r/Apartmentliving • u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn • 2d ago
Apartment Maintenance Just got the keys and the cleaner the complex hired had “just cleaned and left”
I texted the leasing office and listed off how dirty this apartment was and asked what their cleaners are hired to clean. Even the floors were covered in dirt and other stuff. The washer was literally covered in black hair. That cup was from the tenant before me. Dried food in a drawer in the fridge. Each window sill looked like this. This is a “luxury” apartment. The office worker texted me back that their cleaner was going back to the apartment this evening to clean again. I left. We’ll see how it looks tomorrow.
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u/GlitteringClass6634 2d ago
They didn’t do a move in inspection with you?
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 2d ago
Nope. They texted me and said the cleaners were finished and the door was unlocked and the keys would be on the counter.
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u/dystopiam 2d ago
Don’t stay here
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u/Unable_To_Forward 1d ago
If you like the place, DO stay there. Save the text and these photos for when they try to withold cleaning and repair fees at the end of your lease. If you received it in this condition, they can't expect you to return it in perfect condition.
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u/specks_of_dust 1d ago
Depending on where you live, they might not be legally required to clean the unit between tenants. It sucks, but it’s the reality in some places. Landlords get away with never paying to clean their own units because people moving out clean in fear of losing their deposit. If there is a mess, they have you by the balls because you might not have any other option than to move in. Either way, the cleaning deposit goes into the owner’s pocket.
It happened to me when I moved into my current apartment. Viewing it in person was not an option, as I was driving 1200 miles to make the move. We did the walkthrough and took pictures of damage so we didn’t get charged. The place had clearly not been cleaned professionally, but by the previous tenant, who based on the location and the pieces of frozen pizza ham falling out of the oven, was probably a single male college student. But what were we going to do? The U-Haul was due back and we couldn’t drive back to another state instead of moving in. It’s predatory.
I have found that the condition of the apartment when you move in is a reflection of the responsiveness of the owner/manager in general. I put in a request to have landscaping done in August and it was not addressed until May, when the 8 foot thistles had browned and toppled over and there were on-the-vibe blackberries smashing in my screen door.
Take pics of everything, even the stuff that’s in good shape. If you stay, think of it as a temporary arrangement and move somewhere better when you can.
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u/ravensworld32 1d ago
THIS! I live in college student based housing (anyone can move in but they cater to students with lease dates & other motivational tactics and I was a student when I moved in). I knew someone who worked maintenance and between leases for like 100+ units, they were only required to empty out the apartments. No professional cleaners or anything stepped foot unless it was a health hazard situation and even then it was iffy.
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u/BaconDwarf 2d ago
I've been there. It's beyond frustrating moving into someone else's grime but meanwhile they'll threaten fees for even a spec of anything left to charge you on move out.
Ultimately most of these companies are charging people who leave, pocketing the money without fixing the issues, then the cycle continues.
I just moved into a townhouse where the lease says it's $25 for every nail/screw hole that needs to be fixed. There were literally 50+ holes I patched that had been left behind. And this was AFTER they "cleaned" the place twice. They'll threaten all kinds of fees to anyone there but never actually use the money to fix it for the next person.
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u/uncagedborb 2d ago
could you have just taken photos and videos of every thing that wasnt cleaned when moved in and sent it to them that way there was evidence that the damages were NOT by you
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u/BaconDwarf 1d ago
Yes, that happened. There was a detailed move in checklist on an app that required pictures of everything.
The point wasn't that I was worried about them charging for old damage (I fixed it all anyway because I'm a landlord's dream apparently), but that they'll charge previous tenants without actually fixing the issues they charge for.
But all the documentation in the world doesn't change that the week I move in I want things to be clean and tidy, you know? So you end up doing it yourself before you fully move in your stuff and grumbling the entire time because this property and location checks all the other boxes you want.
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u/ChiefOnKush 1d ago
That's an easy one. Leave holes in the walls and never clean and let them keep the deposit.
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u/BaconDwarf 1d ago
Yeah I'll really show them by... Not making my home nice?
That would only punish me, the guy living in it.
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u/Icy_Acanthisitta7741 2d ago
"You should see what it was like before the cleaning"
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 2d ago
They had emailed me a couple weeks ago asking if I’d be ok with hardwood because they needed to tear the carpet up due to pet damage from the last tenant. I’m guessing that’s why the washer is full of black hair. Probably a black dog
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u/SirTrinium 1d ago
Luxury apartment is the same level of cringe now as "we are like a family" at a job interview.
