Move In and Move Out Cleaning in NYC

New York law does not let a landlord deduct your security deposit for ordinary wear and tear, only for damage you actually caused beyond that. Once you vacate, the landlord has 14 days to send an itemized statement explaining any amount kept back, and General Obligations Law 7-108 says missing that deadline means the landlord forfeits the right to keep any of it. A paid move-out clean will not force a full refund by itself, but it removes cleaning as a line item a landlord can point to, and gives you a dated record of the apartment's condition if a dispute drags on.

The Pre-Move-Out Inspection

The same law gives you the right to request a walkthrough before you hand back the keys, at which the landlord has to list in writing any repairs or cleaning it plans to charge for, so you can fix or clean those specific items yourself first. Requesting that inspection and booking your clean around whatever it turns up is the biggest lever you have over what gets deducted.

A move-in clean is not about a security deposit, it is about starting in a space that actually got scrubbed since the last tenant left, which a landlord's broom-clean handoff does not guarantee. If the building carries a documented history of mold, leaks, or pest complaints, a heavier sanitizing pass is worth the extra cost, and that history is checkable in a property's own violation and complaint record before your boxes arrive.

Building Rules That Affect The Crew

• Certificates of insurance. Many co-ops and larger rental buildings require a cleaning company to submit a COI before staff can use the freight elevator, the same document movers and packers provide; what that paperwork covers applies to any outside crew, not only movers.
• Freight elevator windows. Weekday, daytime service windows are common, and a crew booked outside them can be turned away at the door.
• Doorman sign-in. Staffed buildings usually want a crew's names on file in advance; a same-day booking can miss that cutoff.

None of this is unique to cleaning, and the same paperwork and scheduling questions come up during the first week after signing a lease, worth sorting out before the crew shows up rather than at the lobby desk.

A standard, or broom-clean, pass covers floors, counters, and bathroom surfaces. A deep clean adds the inside of the refrigerator, the oven cavity and racks, the dishwasher, the microwave, and the inside of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, the exact spots a landlord's own walkthrough tends to check first. Professional standards for a thorough clean come from bodies like the IICRC, the nonprofit that sets training and procedure standards for the cleaning industry, though most residential bookings are quoted well below that commercial-grade tier.

How The Price Gets Built

• Flat rate by size. Many NYC companies quote a flat price for a studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom, then add a move-in/move-out surcharge and a separate deep-clean surcharge.
• Hourly. Others bill per hour per cleaner with a two-hour minimum, which suits a smaller or partly furnished space.
• Condition and pets. Heavy soil, pet hair, or a kitchen that has not been deep cleaned in years adds time under either pricing model.

Published NYC pricing runs roughly $150 to $270 for a studio, $200 to $325 for a one-bedroom, and $250 to $480 for a two-bedroom or larger, before any move-in/move-out or deep-clean add-on.

A cleaning company gives a tighter quote, and skips a second visit to re-measure, when a few details are ready before the first call. Square footage or room count, whether the apartment is empty or still furnished, and whether you want a standard or deep clean all change the price on the spot, and a company that has to guess at any of that tends to quote high to cover itself.

Before You Request A Quote

• Confirm access: keys left with a doorman, a lockbox code, or someone meeting the crew at the door.
• List any pet hair, heavy grease, or mold you already know about so the quote does not get revised on arrival.
• Decide standard or deep clean, and whether appliance interiors and cabinet interiors are included in that tier.
• Check your building's service window and any COI paperwork requirement so the appointment does not get turned away at the lobby.
• Ask whether supplies and equipment are included or whether you need to leave a vacuum behind for the crew.