Who Pays for Exterior Cleaning, the Landlord or the Tenant?

This comes up constantly on rentals in St. Johns County, and it is usually only asked once the house has gone visibly green.

What leases normally say

Most residential leases in Florida put the structure on the owner and the day to day on the tenant. Exterior cleaning sits in the gap. Washing the siding, the walkways and the driveway is building maintenance, which lands with the owner unless the lease says otherwise in plain words.

Where it gets argued is lawn care, which is often the tenant, and people assume exterior washing rides along with it. It does not, unless it is written down.

Why the owner should want to pay

Even where you could push it onto the tenant, it is usually a bad trade.

• Growth is not cosmetic here. Left long enough, algae and lichen hold moisture against the siding and the trim. That is swollen board, failed sealant and a repainting bill years early.
• You control the method. A tenant hiring the cheapest contractor is how vinyl siding gets blasted at 3,000 psi and water is driven in behind it.
• It is deductible and schedulable. Annual maintenance you plan is cheaper than a restoration clean between tenancies.
• Turnover. A clean exterior rents faster and photographs better.

HOA letters land on the owner

In most St. Johns County communities, the violation letter goes to the property owner of record, not the occupant. Fines accrue to the owner too. Chasing a tenant to resolve it, while the clock runs, is the slowest possible way to deal with it.

If you do want it on the tenant

Then write it precisely. Name the surfaces, name the frequency, and name the method. A clause that says keep the exterior clean is unenforceable in practice and guarantees the argument.

In most cases the cleaner arrangement is the owner pays, schedules it annually, and the tenant simply gets told when someone is coming.

What we do for landlords

We work with owners and property managers across St. Johns County on scheduled exterior cleaning, including portfolios. We coordinate access directly with tenants, send dated before and after photographs for your records, and invoice the owner. For turnovers we can usually fit in between tenancies at short notice.

If you have a rental that has got away from you, call us and we will quote the reset and the annual after it.