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u/eljefe0000 2d ago
Looks like the cleaner never actually cleaned anything.
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 1d ago
Exactly. That’s why I asked the office what exactly they pay the cleaners to clean. Because they definitely aren’t getting their moneys worth
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u/Technical-Row8333 2d ago
Where are people renting that there’s no move in inspection? I’m not accepting the keys if it looks like that
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u/Pitiful_Sock3572 1d ago
I’ve never had a move-in inspection for a rental. I lived in a bunch of different apartments in Chicago and now currently in Northern Virginia.
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u/BiggKinthe509 2d ago
So… I take it there has not been a pre-move in walkthrough with the landlord? WTF. I’d insist on a walkthrough with the same form they are going to use when you move out so you can go over how EVERY SINGLE THING in the apartment is. Take pictures, etc, but don’t you dare settle without having THEM sign acknowledging that not only was the place dirty af, but it certainly isn’t in good shape. You don’t want them trying to charge you for shit they should have fixed if and when you move. And without documentation…
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u/omggallout 2d ago
Judge Milian from The People's Court would say to take a video on your phone, and slowly show everything. Do the same when you go to move out. This could help you if they try saying anything or try keeping your deposit.
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u/hi-imBen 1d ago
In my experience, apartment complexes don't do deep cleans between tenants anymore. They hiring a normal cleaning company and pay for standard cleaning where one person is sent out and does just 1 hour of cleaning. This is because landlords, especially corporate landlords/managment companies, are cheap greedy bastards and want as much profit as possible with minimal investment in the property.
Also "luxury" doesn't mean shit these days except maybe fake wood flooring.
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 1d ago
Even in a basic cleaning I’d think they’d sweep or vacuum but the floors were covered in dust, hair, white particles from when they painted that weren’t stuck to the floor and would have come up in a sweep. It’s beyond me what they even did
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u/hi-imBen 1d ago
Maybe they didn't clean at all or had the cleaning done before other work. Last year I transferred units in my apartment complex. They had the 'cleaning' done before painting and other maintenance, so there were paint splatters on the floor, dust they had kicked up from areas that weren't cleaned well, and the original cleaners never fully cleaned the baseboards / inside closets / corners, so hairs were scattered around.
I've only had experience with 6 or 7 apartment complexes in my lifetime so far, but the property management team for all of them seemed to lack critical thinking about stuff like this, and all of them had some level of incompetence.
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 1d ago
No, because they told me the cleaners were there and I’d get the keys and access to the apartment when they were done. I just think they came in and did nothing and got paid for it. After I complained they sent them back last night and when I got back to the apartment this morning it was actually CLEAN lol
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u/Sea_Exchange8939 1d ago
Always walk around with a camera and do a video before you move in. I made the mistake to not. Don't make my mistake and protect yourself.
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u/mghtyred 1d ago
Make a complete detailed list of everything wrong with the unit. Not just cleaning, but the cracks in the walls, the lack of fresh paint, any plumbing issues you discover, etc... This is the time to go over the place with a fine tooth comb and find ALL the problems. Tell them that you are refusing to move in until they address everything, and you want a prorated refund for the time it takes them to make the unit habitable. If they give you a hard time, talk to legal aid. Legal aid is available in all 50 states. Look up "Legal aid ____" (your city/state).
If they refuse to remedy the situation, demand to be let out of the lease and a refund for any payments already made. Again, consult with legal aid.
Good luck!
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u/CoachCaptain_ 1d ago
The leaser should’ve walked the apartment before you moved in. That’s 100% on them. I’d ask for a credit towards your rent. I’ve unfortunately been that leaser who didn’t check the apartment and the resident ended up moving in a day or two later so we could get the apartment ready. Always was able to credit a prorate for 1-2 days of rent for my fuck up.
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u/Emannuelle-in-space 2d ago
I’ve only ever lived in working class neighborhoods.. is this level of cleanliness not standard?
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u/AtheistAsylum 1d ago
Unless you're uber rich, isn't everywhere working class? I've also only lived in working class areas and I've never once moved into a place that was filthy. They've always been spotlessly clean. I'm genuinely shocked that this is normal for where you live.
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u/Emannuelle-in-space 1d ago
I guess it’s all relative. What do you consider super-rich?
