unit was provided in average, broom-swept condition, the tenant need only return it in the same state. A landlord who had the unit professionally cleaned before move-in and documented that condition may be able to charge for equivalent professional cleaning at move-out if the tenant left it dirty. Many landlords include a 'professionally cleaned' requirement in lease clauses, but some states (notably California) make such clauses unenforceable if they require a tenant to pay for cleaning regardless of actual condition. Flat-rate cleaning fees embedded in leases -- charged automatically to every tenant -- are often held void. To deduct a cleaning fee, the landlord should document the move-in cleanliness, document the post-move-out condition, and provide an invoice from the cleaning company.