The numbers you need
- Studio or micro-unit — quarter truck, $241.
- One-bedroom — half truck, $431.
- Two-bedroom — three quarters at $587, or a full truck at $732 if it was left furnished.
- A unit left mostly empty, with a mattress and a few bags — often the $95 minimum plus items, or a quarter truck if there is more than it looked.
By item, the things tenants most often leave: sofa $126, queen mattress $103, mattress and box spring set $143, standard dresser $126, desk $83, TV between 42 and 65 inches $68, bagged clothing $35 a bag.
A very common single-unit leftover set is a sofa and a mattress: $126 + $103 = $229.
Check the abandoned-property process before you clear
The one thing worth getting right before a truck is booked.
Washington sets out a process for property left behind when a tenancy ends, and it involves notice and a waiting period rather than immediate disposal. That applies even when the unit is obviously abandoned and the items are obviously worthless to anyone.
Check the current requirements for your situation, follow them, and then clear. What you want at the end is a dated receipt showing what was removed and when, which is the document that settles a dispute months later when nobody's memory is reliable.
This page is not legal advice, and the details change. The practical point is simply: do the notice step first, then book, rather than the other way round.
Seattle turnover, by property type
Older walk-up buildings on Capitol Hill, First Hill and in the U District. Three storys, no lift, narrow stairwells, and a street where the truck sits in the single travel lane. The carry is the job. There is no walk-up fee for it.
Newer mid-rise and tower units in Ballard, South Lake Union, Northgate and on the Eastside. Easier internally — service lift, loading bay — but the lift must be booked and the building will very likely want a certificate of insurance naming it. Sort that days ahead.
Houses and duplexes in Rainier Valley, Greenwood, White Center and the north end. Here the tenant's leftovers are the small part; the basement and the garage are the real volume, and they accumulate across several tenancies because nobody ever clears them at a turnover.
Basement and garage ADUs. This city has a lot of them now, and they turn over like flats but clear like basements — low ceilings, a narrow stair or an exterior entrance down a slope, and a damp problem the main house does not have.
The damp factor, and why it costs you
A specific Seattle warning for anyone holding a vacant unit through winter.
A unit sitting closed, unheated and full of a departed tenant's furniture from November to February does not stay as it was. Moisture builds, upholstery takes it up, and mold appears on the wall behind the sofa that is pressed against a cold exterior wall. Basement units and ADUs get there fastest.
That turns a turnover into a remediation. The cost is not the removal — a half truck is $431 whenever you do it — it is the repainting, the deep clean and the extra weeks the unit is off the market.
So the operational rule is: clear it in the first week, not when you get round to it. Open the windows, get the soft furnishings out, and the unit stays a turnover instead of becoming a project.
Prices for the turnover items
| Item or load | Flat price |
|---|---|
| 1/4 truck | $241 |
| 1/2 truck | $431 |
| 3/4 truck | $587 |
| Full truck | $732 |
| Sofa / Couch | $126 |
| Mattress — Queen | $103 |
| Refrigerator (Standard) | $164 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Dryer | $128 |
| Carpet — Removal (per room) | $71 |
| Trash Bag (33-55 gal) | $35 |
A one-bedroom turnover where the carpet in two rooms also comes out is $431 + $71 + $71 = $573.
A unit where the appliances are being replaced at the same time: a half truck plus a fridge and a laundry pair is $431 + $164 + $133 + $128 = $856.
What makes a turnover fast
- One visit, not three. Every visit carries the $95 minimum, and a part-cleared unit cannot be shown, painted or carpeted.
- Book the clearance before the trades. Painters and carpet fitters cannot work around a sofa, and rescheduling them costs more than the clearance did.
- Handle the building requirements early — lift booking, certificate of insurance, loading bay.
- Say what is there. Appliances, a mattress, paint tins in a cupboard, carpet coming up. The load is planned around it.
- Keep the receipt. For the deposit accounting and for your own file.
If you manage several units
Portfolio owners in this market tend to hit the same two weeks every year: the end of August and the end of September, when the university year restarts and a large share of leases flip together.
The practical approach is to book those turnovers as far ahead as you can, and to group them geographically — three units in the same Ballard or Rainier Valley cluster on one day rather than three separate visits across two weeks.
And use the quiet months. A vacant unit cleared in January is cleared at short notice; the same unit in the first week of September is competing with every mover in the city.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a rental turnover cleanout cost in Seattle?
A studio is usually a quarter truck at $241, a one-bedroom a half truck at $431, and a two-bedroom $587 to $732. By item, a sofa and a mattress is $126 + $103 = $229. Minimum visit $95.
Can I just throw out what a tenant left behind?
Not immediately. Washington sets out a process for property left behind at the end of a tenancy, involving notice and a waiting period. Check the current requirements, complete that step, then clear the unit and keep the dated receipt.
Why should I clear a vacant unit straight away?
Because a closed, unheated Seattle unit full of soft furnishings through winter develops damp and mold, especially in basement flats and ADUs. The removal costs the same whenever you do it — the repainting and the lost weeks do not.
Do you provide a receipt?
Yes, dated and itemized, which is what you want for deposit accounting and for your file if the tenancy is disputed later.
Do you charge extra for a third-floor unit with no lift?
No. There is no walk-up fee and no stair charge, which covers the older three-story buildings on Capitol Hill, First Hill and in the U District.
Can you clear several units in one day?
Yes, and grouping them geographically is the efficient way to do it — three units in the same Ballard or Rainier Valley cluster on one day rather than three separate visits.