The end of tenancy cleaning checklist that gets deposits back

Every year, deposit disputes in England come down to the same thing far more often than broken furniture or marked walls: cleaning. It is the single most common reason money is held back, and it is also the easiest to avoid, because unlike wear and tear it is entirely within your control.

We clean around forty properties a week at the end of a tenancy. This is the checklist we work to, and the parts people miss.

First, know what you are actually being judged against

You are not being asked to leave the property spotless. You are being asked to leave it as clean as it was when you moved in, which is recorded in your inventory. Dig that document out before you start. It will tell you two useful things: the standard you have to match, and whether the carpets were professionally cleaned at the start. If they were, you will almost certainly need to do the same.

Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019 a landlord cannot force you to use a professional cleaning company as a condition of your tenancy. They can only require the property to be returned as clean as it was handed over.

The kitchen is where deposits are lost

More than half the cleaning-related deductions we see relate to the kitchen. It is also the room that takes the longest, so start here while you still have energy.

• Inside the oven. Racks out, glass door taken apart if it comes apart, the grill and the tray. This is the number one item on every check-out report.
• The extractor filter, which usually lifts out and can be soaked in hot water and washing-up liquid.
• The hob, including under the burner caps and the seal around the edge.
• Inside the fridge and freezer, defrosted, with the seals wiped and the drawers washed. Leave the door propped open.
• Inside every cupboard and drawer, emptied first. Crumbs in a drawer are an easy thing to note.
• The washing machine drawer and rubber seal, which collect black mould that is very obvious to anyone who opens the door.
• Behind and under the appliances if you can move them safely.

Bathrooms: limescale is the giveaway

• Descale the taps, the showerhead, the screen and the tiles. In hard water areas this is the difference between a pass and a fail.
• Clean the grout, not just the tiles.
• Take the toilet seat off if it unclips and clean underneath the hinges.
• Clear and wipe the extractor fan cover.
• Empty and clean the bathroom cabinet inside.

Everywhere else

• Skirting boards, doorframes, door tops and light switches — all places dust gathers and nobody looks until a clerk does.
• Inside windows, including the frames and the sills. Outside is not normally your responsibility above the ground floor.
• Inside wardrobes and built-in storage.
• Radiators, including behind them.
• Light fittings and lampshades.
• Floors vacuumed and mopped last, after everything above has been dusted down onto them.

The four things that catch nearly everyone out

1. Not emptying first

Cleaners cannot clean inside a cupboard that is still full, and a clerk will open it. Empty everything before the clean, not during it.

2. Leaving it until moving day

You will be exhausted, the van will be waiting, and you will run out of time. Book the clean for the day after you move out if your tenancy allows it — an empty property cleans far better anyway.

3. Forgetting the outside spaces

Balconies, patios, bin stores and communal hallways attached to your flat all appear on inventories.

4. Assuming carpets are included

They usually are not, in any quote. Check your inventory and add carpet cleaning if it says the carpets were professionally cleaned at the start.

What it costs to have it done

We charge a fixed price by the size of the property, the same everywhere in England:

• Studio — £109
• One bedroom — £139
• Two bedrooms — £169
• Three bedrooms — £219
• Four bedrooms — £279

Inside the oven, fridge, freezer and windows are included, not added on. Extra bathrooms are £20 each.

For context, a deposit on a two-bedroom flat is typically £1,500 or more. A £169 clean that protects it is not really an expense.

If your landlord still disputes it

Ask for the check-out report and photographs. If the complaint is about cleaning and you used us, send it over within 72 hours: we return and re-clean whatever was flagged, free. That is exactly what the guarantee is for, and it is far quicker than raising a dispute with the deposit scheme.

See our end of tenancy prices and book online — it takes about a minute, and you do not need a card to book.