Window cleaning in an apartment building: tenancy law and obligations
Radiantly clean windows give every house the right finish and show that cleaning is done regularly.
However, tenants and owners also have a number of questions in connection with the correct way cleaning in the apartment building, including:
How is window cleaning done correctly? What must be considered when cleaning the glass? How does window cleaning work in tenancy law? What are the actual obligations of the tenant to clean the windows? Does tenancy law oblige the tenant to clean windows when moving out?
In the following article, we have not only put together valuable tips for the right window cleaning and glass cleaning but also answered the most important questions about window cleaning in the tenancy law.
Find out everything about the applicable law on cleaning in apartment buildings.
Window cleaning done right
Cleaning window glass is a small science in itself because glass cleaning requires a sure instinct and the right tools. You don’t necessarily have to resort to expensive cleaning agents. Simply use our following tips:
Tip 1 – the timing: When cleaning the window correctly, the timing is the first thing that matters. The glass should not be cleaned on a rainy day and is also not recommended on a particularly hot day, as the cleaning agent evaporates quickly and leaves unsightly streaks.
A sunny day that is not too hot and does not rain or storm is ideal. Not only can the windows be optimally cleaned here, you can also see immediately whether the result is streak-free.
Tip 2 – suitable cleaning agent: It is best to use a professional window cleaning agent. If you don’t have that to hand, a few squirts of regular dish soap, which you normally use to wash dishes, in a bucket of water is also suitable. You should use a leather or microfiber sponge cloth and start cleaning the windows.
Tip 3 – Avoid streaks: Professionals like to use an ammonia solution to prevent streaks when cleaning glass. But you can also clean your window glass much more cheaply and environmentally friendly. The insider tip for this is vinegar. Just a few drops of vinegar in a bucket of water will make the windows shine like new without streaks or streaks.
Tip 4 – Procedure and sequence when cleaning: First clean the window frames thoroughly, preferably with a suitable sponge. Don’t forget the underside and top of the frame, because this is where particularly stubborn dirt usually gets stuck.
After cleaning the window frames, don’t forget to change the water in the next step before you move on to cleaning the windows.
The best way to clean the window glass and remove dirt is with a damp microfiber or leather cloth. Then pull off the discs with a puller (rubber scraper).
You are never sure when cleaning the window whether the dirt or the streaks are on the inside or outside of the window.
Then simply use the following tip: Clean one side of the window, for example, the outside, from top to bottom, and the other side, the inside from left to right. You can quickly see whether there is still a need to clean the inside or outside of the glass pane.
Provisions on window cleaning in tenancy law
Good to know how window cleaning is done properly, but who is actually responsible for window cleaning in a rented apartment?
The homeowner and owner of the apartment or the tenant? This question has even occupied. The tenant is responsible for cleaning the rented apartment and this includes the following tasks in addition to general basic cleaning – cleaning:
- the inner and outer surfaces of the apartment windows
- glass components that cannot be opened
- the window frame
Legal notice for tenants and owners: Mere cleaning tasks are not part of the owner’s maintenance or repair obligations. Consequently, the landlord is not obliged to take over the cleaning of the windows or to commission a cleaning service to do so as part of the maintenance of the rented property!
Is cleaning window compulsory as a tenant?
The cleaning of the rented apartment is generally one of the obligations of the tenant.
The tenant is obliged to clean the window glass. In addition to the window frames, this also includes cleaning windows that can be opened and closed glass fronts that are part of the rented apartment.
It does not matter whether the tenant is personally able to clean the windows. The tenant can also have a residential cleaning service to help him with his work. In this case, however, he must bear the costs of the assignment himself.
Only if both tenants have made a different agreement, for example, that the landlord regularly commissions a professional cleaning service to clean certain glass surfaces, can the tenant be released from the obligation.
Note for tenants: cleaning the windows is one of the tenant’s responsibilities. It is irrelevant whether the windows can be opened or are difficult to access. The owner cannot automatically be held accountable here.
Tenancy law: Is cleaning window necessary when moving out?
How does the tenancy right for window cleaning work when moving out? Is the tenant also obliged to clean the windows in the rented apartment before handing it over?
In principle, the tenant has no obligation to clean the windows when moving out. When moving out, the tenant is subject to a so-called return obligation, which does not automatically oblige him to clean the windows when moving out.
In particular, if a “clean swept return” was agreed upon in the rental agreement, decided that only coarse soiling such as spider webs on the windows had to be removed. According to the verdict, cleaning the window glass is not one of the tenant’s obligations when moving out.
An exception may exist if a “return in clean condition” has been agreed upon in the rental agreement. It is ruled that the cleaning window must be carried out by the tenant when moving out.
However, only to a “normal extent”, extensive cleaning of the windows was not necessary here either.
Keep an eye on things at all times! With our tips on how to clean windows correctly, but also the insider knowledge we have gathered about the current regulations on window cleaning in tenancy law, you will know how to keep the windows sparkling clean and that cleaning window is fundamentally one of the tenant’s obligations.