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Move-In and Move-Out Cleaning Checklist for Abu Dhabi

A practical handover checklist for empty apartments and villas, including access, utilities, cabinets, appliances, floors, and final inspection.

By 7 min read · 23 June 2026

Move-In and Move-Out Cleaning Checklist for Abu Dhabi

Daily 8 AM – 8 PM · all of Abu Dhabi

Licence
Licensed since 2021
Abu Dhabi trade licence CN-4175959
Materials
Yours or ours
Liquids, vacuum, mop, cloths and a step ladder
Team
Our own cleaners
Trained in-house and in uniform
Re-clean
Free if reported within 24 hours
Anything on your agreed checklist
Table of Contents

Confirm the handover scope before booking

A move-in or move-out clean is a deep clean of an empty home. Before booking, list every space the landlord or building will inspect: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, balconies, storage rooms, maid's or driver's room, and any appliances that stay with the property. If your agent or landlord has sent a snag list or photos, share them — they tell the team exactly what will be checked.

Timing: after the movers, before the inspection

Book the clean for after the movers have finished and the home is empty, and ideally a day before the inspection. That leaves time to fix anything the landlord points out. In summer and at the end of the school year, when most leases change hands, book at least a week ahead.

Prepare access, electricity and water

The team needs power and water to clean, and a way in:

  • Keep electricity, water and AC connected until after the clean
  • Share the tower or villa details, parking and loading-bay rules
  • Arrange security approval and lift booking where the building requires it
  • Leave keys and access cards with the concierge if you have already left
  • Name a contact person who can answer questions on the day

The room-by-room checklist

Kitchen

  • Inside and outside every cupboard and drawer
  • Extractor hood, filters where removable, hob and splashback degreased
  • Sink, tap and drain descaled
  • Oven and fridge inside, if they stay with the property
  • Tiles, grout and floor, including under appliances where they can be moved

Bathrooms

  • Toilet, basin and shower or bath descaled
  • Shower screen, mirrors and glass shelves
  • Grout lines and tile edges
  • Exhaust fan cover and vanity cupboards inside

Bedrooms and living areas

  • Inside wardrobes and fitted storage
  • Doors, frames, switches and sockets
  • Skirting boards, window sills and sliding tracks
  • AC vent covers and light fittings within reach
  • Floors vacuumed and washed last

Balconies and terraces

  • Floor swept and washed
  • Railing and reachable glass wiped
  • Door track cleared of sand

What it costs

Move-in and move-out cleaning is priced by the length of the visit — AED 60 for 1 hour, AED 90 for 2 hours and AED 40 for each hour after that, with 20% off a visit of 4 hours or more, per cleaner, with our materials included, VAT included — with a deep-clean minimum of 2 cleaners for 3 hours each where short visits are accepted, and 2 cleaners for the area's shortest visit elsewhere. Most studios and 1-bedroom flats fit in the minimum; 2–3 bedroom apartments usually need 4–5 hours with two cleaners; villas most of a day with a larger team. Carpets, curtains and mattresses cleaned in the same visit are 10% off.

Complete a final inspection

Walk through the property with the team leader while access is still available, and compare the result with the agreed checklist and the landlord's list. Check in good light, open cupboards and look at the grout and the hood — the places inspectors look first. If you have already left, ask for photos of each room.

If a cleaning point comes up at inspection, send us the details within 24 hours and we arrange a re-clean of that area. Repairs, repainting and replacing damaged items are outside cleaning, though our maintenance team can quote for them.

Services in this article

Questions we get asked

How much does home cleaning cost in Abu Dhabi?

AED 60 for 1 hour, AED 90 for 2 hours and AED 40 for each hour after that, with 20% off a visit of 4 hours or more, per cleaner, with our cleaning materials and equipment included. Every price already includes 5% VAT, so the figure you see is the figure you pay, with no travel or call-out charge added at the end. A 2-bedroom apartment cleaned by one cleaner for 4 hours is AED 136 after the 20% discount, materials included. The shortest visit depends on your area: One or two hours can be booked in Khalifa City, Shakhbout City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Zayed City, Baniyas, Al Shawamekh, Al Raha Beach, Al Raha Gardens, Abu Dhabi Gate City, Shabiya, Al Muntazah and Rabdan. Everywhere else the shortest visit is 4 hours, and 6 hours in Al Wathba, Al Shahama, Al Rahba and Al Samha, which are further out. There is no travel fee. The price is identical on weekends, public holidays and same-day visits.

Is the price per cleaner or for the whole team?

