Move-Out Cleaning for Ontario Student Apartments — 2026 Guide

Move-Out Cleaning for Ontario Student Apartments

Every April and August, tens of thousands of students move out of apartments and shared houses near Ontario's universities and colleges — Waterloo, Queen's, Western, Guelph, McMaster, Carleton, Ottawa U, Lakehead, Brock, Laurier, and dozens of others. Student housing landlords are known for strict deposit return standards, and the condition of student rentals at the end of a lease is often significantly below the standard required for a full deposit return without professional intervention.

Common Student Apartment Issues

• Kitchen: Accumulated cooking grease on stove and range hood, neglected oven interior, food residue inside cabinets
• Bathrooms: Mould and mildew from inconsistent cleaning during the tenancy, toilet and sink scale buildup
• Bedrooms: Dust accumulation, scuff marks on walls, window sills dirty from never being cleaned
• Common areas: Front entry and hallway, often the most neglected spaces in shared housing

Deposit Recovery

Ontario's RTA protects tenant deposit rights — a landlord cannot withhold a deposit for cleaning costs that constitute "normal wear and tear." However, a visibly dirty apartment is not normal wear and tear, and a professional clean before move-out is often the difference between a full deposit return and a dispute. The cleaning cost (typically $180–$350 for a student apartment, inclusive of Ontario HST) is almost always less than the deposit at risk.

University City Pricing (2026)

All prices include Ontario HST (13%). Book at maidless.ca/ontario.

• Student move-out guide
• Deposit rights guide