Moving day is already the hardest day of the month. The last thing you want to think about while you are hauling boxes into a truck (or unloading them into a new place) is scrubbing an oven at midnight.
Move-in and move-out cleaning exists so you never have to.
After running Peterborough Cleaning Services for years, we have handled a lot of these. Realtors gifting a clean to a new homebuyer. Landlords turning a rental over between tenants. Sellers getting a property show-ready for listing photos. Buyers who wanted to walk into a home that had already been reset before they unpacked. All four of those calls come in every month, and the mechanics of the clean are basically the same.
Here is the honest guide to what a move-in or move-out clean actually covers in Peterborough, what it costs, when to book, and what you need to have ready on the day.
Who books move-in and move-out cleaning?
Four types of clients call us for move cleans, and they call for different reasons.
Landlords and property managers call for rental turnovers. The tenant has left, the unit has been inspected, and it needs to be ready for the next tenant, often on a tight window.
Sellers call before they list, or right before closing. A show-ready home photographs better and stages better, and a spotless final walkthrough is one less thing for the buyer’s lawyer to flag on the closing call.
Buyers call before they move in. There is no better time to clean a home than while it is empty, because you never get that access again once the furniture is in place.
Realtors call to gift the clean to a client at closing. This has become one of the stronger closing gifts in Peterborough real estate, and we will come back to why in a minute.
If you are one of those four (or you are trying to figure out which type of clean you actually need), read on. And if you are still comparing companies, our companion piece on how to choose a cleaning service in Peterborough covers the four criteria that actually predict a good outcome.
What a move-in or move-out clean at PCS actually covers
Our move-in and move-out cleans use the full scope of our regular clean plus the move-in/out add-on. The add-on unlocks the two categories of work you would never book on an ordinary recurring clean:
- Inside all appliances (oven, fridge and freezer, dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer if present). This is deep work. Racks come out, seals are wiped, interiors are degreased.
- Inside all kitchen cabinets and drawers. Because the home is empty, we can pull open every door and wipe every interior shelf. On a regular clean with your groceries and dishes in place, this is simply not possible.
Beyond those two categories, the clean also covers everything a First Time Clean would: baseboards, door frames, light switches, interior windows and sills, high dust, top-to-bottom bathroom sanitisation, and full floor care throughout the home.
What we do not include: exterior windows, chimney sweeping, carpet steam extraction, mould remediation, and hoarder-scale property cleanup. If your rental turnover is on the extreme end (heavy grime, long-term neglect, extreme pet damage), we will tell you before you book and quote accordingly rather than surprising you on the day.
The furniture rule
One rule matters more than any other on a move clean: the home must be empty of furniture on the day we arrive.
That single condition is the whole reason a move clean is so much more thorough than a regular clean. With no couch to work around, no bed to shift, no dresser blocking the wall behind it, our team can reach into every corner and along every baseboard that furniture has been hiding for years. This is why move-in cleans are the best clean a home ever gets: the access is unbeatable.
For move-outs, we work after the moving truck is gone. For move-ins, we work in the gap between you getting the keys and the new furniture arriving. Both cleans need that empty window to do what they are designed to do.
How much a move-in or move-out clean costs in Peterborough
Our pricing is a simple formula:
Flat rate for your home size (from the booking widget) + $200 move-in/out add-on
The flat rate scales with bedrooms, bathrooms, and whether the home has a basement. You see the full number on our booking page the moment you enter your home details, with the add-on applied automatically when you pick move-in or move-out as the service type.
For rental properties in rough shape, we sometimes also add the First Time Clean surcharge ($125), because the property genuinely needs the deeper effort to bring it back to a rentable baseline. We flag this in advance, never as a surprise on the invoice.
To give you a rough sense of where prices land in Peterborough:
- A typical two-bedroom apartment move-out lands in the $325 to $450 range.
- A three-bedroom family home lands in the $400 to $550 range.
- A four-bedroom home with a basement lands in the $500 to $650 range.
- Rough-condition rental turnovers add the $125 First Time Clean surcharge on top.
See your exact number in about a minute on the booking page.
When to book your move-in or move-out clean
Booking guidance is short and practical.
Book as early as you can. The most competitive dates fill first, and month-ends in spring and fall are the busiest windows in Peterborough. Move season here concentrates around July 1, September 1 (Trent and Fleming student turnover), and the tail end of each month as real estate closings cluster.
