Move-Out & Deposit Cleaning — End of Lease in Korea
Leaving your officetel, one-room, villa, or apartment? In Korea, landlords often deduct cleaning costs from your deposit. A documented move-out clean returns the unit in good condition and protects your money.
Why Move-Out Cleaning Matters Here
The deposit problem in Korea. When your lease ends, your landlord inspects the unit before returning your deposit (보증금). Dirty kitchens, bathroom limescale, stained floors, or smells can lead to deductions — or disputes. Professional move-out cleaning with a photo record is the simplest way to leave cleanly and get your full deposit back. Homes, companies, property managers, and multi-unit buildings are all welcome. Night, dawn, and weekend visits are charged at the same rate. A tax invoice (세금계산서) is available, and we work discreetly so your neighbors won’t know.
Tenants on wolse (monthly rent) or jeonse leaving a rental; exchange students and teachers returning home; professionals relocating for work; anyone who wants a clean handover and a clear photo record for the landlord or agent.
What’s Included
We cover the 8 areas landlords inspect most:
- Kitchen — sink, counters, range hood, grease
- Bathroom — toilet, tub, limescale, mold spots
- Floors — vacuum, wash, stain treatment
- Wallpaper & walls — dust, marks, wipe-down
- Windows, frames & sills
- Veranda / balcony & drains
- Built-in closets & shelving
- Entry, door-lock area & shoe cabinet
How It Works
Leaving soon? Get your move-out quote in English
Send your size and a photo — we’ll reply with a fixed price and protect your deposit with a full photo record.
Move-Out FAQ
Will this help me get my deposit back?
Do you give photos for my landlord?
Tax invoice for reimbursement?
Can you come after my furniture is gone?
How much will it cost?
How deposit deductions actually work in Korea
Most disputes come from a gap between what the tenant thinks is normal and what the landlord expects at handover. Knowing where that line sits saves money.
We are a cleaning company, not a legal service, so we do not represent you in a dispute. What we do provide is a factual record: dated photographs of the same angles before and after, an itemised quote, and a tax invoice. In practice that documentation is what changes the conversation.
Working backwards from your handover date
Move-out cleaning is one of the few jobs where the deadline is fixed by someone else. We plan from that date, not from ours.
4 weeks out — book the date
Moving season in Korea clusters around specific dates, and weekends fill first. If your handover day is already fixed, tell us early. Booking does not cost anything and you can move the date up to the day before at no charge.
1 week out — send photos
Photograph the kitchen, bathroom, any mold or staining, and the balcony. We reply with a scope and an estimated range. The final figure is confirmed on site before we start, and nothing is added afterwards within that agreed scope.
Moving day — empty unit is ideal
Once the movers are gone we can reach the places that matter at inspection. If the schedule is tight we work overnight so the unit is ready the next morning. Night, dawn and weekend work is the same price as daytime.
Handover — walk through together
We finish, then check the unit with you or your agent. Anything missed is corrected on the spot before we leave. There is no callback system because the work closes on the same day.
You do not need to speak Korean for this
Language is the reason many foreign residents put off calling a Korean cleaning company at all.
Send photos instead of explaining
A photo of the problem removes most of the language barrier. Send two or three on KakaoTalk and we understand the scope without a long conversation. You will get a written reply you can read at your own pace.
English inquiry, Korean scheduling
You write in English. We handle the Korean side — coordinating with your landlord, agent or building management if that is needed. You do not have to be the translator for your own service call.
Written record, not verbal promises
The scope, the price and the result all exist as text and photographs. Nothing important is agreed only by phone, so there is no misunderstanding to argue about later.
Your agent can be the contact
If your real estate agent or a Korean friend is handling the handover, we can coordinate with them directly and keep you copied. Tell us who the point of contact should be.
My landlord says the walls are dirty and wants to keep part of my deposit. Is that normal?
Deductions for cleaning are common in Korea, but there is a difference between normal wear and actual damage. Faded wallpaper, small nail holes from a picture, and light scuffing from daily living are generally considered normal use. Nicotine staining, mold that spread from poor ventilation habits, pet damage and grease build-up are usually treated as tenant responsibility. The strongest thing you can have is a photo record — of the condition when you moved in, and of the condition after cleaning. We take standardised before/after photos and can send them to you as a file.
I never took photos when I moved in. What can I do now?
Start from today. Photograph every room, the bathroom grout, under the sink, window frames and any existing damage before we clean, then again after. That gives you a documented baseline for the negotiation even if you have nothing from move-in day. We also note anything that clearly pre-dates your tenancy — old water stains, existing cracks — so you are not charged for someone else's damage.
Can you come after the movers take everything out?
That is actually the best timing. An empty unit lets us reach behind furniture, inside built-in wardrobes and under appliances, which is exactly where landlords look during the final walkthrough. Tell us your handover time and we will work backwards from it, including overnight if your schedule is tight.
I am leaving Korea and need this done fast.
Send photos on KakaoTalk and we will reply with a scope within about ten minutes. Departures often mean a fixed date with no flexibility, so tell us your flight or handover date first and we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it before you book anything.
Can I pay if I have already closed my Korean bank account?
Card payment works, and a Korean colleague or your agent can also settle on your behalf. If your company reimburses relocation costs we issue a tax invoice (세금계산서) with the details they need. Tell us in advance what document your employer requires.