Per cleaner. Each cleaner's visit is priced from the list by its length, so a team of 2 working 4 hours is 2 × AED 136 = AED 272, materials included. More cleaners finish sooner at the same price per hour; the 20% discount goes by the length of the visit, so it applies from 4 hours whether one cleaner comes or four. Most customers put two cleaners in a two-bedroom apartment so the home is done by lunchtime. You can book between 1 and 4 cleaners on a single visit.

What is the minimum booking?

It depends on the area. In Khalifa City, Shakhbout City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Zayed City, Baniyas, Al Shawamekh, Al Raha Beach, Al Raha Gardens, Abu Dhabi Gate City, Shabiya, Al Muntazah and Rabdan one hour per cleaner can be booked, AED 60, or two hours for AED 90. Everywhere else the shortest visit is 4 hours (AED 136 with the 20% off), and 6 hours in Al Wathba, Al Shahama, Al Rahba and Al Samha (AED 200), where the team travels further. Deep cleaning and move-in or move-out cleaning need at least 2 cleaners for 3 hours each where short visits are accepted (AED 260), and for the area's shortest visit elsewhere, because those jobs cover the inside of cupboards, appliances, skirting boards and bathrooms in detail. The ceiling is 4 cleaners at up to 8 hours each in one visit.

What materials and equipment are included?

Cleaning liquids and sprays, a vacuum cleaner, a mop and bucket, a broom, microfibre cloths and rags, and a step ladder — everything a normal apartment or villa clean needs, carried in by the team. Tall ladders and scaffolding are not included, so exterior windows above ground level and facade work are quoted separately. All of this is part of the visit price, with nothing added per hour.

Can I use my own cleaning products?

You do not need to prepare anything: the team brings the full kit to every visit. If you prefer a particular product for a delicate surface such as marble or wood, tell us in advance and the team uses it on that surface only. The price is the same either way.

Is there a travel fee?

No. There is no travel fee anywhere we work in Abu Dhabi; instead, the shortest visit depends on how far the team travels. One or two hours can be booked in Khalifa City, Shakhbout City, Mohammed Bin Zayed City, Zayed City, Baniyas, Al Shawamekh, Al Raha Beach, Al Raha Gardens, Abu Dhabi Gate City, Shabiya, Al Muntazah and Rabdan. Everywhere else the shortest visit is 4 hours, and 6 hours in Al Wathba, Al Shahama, Al Rahba and Al Samha, which are further out. There is no travel fee. If your community is not listed, book it as another area and we confirm coverage before the visit.

Do you charge extra for same-day, Fridays or holidays?

No. Same-day bookings, Fridays, weekends and public holidays are all charged at the standard rate, with no call-out fee and no peak pricing of any kind. We work daily from 08:00 to 20:00, and the only scheduling rule is that the work has to finish by closing time, so a long job simply needs an earlier start. Same-day visits need roughly 2 hours of notice for the team to reach you.

What if the job finishes early or takes longer?

You pay for the hours you booked. If the team finishes the agreed scope early, they stay for the remaining time and spend it on anything else you would like done — windows, a balcony, the inside of the fridge. If the property needs longer, the team leader asks you first, and the extra time is charged as the difference to the longer visit on the price list, in 30-minute steps. Nothing is ever added to your bill without your approval.

Is there a weekly or monthly package?

Weekly cleaning package: 3 or more visits a week, at least 3 hours each, 20% off every visit, on a fixed weekly schedule booked in advance. A 3-hour visit on the package is AED 104 instead of AED 130. Visits of 4 hours or more already get 20% off whether they repeat or not, and the two discounts do not add up. Monthly, fortnightly and weekly repeats can be booked at the normal price. Monthly package: AED 4,000 for 26 working days of 8 hours, 208 hours of cleaning in the month on a regular schedule. Extra services, materials and special requirements are agreed in advance. Package and repeat visits are paid visit by visit, and any visit can be paused, moved or cancelled under the normal policy.

How do I pay?

By card, online, after we confirm your booking. You send a request with nothing to pay; once we confirm it you pay from My bookings, on Nomod's secure payment page — we never see your card details. Jobs priced after photos (fabric care, AC ducts, repairs) are priced by the team first. Jobs of AED 1,000 or more take a 30% advance once confirmed and the balance online before the visit (a visit less than 24 hours away is paid in full, in one payment). The team comes once the visit is paid. There is no cash, card-on-site or bank-transfer option. All prices include 5% VAT, and a receipt for your booking can be printed or saved from My bookings.

Book in a minute

Reading up before you book?

When you are ready, pick the service, the size of your home and a time. We confirm the checklist with you before the team travels.