Move-out cleans: we clean after the moving truck is gone and the home is fully empty. The best window is usually the day of your final walkthrough or the day before.
Move-in cleans: we clean the day you get the keys, before the moving truck arrives. That is the one window the home is fully accessible for the deepest possible clean.
If your dates are tight, tell us on the booking form or give us a call and we will do our best to make it work. We often have some flexibility around month-end for last-minute realtor-gifted cleans.
The realtor gift that keeps working
Peterborough realtors have started doing something clever. They are gifting a move-in clean to their buyer at closing.
Here is why it works. Your client just spent months on a bidding war, on inspections, on financing calls, on packing. On closing day they get the keys, they open the front door, and they walk into a home that has been fully deep cleaned before their first box arrives. That is a moment they remember and tell their friends about.
For the realtor, that turns into referrals. We have watched this flywheel run for a handful of Peterborough realtors already. They gift a clean, the client tells their family and friends how thoughtful the gesture was, and the next home purchase in that circle often comes back to the same realtor. The gift pays for itself many times over.
If you are a Peterborough realtor and you want to try this, use code Realtor15 at booking to save 15% off the first clean.
What to have ready on the day
To get the best possible clean, we ask that the following are true when we arrive:
- The home is fully empty of furniture. This is the biggest one. It unlocks access that a regular clean never gets.
- The utilities are on. We need water (especially hot water) and electricity for the appliances.
- Access is sorted. Someone home, a keybox code, a lockbox, or a clear key handoff plan we can rely on.
- Anything left behind is out. Bulk items, garbage, forgotten possessions, anything you were not taking with you.
- Fridge and freezer are emptied. We will clean them running (no need to defrost), and we just need the contents out.
If any of those are going to be a problem on the day, tell us in advance and we will figure out a plan together. What we cannot do is arrive to a house full of furniture and hope for the best.
Move-in vs move-out: same clean, different timing
Clients sometimes ask if a move-in clean and a move-out clean are different services. They are the same clean. The scope is identical, the price is identical, and the checklist is identical. The only differences are:
- Timing: move-outs happen after your furniture leaves; move-ins happen before your furniture arrives.
- Purpose: move-outs are for landlord inspections, closings, or the next occupant; move-ins are for you to start fresh in a home that has been fully reset.
- Who books it: move-outs are usually booked by the outgoing tenant, seller, or property manager; move-ins are usually booked by the incoming buyer or their realtor.
The work we do inside the home is identical either way.
Your next step: see your price in 60 seconds
Our booking page shows your flat-rate price the moment you enter your home details, with the move-in/out add-on applied automatically. Full per-service checklists are on our FAQ page. You pay only after the clean is complete.
If you are a realtor gifting the clean to a client, use code Realtor15 at booking for 15% off the first clean.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a move-in or move-out clean cost in Peterborough? Our pricing is the flat rate for your home size (from the booking widget) plus a $200 move-in/out add-on. That typically puts a two-bedroom apartment in the $325 to $450 range, a three-bedroom home in the $400 to $550 range, and a four-bedroom home with a basement in the $500 to $650 range. Rental properties in rough shape may also get the $125 First Time Clean surcharge, and we flag that in advance.
Do I need to empty the house of furniture before the clean? Yes. The home must be fully empty of furniture on the day of the clean. This is what makes a move-in or move-out clean the most thorough clean your home will ever get, because we can reach every corner and baseboard that furniture normally blocks.
When should I book my move-in or move-out clean? Book as early as you can. Month-ends in spring and fall are the busiest windows in Peterborough, along with the July 1 and September 1 turnover periods around Trent and Fleming. For move-outs, we clean after the moving truck leaves. For move-ins, we clean before the new furniture arrives.
What does a move-in or move-out clean include that a regular clean does not? The move-in/out add-on unlocks two categories: inside all appliances (oven, fridge and freezer, dishwasher, microwave, washer and dryer if present) and inside all kitchen cabinets and drawers. Everything else in a First Time Clean scope is also included, from baseboards and door frames to interior windows and sills.
Do you offer move-in cleans as a closing gift for real estate clients? Yes. A number of Peterborough realtors gift the move-in clean to their buyer at closing. It is a memorable moment for the client and it consistently leads to future referrals for the realtor. Use code Realtor15 at booking for 15% off the first clean.
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