Move-Out Guide

Room-by-room cleaning procedures and move-out steps for ACRES Property Management residents.

This guide is incorporated by reference into your Move-Out Explanations Addendum. Following these instructions maximizes your chances of a full security deposit refund. Questions? Call 206-696-2273 or email office@acrespropertymanagement.com.

The move-out process at a glance

Give written notice per your lease (for month-to-month tenancies, Washington law requires at least 20 days' written notice preceding the end of the rental period — RCW 59.18.200). ACRES will send you a Move-Out Information Letter and Notice to review and sign.
Clean the unit using the checklist below, arrange professional carpet/floor cleaning as your lease requires, and remove all possessions and trash.
Transfer utilities and provide a forwarding address (details below).
Return all keys, fobs, and remotes on your move-out date.
Move-out inspection: ACRES inspects using your signed Move-In/Move-Out Inspection Checklist and move-in photos.
Security deposit refund: Washington law (RCW 59.18.280) requires the refund and a full, documented statement of any deductions within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the unit is vacated.

Room-by-room cleaning checklist

Leave the unit in the condition it was in at move-in, with ordinary use and normal wear and tear excepted. If you paid a non-refundable cleaning fee at move-in, deep cleaning is not required — leave the unit broom-swept with no trash or possessions remaining.

Refrigerator

Defrost the freezer if needed. Do not use sharp tools to pry ice off. Clean with warm water.
Wash the inside with warm water and baking soda, including the door gasket.
Remove shelves and drawers; wash in warm water, dry, and replace. Clean under the lower drawers.
Wash and dry the outside on all sides. Vacuum the back and lower grills. Do not turn the refrigerator off.
Carefully move the refrigerator out from the wall (mind the flooring) and clean underneath — vacuum, mop, and wipe down the sides of the cupboards and the appliance.
Replace the interior light with an appliance bulb if needed, and the water/air filter if applicable.
Reset temperature settings to the manufacturer default if you changed them.

Stove and oven

Remove racks and the broiler pan; soak in hot water, clean, and dry well.
Clean the inside of the oven, the stovetop, behind/under the knobs, under the elements and burner pans, and the drawer.
Wash and dry the outside. Replace the oven light with an appliance bulb if burned out.
Clean, degrease, and/or replace any fan filters. Replace the burner pans.
Carefully move the stove out from the wall (mind the flooring, electrical, and gas line) and clean all sides, the floor, the wall, and cupboard sides.

Kitchen — cabinets, drawers, and more

Wash all shelves inside the cupboards and both sides of all doors.
Vacuum and wipe out all drawers with a damp cloth.
Clean the sink, baskets, and countertops. Make sure the garbage disposal is empty and clean.
Wash light fixture covers with warm soapy water; dry well and replace. Replace burnt-out bulbs.
Clean switch and outlet cover plates.
Clean the dishwasher inside and out, including the inside seal.
Wash the range hood; clean, degrease, and/or replace the filter. Clean the microwave inside and out.
Wash windows, blinds (including individual slats), and screens; clean sills and tracks.
Scrub the kitchen floor, including under appliances, and wipe down all baseboards.
Clear cobwebs from walls and ceilings; dust ceiling fan blades.

Living room

Wash windows and sills; clean the tracks.
Clean light fixtures, replace bulbs, and clean switch plate covers.
Clear cobwebs from walls and ceilings.
Vacuum out the fireplace; wash the screen and doors, as applicable.
Vacuum carpet and clean baseboards. Clean drapes/blinds.

Bedrooms

Clear cobwebs from walls and ceilings.
Wash light fixtures, replace bulbs, and wipe down switch plate covers.
Wash windows; clean sills and tracks. Clean drapes/blinds.
Wipe down closet shelves.
Vacuum carpet and clean baseboards. Wash or dust both sides of doors.

