According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, fewer than 60% of Florida renters get their full security deposit back. The number one reason cited by landlords? "Cleaning condition." Not damage. Not unpaid rent. Cleaning.
If you’re moving out of an apartment, condo, or house in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, or anywhere in Palm Beach County, here’s the checklist we use on every move-out cleaning — the same one that gets our clients their full deposit back.
What Florida landlords are actually allowed to deduct for
Under Florida Statute 83.49, your landlord can withhold deposit money for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and cleaning only if the unit wasn’t returned in the same condition as when you moved in (minus normal wear).
"Normal wear" is faded paint, light carpet wear in walk paths, minor scuffs from furniture. "Not normal" is grease buildup on the stove, soap scum in the shower, dust on every blade of the ceiling fan, fingerprints on every light switch, food crumbs in cabinet bottoms. That second list is what move-out cleanings exist to eliminate.
The room-by-room move-out checklist
Kitchen (the #1 inspected area)
- Inside the oven scrubbed (grease + carbon)
- Stovetop and burner caps cleaned, drip pans replaced if needed
- Range hood + filter degreased
- Refrigerator emptied, defrosted, wiped inside and out, behind the fridge cleaned
- Microwave wiped inside, plate washed
- Dishwasher cleaned (run a cycle with a cleaning tablet)
- Inside cabinets + drawers wiped (crumbs, sticky spots, lining replaced if applicable)
- Backsplash + grout cleaned
- Sink + faucet polished, garbage disposal flushed
- Floor swept, mopped, baseboards wiped
Bathrooms (the #2 inspected area)
- Toilet scrubbed inside + outside + base + behind
- Shower/tub scrubbed, soap scum + mildew removed, grout cleaned
- Shower door tracks cleaned (this is where landlords look closely)
- Sink + faucet polished, drain free of hair
- Mirror + medicine cabinet cleaned inside and out
- Floor including behind the toilet
- Exhaust fan grille wiped (a big landlord tell)
Bedrooms + living areas
- Carpets vacuumed (and shampooed if lease requires it)
- Hard floors swept + mopped
- Baseboards hand-wiped
- Window sills + tracks cleaned
- Closet shelves + floor wiped
- Ceiling fans + light fixtures dusted (blades)
- Walls spot-cleaned for marks
- All light switches + outlet plates wiped
Whole-home detail
- Vent grilles wiped (return + supply)
- HVAC filter replaced
- Smoke + CO detector batteries checked
- Doors + door frames wiped
- Patio/balcony swept (often forgotten)
- Trash + recycling bins emptied + cleaned
What landlords actually inspect first
From talking to property managers across Palm Beach County, the same five spots get checked first on every move-out inspection: inside the oven, behind the refrigerator, shower-door tracks, baseboards, and ceiling fan blades. If those five are clean, the inspection usually passes. If two or more look skipped, deductions start.
DIY vs hire a service: the deposit math
A 2-bedroom apartment move-out clean done well takes 8–12 hours of solo work. A professional move-out cleaning typically runs $250–$500 depending on size and condition. Security deposits in Palm Beach County average $1,500–$3,500. So unless you’re fully comfortable cleaning at the level a landlord will inspect, hiring it out is almost always net positive.
(For what it’s worth, we document every move-out clean with before + after photos so if a landlord disputes condition, you have proof.)
Pair this with a deep clean if it’s been a while
If you’ve been in the unit more than a year and haven’t had a deep cleaning, consider booking that before your move-out clean — or asking us to combine them. The deep-clean baseline (baseboards, grout, vents, fixtures) is exactly what move-out inspections fail people on.
Need help? Request a free quote for a move-out cleaning — we’ll walk through your unit, give you a precise number, and get you your full deposit back.