PCS Move Cleaning Guide for Randolph AFB Families

PCS season around Randolph AFB means the same scramble every year: packers come, the truck leaves, and you are standing in an empty house that has to pass an inspection or a landlord walkthrough within days. We are based in Schertz, minutes from the base, and move-out cleans for relocating military families are a regular part of our schedule. Here is what we have learned about doing them right.

On-base housing vs off-base rental: different standards

If you live in privatized base housing, your housing office provides a cleaning standard for the final inspection, and it is usually stricter than a typical landlord checklist. Get the current version from your housing office early. Standards change, and the document in your move-in packet from three years ago may not match what the inspector uses now.

Off-base rentals in Converse, Universal City, Schertz, and Cibolo follow Texas deposit law instead. Your landlord can deduct for cleaning only to restore the home to its move-in condition, normal wear excepted. Your best protection is the move-in condition form you filled out years ago plus photos of the cleaned home on your way out.

The order of operations that works

1. Schedule the clean for after the packers, not before. Movers track dirt, leave packing debris, and reveal the floor and wall areas furniture covered for years. A clean done before pack-out gets undone in a day.
2. Leave the utilities on through the clean. A proper move-out clean needs hot water and working lights. Schedule disconnection for after your final inspection date.
3. Book the clean one to two days before the inspection or walkthrough. Close enough that nothing gets dirty again, far enough that there is time to fix anything the cleaner flags.
4. Photograph everything after the clean. Every room, inside the oven and fridge, and any pre-existing damage. Date-stamped photos end most deposit disputes before they start.

What inspectors and landlords actually check

The fail points are consistent: inside the oven, the range hood filter, inside and behind the fridge if it stays, bathroom grout and fixtures, ceiling fans, window tracks, blinds, baseboards, and the garage floor. A standard weekly-style cleaning does not touch most of that list, which is why a dedicated move-in/move-out clean exists as its own service with its own checklist.

We serve the entire Randolph corridor from our home base in Schertz, including Converse and Cibolo. PCS timelines are tight and inspection dates do not move, so if your report date is coming up, request a quote with your move-out date and we will work around it.