Sequence it around the move, not around the cleaner
A move-out clean happens after the last item has left and before the walk-through. A move-in clean happens after the previous occupant is out and before your furniture arrives, which on a same-day closing means a window of a few hours. Booking a same-day closing clean should be treated as a risk that both sides discuss rather than an assumption, and a day of slack is worth paying for if the calendar allows it.
Ottawa has two hard peaks and a monthly one. A very large share of the city's leases end on 31 August, driven by the two universities and the college, so late August is close to impossible to book at short notice in Sandy Hill, Centretown, the Glebe and around Carleton. The 1 July turnover is the second peak. On top of both, the last week of any month is the busiest week in this trade because closings and lease ends cluster there.
The practical rule: book two to three weeks ahead for an ordinary month, and six or more for the end of June or August.
The kitchen, which is where most of the hours go
Inside the oven, the racks and the broiler pan. Under the burners and inside the drawer beneath. The range hood filter degreased, which is nearly always forgotten and nearly always noticed. Inside, behind and underneath the fridge, including the coils and the drip tray, because six years of dust behind an appliance is visible the moment it is pulled out. The dishwasher filter and the door seals, which hold food debris and smell.
Then every cupboard and drawer inside and out, including the tops of upper cabinets where grease and dust bind into a film that needs a degreaser and time rather than pressure. Counters, backsplash and sink, with the tap base and the drain flange done by hand. Light fixtures and switch plates. The floor last, vacuumed then washed, including the strip under the toe-kick and the space where the stove sat.
An empty kitchen of ordinary size is three to five cleaner-hours on its own. A quote that allocates less than that has not included the oven and the fridge, whatever the description says.
Bathrooms, living space and the whole-unit list
Bathrooms: every fixture descaled, including the toilet base, the seat hinges and the tank lid, the shower glass and grout treated with an acidic product for mineral film, the extractor fan cover removed and cleaned, the vanity inside and out, the mirror, and the floor including behind the toilet. Ottawa's treated water leaves the plant with pH adjusted to 9.2 to 9.4 to limit corrosion in the pipes (City of Ottawa), and alkaline water plus soap is the film no general-purpose cleaner will shift.
Whole unit: every window interior, sill and track, which is where dead insects and grit collect and which is the most commonly skipped item on a cheap quote. Blinds slat by slat. Baseboards, door frames, doors, handles, switch plates and light fixtures. Closet interiors including the floors and the shelf tops. Vents and cold air returns. Spot cleaning of walls. Balcony or entry swept. Garage swept if it is in scope. Floors vacuumed then washed, closets included.
Timing for the whole job: an empty one or two bedroom condo is typically five to nine cleaner-hours, an empty three or four bedroom house ten to twenty, with hours added where there have been pets or smokers or a tenancy longer than about five years.
What the deposit argument is actually about
A professional clean removes the cleaning argument. It does not settle the damage argument, and conflating the two is how people end up disappointed. Scuffs come off. Crayon usually comes off. Nail holes, gouges, pet urine soaked into subfloor and cigarette residue bound into paint do not, and a cleaner who promises otherwise will spend your money failing at it.
So photograph the property before the crew starts, with the date visible, and photograph it again afterwards. That single step resolves most disputes, because it separates what was already there from what cleaning was expected to fix.
On the law, be careful with what you are told. Ontario's residential tenancy rules oblige a tenant to keep a unit clean and to repair undue damage, and a professional clean is a sensible way to meet the first of those. It is not in itself a legal obligation, and a lease clause demanding proof of a professional clean is not automatically enforceable. Where money is genuinely at stake, that is a question for the Landlord and Tenant Board rather than for a cleaning company, and nothing here is legal advice.
Condo access, insurance and the crew that gets turned away
Most downtown Ottawa buildings require the service elevator and the loading dock to be booked in advance, frequently with a deposit, and many require a certificate of insurance naming the condominium corporation before a contractor is allowed above the lobby. A crew arriving without that booking does not get in, and the appointment is lost along with the morning.
Ask your property manager exactly what is needed, get it in writing, and pass it to the cleaning company at least a week before the date. The certificate takes one email for a properly insured company to produce, so a company that cannot supply one is telling you something.
Two other checks are worth making for empty-property work specifically, because it involves keys, access and an unoccupied building. A WSIB clearance number, which is valid for up to 90 days (WSIB), and a bond if theft is the concern rather than damage. A janitorial or fidelity bond covers the value of stolen items up to the bond amount and is explicitly not an insurance policy, so property damage is not covered under it (NFP). Liability insurance is what responds to damage. Ask about both by name, and ask who is holding the key and under what written arrangement.
Questions before you book
Is this a flat price or hourly, and how many cleaner-hours. Is the oven interior included. Are interior windows, sills and tracks included or extra. Will you clean inside the fridge and behind it. What happens if the property is not empty when you arrive. Can you provide a certificate of insurance naming the condo corporation, and do you need the service elevator booked. Will you photograph the finished property. What is your policy if the landlord or the buyer disputes the standard.
And one to expect a no on: carpet steam cleaning is usually a separate trade with separate equipment, separate pricing and a drying time that has to fit around the move. Ask for it as a line item rather than assuming it sits inside a flat price. No licence exists for cleaning in Ontario and cleaning is not one of the 23 compulsory trades (Skilled Trades Ontario), so documents and specifics are the only due diligence available.