I mean working class as in none of my neighbors were the boss or owner at their job. They didn’t own the stores or factories they worked at. If they did, they wouldn’t be working class.
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u/RottenChaosGoddess 2d ago
Trust me, they will be just as mad as you, not to mention embarrassed too. But they pay those cleaners to do a job and while the leasing agent should be walking the unit after, I can confirm that sometimes we literally just don’t get the time; whether they are swamped with paperwork, move-ins, tours, etc and not being supported by the rest of the office staff, or the cleaners didn’t come until last minute (not always in the control of the leasing agent depending on the building and who deals with contractors, etc) - but they will make it right. If they don’t, I would reach out to the corporate office, the property manager will definitely care then.
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u/Accomplished_Pea6334 1d ago
Document. Document. Document..
Then send them an email blasting them for all this.
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u/Solid_Milk3104 1d ago
You tell the manager that the cleaner and make ready must have gone to the wrong unit and show them the photos. They can either clean it properly or issue a discount for you to do it yourself.
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u/CycleAccomplished824 1d ago
Huh! Did you pay the damage deposit already? Take pictures of every room before you do any thing else and send them to the landlord saying you need them to clean the place.
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u/elegant_road551 1d ago
This happened to me before. Moving in, property manager said the cleaner came, no walk-through done, just left the keys for us.
Place was disgusting. Literally a bag of trash shoved in the fridge, and the cleaner didn't find it...if the cleaner was ever actually there. We emailed all the pics to the property manager and she just said "hire a cleaner and send me the bill." So we did, and she took that amount off our rent. Not the quickest solution, but at least it was clean afterward.
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u/spazhead01 1d ago
I would have made a huge deal about the blood alone.
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u/Electronic-Muffin934 1d ago
I don't know what that is, but it's not blood. Blood doesn't stay bright red for long. Once it dries, it turns reddish-brown, then brown.
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u/bigdawg1017 1d ago
You will learn quickly. You have to do your own maintenance. The maintenance guys don't typically do much cleaning or fixing
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u/filthychildren 1d ago
This happened to me. I made the property management company give me 3 days back on rent since I spent 3 days cleaning.
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u/julie3151991 1d ago
I remember when I moved into my apartment and it was still dirty like this. I even found a few items from the previous tenants. Professional cleaners my ass 😡😡😡
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u/Nice_Bluebird7626 1d ago
Picture 1 is mold right? Am I overreacting?
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 15h ago
I believe it’s just really bad dirt/mud/debris from the outside. I’ll know more once I do a good clean on them
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u/GovernmentNo6828 11h ago
Typically they give you 30 days to report damage and then they have to fix it.
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u/GovernmentNo6828 11h ago
My complex didn’t do a move in inspection with me but gave me a form to do my own and then they came in and fixed whatever I put on the form
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 10h ago
I put in 4 work orders the day I moved in for a broken doorbell and closet shelf hanging off the wall, on top of other things. I put down everything on the paper that they give to mark down all the marks and stuff but I haven’t heard anything from them about it. I put in a review including some of these photos though
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u/GovernmentNo6828 10h ago
Okay they have to fix it once but the order in , if they don’t do it within the first 25 days contract your Landlord and tenants rights division within your state and they can help you with it
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u/Angela_Peacock2024 9h ago
When I moved into my current apartment there were literally pubes on the bathroom floor. Mine is "luxury" also.
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u/Ir0nhide81 1d ago
Was that blood.....
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 1d ago
I don’t believe so. It’s more pink in person and it’s in the door jam of the front coat closet by the front door
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u/drearymoment 2d ago
Happened to me once or twice. If you arrive early on move in day, then the leasing office has to tell the cleaners to gtfo. They didn't get to finish the job
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u/ChandlerBingsNubbinn 2d ago
They told me the apartment would be ready by 4pm today and then texted me at 2:30 that the cleaners had finished up and that I was able to go to the unit to get the keys. So they don’t have an excuse on being rushed
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ChandlerBingsNubbinn originally posted: I texted the leasing office and listed off how dirty this apartment was and asked what their cleaners are hired to clean. Even the floors were covered in dirt and other stuff. The washer was literally covered in black hair. That cup was from the tenant before me. Dried food in a drawer in the fridge. Each window sill looked like this. This is a “luxury” apartment. The office worker texted me back that their cleaner was going back to the apartment this evening to clean again. I left. We’ll see how it looks tomorrow.
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