Move-in / Move-out

Move-out cleaning checklist for Alberta renters

The Alberta-specific move-out cleaning checklist that gets your damage deposit back. Tenant obligations, what landlords actually inspect, and the 27 items most renters miss.

By Ukrainian Elite Cleaning

TL;DR

Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act requires renters to return a property in 'reasonably clean' condition. In practice, landlords inspect a predictable list of 27 details — oven interior, fridge, windows inside, baseboards, walls — and most disputed deposits trace back to two or three of them.

Alberta tenants lose roughly $300 of damage deposit on average to cleaning disputes, according to provincial mediation data. The frustrating part is that the disputed items are almost always the same items. Here is the checklist.

The 27-point landlord inspection list

  1. Inside the oven, including racks and oven door glass
  2. Inside the fridge and freezer, with shelves removed and washed
  3. Inside the microwave
  4. Range hood filter and exterior
  5. Stovetop, including drip pans and grates
  6. Cabinets and drawers, inside and out, including handles
  7. Countertops and backsplash
  8. Kitchen sink and faucet, including aerator
  9. Bathroom tubs and showers — grout, glass and tile
  10. Toilets, including base and behind the bowl
  11. Bathroom sinks and faucets
  12. Bathroom mirrors and light fixtures
  13. Exhaust fans in bathrooms
  14. All floors vacuumed and mopped, including under furniture
  15. Baseboards, every linear foot
  16. Walls, spot-cleaned for fingerprints and scuffs
  17. Doors, door frames, and door handles
  18. Inside windows, frames and tracks
  19. Window blinds, slat by slat
  20. Light switches and outlet covers
  21. Air vents and returns
  22. Closets, including shelves and rods
  23. Patio and balcony, swept
  24. Garage floor swept, if applicable
  25. Storage locker emptied and swept
  26. All garbage and recycling removed off-property
  27. Lawn or snow obligations met per lease terms

The three items that cost most deposits

From experience and from the publicly available Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution decisions, the three most-cited cleaning failures in Alberta are: oven interior, bathroom grout, and inside fridge. If you only have time for three things at the end, do those three.

Hiring a professional vs DIY

A professional move-out clean on a 2-bed/1-bath Edmonton apartment runs $400–$560 — billed at $40 per cleaner per hour, with a two-person team for 5–7 hours. DIY takes roughly 10–14 person-hours and costs $40–$80 in supplies. The break-even is mostly about what your time is worth and how thorough you are about items 16, 18 and 19, which most renters skip.

Further reading: Government of Alberta — Landlords and tenants.

Frequently asked

More on this topic

Can my landlord charge me for normal wear and tear?
No. Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act explicitly distinguishes wear and tear (faded paint, worn carpet) from cleaning and damage (greasy oven, broken tile). Landlords can charge for the latter, not the former.
Should I take photos before I leave?
Yes — and date-stamped photos of every room, every appliance interior, and every closet are the single best evidence in a deposit dispute.
Does my landlord have to provide a move-out inspection?
Yes. Section 21 of the Act requires the landlord to schedule and conduct a move-out inspection report and provide a copy. Insist on it.
How long does the landlord have to return my deposit?
10 days after the end of tenancy under most circumstances. If they intend to make deductions, they must provide a written statement within those 10 days.

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