Bathrooms

Clean the bathtub, tile around the tub, sink, door, and fixtures.
Clean shower doors and tracks.
Clean the toilet inside and out, and dry it. Scrub the floor, baseboards, and behind the toilet.
Clean the medicine cabinet inside and out, the mirror, and the vanity (including drawers).
Clean windows, sills, and tracks. Clean the exhaust fan cover of dust and lint.
Wipe the toilet paper holder and towel rods.
Clean light fixtures, replace bulbs, and wipe down switch plate covers. Wash or dust both sides of doors.

Whole unit and exterior

Remove all nails, pins, tacks, and tape from walls and minimally fill holes with spackle. Do not paint unless previously arranged and approved with the Property Manager (for example, restoring an approved custom color to the original). Charges can apply for unnecessary prep or painting caused by resident painting or unfilled holes.
Replace the furnace filter.
Wash the inside and outside of the front and back doors, and all doors (especially around knobs).
Wipe down all wall surfaces with a mild cleaning solution.
Clean the tracks of sliding doors.
Clean and dry the washer and dryer inside and out; clean the dryer lint trap. Pull both out and clean the floor and walls behind them.
Sweep the garage and remove cobwebs; clean garage windows, sills, and tracks.
Sweep front and back porches, decks, and sidewalks.
Replace all burnt-out light bulbs, air filters, and smoke detector batteries where possible. Replace broken doorstops. Missing, broken, or damaged items beyond ordinary use may be charged to the resident.
Mow and weed the yard and flowerbeds, unless landscape services are included with your Landscaping Addendum.
Pick up any animal droppings, whether you have an animal or not. If not completed, a minimum fee of $100 will be assessed and/or withheld from your security deposit, plus labor to clean up.
Haul away all trash. If your trash exceeds normal pickup, arrange to have it hauled away at your expense; place all other trash in the appropriate receptacles.
Clean out all floor vents.

Carpets and floors

Your lease requires all carpets and all hardwood, laminate, and/or tile floors to be professionally cleaned at move-out, after all furnishings and personal items have been removed. Personal or rented carpet cleaning machines are not a substitute — only professional commercial-grade truck/van-mounted systems are authorized, by licensed and insured vendors approved by the Property Manager. You may arrange this yourself (provide the paid invoice) or ask ACRES to coordinate it with the cost deducted from your security deposit.

Recommended vendors

Affordable Joe's Carpet Cleaning — (206) 384-3815
Pro-Steam Carpet Cleaning — (206) 227-2124
Pure Clean Carpet Cleaning — (206) 353-4155

Utilities, heat, and the utility holdback

Transfer or disconnect your power, cable, internet, and other services, and restore basic utilities (electric, water/sewer, natural gas) to ACRES or the owner's account effective your move-out date — do not have them shut off.
Keep the thermostat at 55°F or above during heating season until possession transfers, to protect pipes.
Utility holdback: because final utility bills often arrive after the 30-day security deposit window, an estimated holdback is withheld from the refund to cover them — Studio $150, 2-bedroom $250, 3-bedroom $350, 4+ bedroom $500. This is an estimate, not a fee: once the actual final bills arrive, any excess is refunded to you.

Mail forwarding and address changes

Provide your forwarding address to both ACRES and the U.S. Postal Service. File your USPS change of address at moversguide.usps.com.
Update your address with your bank, employer, insurers, subscriptions, and any government agencies (Department of Licensing, IRS, etc.).
Update your voter registration to your new address — Washington voters can do this online at votewa.gov.

Keys and your deposit refund

Return all keys, door fobs, garage remotes, and parking permits when you vacate. Unreturned items are charged per your lease (for example $50 per key and $200 per fob or garage opener, or the association's replacement cost plus an administrative fee).
Your refund and an itemized, documented statement of any deductions will be provided within 30 days after the tenancy ends and you vacate, as required by RCW 59.18.280.
Refunds are made by ACH/direct deposit when authorized by all residents on the Move-Out Notice, or otherwise by a single check payable to all residents.