Final cleaning of rental apartments: pay attention to this

Apartment owners and tenants rightly ask themselves who will take care of the final cleaning of the rental apartment when they move out.

Who is actually responsible for the rental apartment cleaning and the final cleaning of the rental apartment? What tenant obligations and landlord obligations are there for cleaning?

When moving out, how can an apartment be handed over in such a way that tenants and landlords are satisfied?

This article clarifies apartment owners and tenants and clearly answers all questions about the final cleaning of rented apartments.

Final cleaning of the rental apartment–​​what does the cleaning of the rental apartment include when you move out?

If a tenant moves out of an apartment at the end of the tenancy, several questions arise. Misinformation and different starting points quickly ensure that there are discussions when moving out, for example about handing over the apartment in a swept clean condition.

Tenants often interpret the clean swept rental apartment cleaning differently than the landlord.

Tenants and landlords alike should be aware of their rights and obligations. This means fewer misunderstandings and the rental apartment can be handed over smoothly and in good condition.

We made general regulations for handing over the rented apartment when you move out. The final cleaning plays a role in two cases, on the one hand with tenancies that are terminated also with the temporary use of living space, for example when renting a holiday apartment.

According to (Civil Code), cleaning is one of the tenants’ obligations. After the end of the tenancy, the tenant must hand over the apartment in proper condition.

In practice, this often leads to disputes between the apartment owner and the tenant, as the two parties often do not agree on the condition in which the apartment should be handed over.

In the following, the tenants’ obligations and the landlords’ obligations for cleaning the rented apartment are examined in more detail.

Rental apartment cleaning – cleaning tenant obligations

The tenant has a so-called duty of care. This obligation includes the cleaning of the rented apartment in order to maintain the rented apartment during the rent and thus to be able to maintain contractual use.

Cleaning a rented apartment – ​​tenant obligations at a glance:

• General cleanliness and cleaning obligation
• this includes keeping the rental property free of dust, dirt, and vermin
  Important note for tenants: This tenant obligation applies both during the tenancy and upon termination and thus also for the final cleaning of the rental apartment! Rental apartment cleaning in a swept condition.
• The tenant must hand over the apartment in an empty and clean condition. He may not leave any objects behind unless we have agreed to this in advance with the landlord.
  Important note for tenants: If objects remain the landlord has to dispose of, he can subsequently commission a bulky waste company at the expense of the tenant.
  If the tenancy agreement contains a reference to the “clean-swept” handover, a quick sweep is not sufficient. Broom cleanliness includes:
• · Properly swept or vacuumed floor or carpet
• · Removal of all dirt on floors, walls, or ceilings
• · Removal of cobwebs in all rooms
• · Rough cleaning of doors and windows, bathroom fixtures, and radiators
• · Do not forget to clear away all objects and to clean the attic or basement rooms that are in use
• · Sweep the balcony and terrace and remove the grease residue
• · Cleaning of fitted kitchen and refrigerator
• · Eliminate damage caused by improper handling

• Remove structural measures, unless otherwise agreed with the landlord

Tips for tenants: Be fair and clean your apartment as thoroughly as you would like to clean it yourself as a new tenant.

Talk to your landlord in advance about what he might expect from you as part of the final cleaning of the apartment.

In order to avoid disputes about the final cleaning of the apartment from the start, clean the rented apartment in such a way that a smooth handover is possible. A benevolent landlord may then overlook other little things.

Don’t have the time to clean your apartment yourself when you move out? Then you also have the option of commissioning a cleaning service to clean the rented apartment.

Talk to the landlord about a handover protocol, this protocol can prevent disputes in advance and is useful for both parties.

Final cleaning of rental apartments – cleaning landlord obligations

The landlord is always interested in tenants cleaning the rented apartment and enabling contractual use even when they move out with a final cleaning.

However, the landlord cannot expect the tenant to clean the windows thoroughly and streak-free, for example, or to carry out cosmetic repairs before moving out.

Cleaning a rented apartment – ​​landlord duties at a glance:

• Check that the apartment has been swept clean upon handover – this includes the removal of gross soiling by the tenant, but not, for example, thorough cleaning of the windows
• Important note for landlords: If the final cleaning of the apartment shows significant defects, the landlord can hire a cleaning company at the expense of the tenant. However, this must be due to gross soiling or damage to the rented apartment. Make repairs that occur as part of normal wear and tear
• Eliminate minor damage (if tenants are to pay for minor damage, this must have been expressly agreed in advance in the rental agreement)
• paint white or remove the wallpaper
• Paint doors or windows
• Install and maintain smoke alarms

Tips for apartment owners: When you move out, check exactly which defects exist in the rented apartment that may have to be borne by the tenant. However, this only applies to damage caused by improper use.

Keep calm and don’t be too fussy. If handed over in a swept condition, you, unfortunately, cannot expect that we will carefully wipe the apartment when you move out or that the windows will be in a streak-free condition.

Use a written handover protocol to minimize any disputes about the final cleaning of the apartment right from the start.

Handover protocol–advantages for both parties

It is not explicitly stipulated in tenancy law, but a handover protocol when moving out is equally helpful for tenants and landlords.

Both when moving in and when moving out, the condition of the rooms, any existing damage, etc. can be precisely documented here. If this is already done when moving in, disputes when moving out are often avoided because we can make a clear factual comparison between the logs of moving in and moving out.

Tenants and landlords can both sign a move-in log when the keys are handed over and then check the move-out log based on the move-in log.

Smooth handover of the apartment when moving out made easy! With our tips, you will know how to clean a rented apartment as a tenant and what is included in the final cleaning of the rented apartment.

As a landlord, you also know your obligations, such as paying for repairs that occur during normal use of the rental property.