How to Pass Your Base Housing Move-Out Inspection

Foolproof Guide to Passing Your PCS Inspection

Roughly one-third of military families live on base. If you do live on base and have orders to move for deployment or another reason, then be prepared to take on a PCS inspection.

Understand the Housing Inspection Checklist

The moment you get word of a possible permanent change of station, you should go down to your base’s housing office and request a move-out inspection checklist.

This sheet will help you prepare for the PCS inspection that happens after your belongings are all packed up and ready to be moved. It includes damage repair costs, proper removal of belongings, and cleaning specifications.

Make Necessary Repairs

As stated, your departure inspection checklist should include the expectations of what repairs may be required before your final move-out inspection.

Broken lighting fixtures, nail holes in the wall, and other smaller repairs can be done on your own. However, if you have any damage to household amenities, it is your responsibility to tell the housing agent and cover the costs of any repairs. The best way to lessen your costs is to be upfront and get the damages fixed before the final inspection.

Conduct a Deep Cleaning

Throughout your time living in base housing, you’ll likely be routinely cleaning your home. Even so, a thorough cleaning should be done before your final housing inspection.

When deep cleaning, pay extra attention to all appliances. Stoves, refrigerators, and other kitchen appliances should be taken care of first. This is because these appliances have multiple surfaces to clean and are often neglected in everyday cleaning. Don’t forget to pull out the refrigerator and oven to clean around and behind them.

On top of that, you will want to clean the carpet. If your base house does not have carpets, it is still important to clean and varnish or polish your type of flooring. Here’s what you should do for your type of flooring:

• Carpet: To clean your carpets, you will want to vacuum first to remove dust and dirt from the carpet fibers. To treat stains, soak the treatable areas with a mixture of vinegar and water. Let the mixture sit for five minutes then blot dry.
• Vinyl: Cleaning vinyl floors is very simple. Using a mixture of hot water, apple cider vinegar, and a few drops of liquid dish soap, you can give your vinyl floors a good clean and shine. Make sure to not waterlog the vinyl, however. Leave your mop damp and routinely rinse as you clean section by section.
• Tile: Cleaning tile floors is similar to cleaning vinyl. You can use a mixture of hot water, white vinegar, and a few drops of liquid dish soap. Dampen your mop with the mixture and proceed as normal.
• Wood: Wood floors should consistently be maintained. You will need a hardwood floor cleaner and finisher to complete this task.

Clean Your Home’s Exterior

To pass your PCS inspection, you will need to wash out all trash, recycle, and compost bins. This can be done by wiping them down with a damp cloth lathered with your choice of soap. When getting rid of soap suds, use a separate damp cloth to do so or simply hose them down.

Additionally, porch and patio lighting fixtures should be cleaned and repaired. Sweeping and hosing your porch and patio the day before your inspection will give your home a renewed look. Your garage door should also be taken care of. Inspectors will look to see if the garage sticks or has trouble opening and closing.

One way to clean your garage door is to use a high-pressure hose nozzle. If you are certified to use an actual pressure washer, then that will also help to remove any grime or dirt that has accumulated in the grooves. The high-pressure nozzle is mainly recommended because it can be fitted to any household hose and is user-friendly.

Should You Hire a PCS Cleaning Service?

Moving can already be tedious and stressful, especially when your loved one gets deployed. Hiring a PCS cleaning service will help take care of the bulk of your move-out cleaning.

These cleaning services have the knowledge of what needs to be done for you to pass your PCS inspection. They will also be useful in ensuring that every requirement is met. In fact, housing agents prefer when renters get their homes professionally cleaned. If you clean your house on your own, there is a chance that you could forget or not do something up to standard.

Furthermore, if you hire a PCS cleaning company you are more likely to get your deposit back.

Your base’s housing office should have cleaners to hire for a set cleaning fee, or you may be able to find someone on base who offers PCS professional cleaning services.

When hiring either of these options, make sure you print out the housing inspection form and have the cleaners sign it to signify that they are familiar with the requirements and will adhere to them. This is always good practice because it will ensure liability if the cleaner does not clean up to standard.

Common PCS Cleaning Supplies

Whether you choose to hire a professional cleaner or do the cleaning yourself, you can be prepared for a PCS cleaning by having basic cleaning supplies. Consider stocking up on the following items:

• Magic Erasers
• Pine-Sol
• Steel wool pads
• All-purpose cleaner
• Bleach
• Baking soda
• High-pressure hose nozzle
• Microfiber cloths
• Reusable gloves

Pre-PCS Cleaning Checklist

Regardless if you hire a cleaning service, you should consider performing your own cleaning. Doing so will give you peace of mind in knowing that every inch of your home has indeed been thoroughly cleaned prior to your inspection. The good thing about this pre-PCS cleaning is that it does not have to be a complete deep cleaning like your hired cleaning service will provide.

Tasks to perform in your pre-PCS cleaning include:

• Dust and sanitize all surfaces of the house
• Wipe down blinds
• Clean windows and their sills
• Clean floorboards
• Dust and wipe down fan blades and light fixtures
• Sanitize walls
• Sanitize the interior of your cabinets, drawers, and closet spaces
• Vacuum or dry mop flooring
• Make necessary repairs, if applicable

Utilizing the list above will ensure that all the basics are covered. If you do wish to do the deep cleaning on your own, you’ll have to include the cleaning of all kitchen and bathroom appliances.

Find a Move-Out Cleaner for Your Base Housing

At Moveout.com, we aim to connect cleaners to you with our user-friendly platform. All you have to do is type in your address and desired move-out cleaning date, and we’ll connect you with a cleaner in no time.

Check out our site to find out more about move-out cleaning services and how they can help you make your move stress-free.