Late summer brings students into rented apartments, group houses and townhomes near Ballston and Courthouse. This move is different from a family move. Roommates arrive on different days. The lease start date is set. Old tenants may have left it messy in some places.
Why Off-Campus Move-Ins Are Their Own Category
What the old tenant thinks is clean and what the new one thinks is clean can be very different. Student housing turns over fast. Property managers usually fix things and paint. But they don’t scrub the kitchen or bathroom hard. That means the new person has to deal with dirt that has been there since the last tenant left.
Common issues in off-campus units before a first clean:
- Grease and grime built up inside the oven, stovetop, and range hood from previous tenants’ cooking
- Bathroom tub and toilet base needing more than a surface wipe
- Dust on blinds and ceiling fans that’s been undisturbed for weeks between tenants
- Cabinet interiors and closets that were never wiped out before the new lease started
What a Move-In Clean Covers
A move-in cleaning is for an empty unit. It includes items from a deep clean. A deep clean includes the inside of the oven, fridge, and microwave added to our standard visit. Move-in also covers the inside of cabinets and drawers when the unit is empty. Anything else, like window cleaning, is an add-on. Ask about these when you book. For students in a shared unit, book it right after you get your keys. Do this before your furniture and boxes arrive. An empty space lets the crew work faster.
Our move-in cleaning service starts at $285+ for a studio, $295+ for a one-bedroom and $345+ for a two-bedroom. You can split this starting price among roommates before it gets busy.
Splitting Costs Among Roommates
A move-in cleaning works well for group houses and shared apartments because you can split the cost among roommates. If three or four people share a $345+ two-bedroom move-in cleaning, each person pays a small amount. Nobody has to scrub the bathroom the first weekend.
Setting Up for the Rest of the Semester
Shared kitchens, visiting friends, and different schedules make a group house messy fast. Some households set up a recurring cleaning schedule after move-in. It comes with a discount: 15% off for weekly service, 10% off every two weeks, and 5% off monthly. With three or four roommates, each person’s cost stays low even with monthly cleaning.
What to Know Before Booking
Before you book, ask your property manager or landlord about a few things. Does the lease allow outside people to access the unit? Will you have keys or a lockbox code on the move-in date? Arlington Home Cleaning is licensed and insured. Tell your leasing office or landlord this if they ask before giving permission.
If you’re choosing between an apartment and a rented house for the school year, the cleaning work is different. Our post on move-in cleaning for apartments vs. single-family homes explains what changes.
Booking Around a Tight Move-In Window
Late summer is busy for moves in Arlington and Ashburn. Times around move-in weekends fill up fast. If you have a set move-in date, book a few weeks early to find a time that works. You can check availability and book at arlingtonhomecleaning.com or call 571-350-0866.