Do you have to clean when you move out in Ontario?
The standard is lower than most leases imply and higher than leaving the oven as it is. What the Landlord and Tenant Board says, in its own words, and what that looks like in a kitchen.
Yes, to a point. The Landlord and Tenant Board says an Ontario tenant must keep the rental unit clean, up to the standard that most people would consider ordinary or normal cleanliness. That means a reasonably clean unit, not a professionally cleaned one. Damage is a separate duty, and the Board decides disputes.
This is general information, not legal advice. The Residential Tenancies Act and the Board's decisions are what govern, and the links below go to the source.
What the Board says a tenant must do
Tenant duties under the Residential Tenancies Act are summarised in the Landlord and Tenant Board's brochure on maintenance and repairs. Two sentences in it do most of the work.
On cleanliness: a tenant must keep the rental unit clean, up to the standard that most people would consider ordinary or normal cleanliness.
On damage: a tenant must repair or pay for the repair of any damage to the rental property that is not due to normal wear and tear. The Board's guide to the Act adds that this covers damage caused by the tenant, the tenant's guest or another person who lives in the unit.
Notice what is not there. Nothing in that wording says "professionally cleaned", "steam cleaned carpets" or "as new". The province's guide to the standard lease puts it in one line: the tenant is responsible for keeping the unit clean, unless the landlord agreed to do so. If your lease asks for more than that, the guide also explains that a term which conflicts with the Act is void. Whether a particular clause does conflict is a question for the Board or a legal clinic, not for a cleaning company.
Wear and tear is not your bill
The Board's brochure says tenants are not responsible for damage caused by normal use, and gives an example: a tenant is not responsible for replacing a carpet which has become worn after years of normal, everyday use.
That line between use and damage is the one most move-out arguments are about.
| Usually normal wear | Usually dirt, which is the tenant's to clean | Usually damage |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet flattened or worn in walkways | Food and grease in the oven and on the hob | Burns or large stains in carpet |
| Faded paint, small picture hook holes | A fridge left with spills and odour | Holes in doors or walls |
| Light scuffs on floors | Soap film and scale in the bathroom | Broken fixtures or appliances |
| Loose handles from age | Dust on baseboards, crumbs in cupboards | Pet damage to floors or trim |
The headings say "usually" on purpose. These are illustrations, and where a real case falls is the Board's decision.
There is no damage deposit in Ontario
Tenants who have rented in other provinces often expect a deposit to be held back for cleaning. Ontario does not work that way.
The Board's guide to the Residential Tenancies Act says a rent deposit can only be used as the rent payment for the last month or week before the tenant moves out, and cannot be used for anything else, such as repairing damage to the rental unit. The province's standard lease guide says a rent deposit cannot be used as a damage deposit, and lists damage and pet deposits among the deposits that are not permitted under the Act. A refundable key deposit is allowed.
So a landlord cannot simply keep money for cleaning. What a landlord can do, according to the Board, is apply to it. The Board can order a tenant to pay the cost of repairing damage. That is the real stake in how you leave a unit: not a deposit, but a dispute you would rather not have, and a reference you may want.
What ordinary cleanliness looks like in practice
No official checklist exists, so this is a tradesperson's reading of "ordinary", not a legal one. A unit most people would call clean has:
- an oven, hob and range hood free of grease and burnt-on food
- a fridge and freezer emptied, wiped out and left without odour
- cupboards and drawers empty and wiped
- a bathroom with the toilet, tub, sink and tile cleaned
- floors vacuumed and washed, carpets vacuumed
- no garbage, no abandoned belongings
- marks you made on walls and doors wiped where they will wipe
Then make a record. Photograph every room, inside the oven and the fridge, with the date. If the landlord walks through with you, better still.
You are not required to hire anyone to do this. Plenty of tenants do it themselves over a weekend. People call a cleaner when the truck leaves at four and the keys go back at six, or when the oven is beyond what they are willing to face. The room by room detail is in what a move-out clean actually covers, and the rates are in what a move-out clean costs in Toronto.
AllCleaner's move-in and move-out cleaning starts from $245 for a studio or one bedroom in Toronto, with the figure confirmed first. Call 647-697-7435.
Short answers.
- Do tenants have to clean when they move out in Ontario?
- Tenants are responsible for cleanliness throughout the tenancy. The Landlord and Tenant Board says a tenant must keep the rental unit clean, up to the standard that most people would consider ordinary or normal cleanliness. That is a normal clean, not a professional or like-new standard. The Board decides any dispute.
- Can a landlord charge a damage or cleaning deposit in Ontario?
- Ontario's guide to the standard lease says a rent deposit cannot be used as a damage deposit, and lists damage and pet deposits as deposits that are not permitted under the Act. A landlord may collect a rent deposit for the last rental period and a refundable key deposit.
- Can a landlord make me pay for carpet that is worn out?
- The Landlord and Tenant Board says tenants are not responsible for damage caused by normal use, and gives the example of a carpet worn after years of everyday use. Damage beyond normal wear and tear is different, and a landlord can apply to the Board about it. The Board decides each case.
