Can a Landlord Charge Cleaning to the Deposit?
Cleaning is one of the few deductions that is never prorated — it's charged at the actual cost, when it's chargeable at all.
Normal wear — not chargeable
A unit returned about as clean as it was rented cannot be charged. Ordinary light dust is wear.
Damage — chargeable
A unit returned dirtier than it was rented can be charged the actual cost to bring it back — but only that gap, and only with a clean move-in record to compare against.
Cleaning is billed in full, not depreciated. A move-in condition report is what proves the starting condition.
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Continue to deposit letter →The unit turn calculator costs the whole make-ready — materials and labor, trade by trade — so you can see what is chargeable and what is not.
Open the unit turn calculator →More items: carpet · paint · blinds · appliances
Then: Condition Report · Unit Turn Calculator · Deposit Return Letter
Useful-life figures reference the HUD life-expectancy chart, an industry standard rather than statute. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your state's rules before sending a deduction statement.
Questions people ask
- What cleaning is actually chargeable to a deposit?
- A unit returned dirtier than it was rented can be charged the actual cost to bring it back — but only that gap, and only with a clean move-in record to compare against.
- What counts as normal wear here?
- A unit returned about as clean as it was rented cannot be charged. Ordinary light dust is wear.
- How is the chargeable amount calculated?
- Cleaning is billed in full, not depreciated. A move-in condition report is what proves the starting condition.