PSA for DC Tenants: Your landlord cannot legally require professional cleanings
Exactly what the post title says: Any landlord who says they require a professional cleaning for move-in or move-out is violating DC law. In other words, you do not have to pay for a professional cleaning, and you cannot legally be punished by the landlord for refusal to do so. I'm so tired of seeing/hearing renters in DC discuss clearly illegal things their landlords are demanding of them.
Even if you signed a lease that states you are required to pay for a professional cleaning, that clause in the lease is unenforceable because it violates DC law. You are only required to return a unit to the landlord in a condition consistent with ordinary wear and tear.
Here's what the DC Code says about cleaning a unit (source: https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/42-3505.10):
(b-2)(1) A housing provider shall not charge a fee to a prospective tenant before move-in, during a tenancy, or after move-out for services required of the housing provider to maintain a unit in a condition consistent with the implied warranty of habitability and with Titles 12 and 14 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, or substantially similar subsequent regulations; except, that nothing in this subsection prohibits a housing provider from withholding a tenant's security deposit to replace damaged items if the tenant has caused damage to the unit beyond the standard of ordinary wear and tear as defined in § 42-3502.17(c)(3).
(2) A housing provider shall not charge a tenant a professional cleaning fee so long as the tenant returns the premises to the housing provider in a condition within the standard of ordinary wear and tear as defined in § 42-3502.17(c)(3).
I strongly recommend that all current and prospective tenants in DC 1) read and familiarize yourselves with the DC Tenant Bill of Rights and DC Code and 2) reach out to the Office of the Tenant Advocate (OTA) with questions when you suspect your landlord may be up to something fishy. Trust your gut here. OTA will read your lease, review written records of convos between you and your landlord, advise you on the law, and, in situations that warrant it, assign legal counsel to assist you. It is a great resource.
DC Tenant Bill of Rights: https://ota.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/ota/publication/attachments/2015%2007%2003%20OTA%20DC%20Tenant%20Bill%20of%20Rights%20ODAI-OTA%20FINAL.pdf
Office of the Tenant Advocate: https://ota.dc.gov/