Cleaning After a Long-Term Tenant Moves Out
When a tenant who has lived in a unit for five, ten, or fifteen years moves out, the cleaning situation is categorically different from a one-year tenancy end. Long-term tenancies leave behind layers of accumulated grime in appliances, grout, vents, and surfaces that routine cleaning never touches. Ontario landlords need to understand both the scope and the LTB implications.
What to Expect After a Long-Term Tenancy
- Appliance interiors: Oven interiors that haven't been deep-cleaned in years, range hood filters clogged with grease, dishwasher filters and spray arms with significant buildup
- Bathroom grout and caulk: Years of soap scum and mineral deposits in grout, and caulk around tubs and showers that is likely mouldy or deteriorated
- Exhaust fans and vents: Bathroom and kitchen fans that have accumulated years of lint and grease
- Walls and baseboards: Long-term tenancies often have furniture and pictures against walls that hide significant scuffing, discolouration, and grime at contact points
- Carpets (if any): After a decade of use, carpet deep-cleaning rarely restores to original condition — replacement may be appropriate (and is a valid maintenance expense in Ontario, unlike normal wear and tear)
LTB and Cost Recovery in Ontario
Under the RTA, tenants owe ordinary cleanliness at move-out. After a long-term tenancy, "ordinary cleanliness" must account for normal wear and tear accumulation — a landlord cannot charge a 10-year tenant for cleaning the entire unit to showroom standard. The practical LTB standard: the tenant's cleaning costs are what would have been reasonably required to restore ordinary cleanliness, not to prepare for a luxury re-listing.