Miami House Cleaning provides move-out cleaning across Fort Lauderdale and Broward County starting at $144 for a studio under 1,000 square feet, and we schedule those jobs around one date most tenants overlook: under Florida Statute 83.49, a landlord who is not making a claim on your security deposit has only 15 days after the lease terminates to return it in full. The condition of the unit at the walkthrough is what decides which side of that deadline you end up on.
Broward is not Miami-Dade with a different area code. The beach-corridor housing stock is older, much of the rental inventory sits within a mile of salt water, and late August is the most humid stretch of the year — all of which changes what a landlord finds when they open the door.
What Florida law actually requires after you hand back the keys
The rules are specific and worth knowing before you argue about a deduction. Under Fla. Stat. § 83.49:
- If the landlord does not intend to impose a claim, they must return the deposit within 15 days of the lease terminating.
- If they do intend to make a claim, they must send written notice by certified mail (or e-mail under s. 83.505) within 30 days, stating the reason.
- You then have 15 days from receiving that notice to object in writing.
- If the landlord misses the 30-day window, they forfeit the right to claim against the deposit.
This is not legal advice and every lease differs, but it sets the practical timing: the cleaning has to be finished before the walkthrough, not before the 15th day. Once a landlord has photographed a dirty oven, the clock is already working against you.
The Broward-specific things that actually cost people their deposit
Salt film and gritty sliding-door tracks
From Las Olas Isles and Rio Vista east to the beach, exterior glass carries a salt haze that ordinary glass cleaner smears rather than lifts, and sliding-door tracks collect a paste of salt, sand and dust no vacuum will pull out. Landlords notice both immediately, because both are at eye level. A proper move-out cleaning works those tracks by hand.
Late-summer mildew in a closed-up unit
A Broward apartment left empty in late August with the A/C set high grows visible mildew fast — grout lines, the back wall of a linen closet, the ceiling above a shower. Cleaning removes the visible growth and reduces exposure to it; it does not treat, cure or diagnose any health condition, and recurring moisture behind drywall needs a licensed remediation contractor, not a cleaner. If your bathroom already has that look, this is a deep cleaning job, not a standard turnover.
Terrazzo and older mid-century floors
Plenty of Broward rentals — the 1950s and 60s ranch stock around Wilton Manors, Victoria Park and Coral Ridge — sit on original terrazzo. It is beautiful, and it is porous. Acidic supermarket cleaners dull it, so a tenant who tries to shine it up the night before a walkthrough usually makes the problem more visible. The same caution applies to marble thresholds and stone vanities in newer Flagler Village builds.
Downtown high-rises have their own rulebook
If you are leaving a tower on Galt Ocean Mile, along the New River, or in the downtown Fort Lauderdale corridor, the building is itself a scheduling constraint: most associations want a certificate of insurance on file, a reserved service elevator and a defined move-out window, and they enforce it. We covered how those buildings work in our guide to condo and high-rise cleaning — the same rules apply on this side of the county line, so give management a few days’ notice.
A Broward move-out cleaning checklist
- Kitchen: inside the oven, under the drip pans, the range hood filter, inside and behind the refrigerator, and the inside of every cabinet and drawer — empty, not just wiped at the front.
- Bathrooms: grout lines, shower door tracks and hardware, exhaust-fan cover, under and behind the toilet base.
- Glass and tracks: interior glass, sliding-door and window tracks, screen frames where reachable.
- Air: vent covers and return grille — a dust-caked return is a photograph waiting to happen.
- Edges: baseboards, door frames, ceiling-fan blades, closet shelving and rods.
- Floors: vacuum and mop with a product appropriate to the surface, terrazzo and stone included.
What move-out cleaning does not include
Miami House Cleaning does not remove junk, remove debris, or haul away furniture, boxes or trash — not on a move-out, and not on a post-construction job. Our crews clean surfaces in an empty or near-empty home, so the unit has to be cleared before we arrive. Book your hauler or donation pickup first and the cleaning after; in the wrong order, the crew arrives to a home it cannot finish.
When to book it
Schedule the clean for the day after the movers are out and at least a full day before the walkthrough, leaving room to fix anything the landlord flags. Our team covers the county — move-out cleaning in Fort Lauderdale, ongoing house cleaning in Fort Lauderdale, and cleaning services in Hollywood, FL — along with Pompano Beach, Plantation, Davie, Weston, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Pembroke Pines and Miramar. Landlords and agents running repeat turnovers can read how we handle cleaning for realtors and property managers across South Florida.
Our cleaners are background-checked and insured, we use eco-friendly products, and we hold a 4.9-star average across 142 reviews (67 on Google and 75 on Thumbtack).
Frequently asked questions
How much does move-out cleaning cost in Fort Lauderdale?
Miami House Cleaning starts at $144 for a studio under 1,000 square feet, and larger homes are quoted individually because square footage and condition drive the work. Call 754-354-6072 and you get 10% off for booking by phone, or request a written quote through our free estimate form.
Does Miami House Cleaning remove leftover furniture, boxes or trash?
Miami House Cleaning does not offer junk removal, debris removal or haul-away of any kind. We clean an empty or near-empty unit; anything left behind has to be cleared by you or a hauling company before the crew arrives.
Should the move-out cleaning happen before or after the movers?
After. An empty unit is the only way baseboards, cabinet interiors, closet shelving and the floor beneath furniture can actually be cleaned, and those are exactly the areas a Broward landlord checks at the walkthrough.
How far in advance should I schedule a Fort Lauderdale move-out clean?
Book as soon as your move-out date is set, and earlier if you are in a downtown Fort Lauderdale or Galt Ocean Mile high-rise, because the building will likely require a certificate of insurance and a reserved service elevator window.
Do you clean move-outs elsewhere in Broward County?
Yes. Miami House Cleaning serves all of Broward alongside Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, including Hollywood, Pompano Beach, Plantation, Davie, Weston, Coral Springs, Sunrise, Pembroke Pines and Miramar.
Get your Broward move-out on the schedule
Give yourself the buffer the 15-day deposit rule does not. Request a free estimate or call Miami House Cleaning at 754-354-6072 — 601 NE 39th St, Miami, FL 33137, support@miahousecleaning.com — and we will get a Fort Lauderdale move-out clean booked before your walkthrough.
