Move Out Cleaning

You tell that son of a gun that you will leave the apartment in exactly the same condition as you found it, which is all you are legally required to do--as the LL knows--and that you expect your security deposit back.

You tell him he can not legally demand that you function as a cleaning service just to get your security deposit back. And that you are sure he understands how very strongly you feel about following New York State law.

Good luck, dear. Snap some photos on the way out in case you need to show 'em to a judge.

{Manhattan real estate agent. And owner of rental properties who believes in happy tenants.}

The ideal is to take photos when you move in & move out but how many of us do it? The LL is obviously an a$$hole; at least you know upfront that they intend to try to screw you - now DON'T LET IT HAPPEN !!!
Good luck!

I'm no expert or attorney or anything fancy like that, but I've always heard the term "broom clean", which implies that you're not even expected to mop the floors (or maybe, in the olden days, strip, wax and buff the wood floors).

Is this an individual owner, or a fully-rental building? Newish or old? Tilt-in windows?

btw, it might be cheaper and easier to replace the blinds than clean them. Although if you're moving out in the next few days, maybe not.

The management is Bettina Equities. Not sure of the year the building was built. The windows are not tilt-in; they're the pull up/down type. The blinds for the patio door are disgusting -- so much so that I didn't even pull them down this year because they were so dirty!

Most pull up/down type windows also tilt in for cleaning. Look at the top of the bottom sash for a release mechanism -- usually a slider on each side (right/left).

Anyway, if I were you I'd get on the phone pronto and see if you can get a last-minute booking for a move-out cleaning from a cleaning service.

Broom clean is standard -- read your lease.

What if the lease is silent?

I was a Bettina tenant many years ago (late 90's). Complete as$holes. Tried to pull the same thing on me. I had a studio that when I first moved in, the fridge smelled horrible and freezer was completely frosted over, the window blinds were half missing panels, there were still holes from where previous tenant installed a coat wrack and a one full wall was left unpainted (only had primer). On my move out, LL said I had to deliver a fully clean fridge, fix the blinds and the unpainted wall. They claimed I painted it. Which was crap b/c the apartment was in their standard issue paint color. They threatened to keep my security deposit. I fought it - took a few months after I moved out, but still won. Be careful with these guys, they will try to bully you. I was a just out of college when I moved here so they thought they could push me around. It's actually one of the reasons I moved out a bought my current place - no more sleazy LLs.

I always thought "broom clean" meant "get up the BIG stuff" but someone on SE said it meant W-A-Y cleaner than that. I'd suggest that you do a pretty good cleaning job, but don't kill yourself, & take lots & lots & LOTS of pictures on your way out the door. If you can let them see you taking the photos, all the better.

For what it's worth, my mother used to put the venetian blinds in the bathtub & wash them that way; be sure to not scratch the tub. My thought is to clean, yes, but hire someone and/or replace their blinds? FFFFFFFFF 'em! ! ! !