Start with your check-in inventory
The standard you need to meet isn't 'spotless' in the abstract – it's the condition the property was in when you moved in, allowing for fair wear and tear. Your check-in inventory (and any photos you took) is the benchmark. Dig it out before you start and note anything that was already marked, stained or worn.
If the inventory says the oven was 'professionally cleaned' or the carpets were 'clean and fresh' at the start, those are the areas a check-out clerk will look at closely.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where most cleaning disputes start:
- Oven, grill, racks, trays and door glass – inside and out
- Hob, pan supports and the splashback behind it
- Extractor hood and filters
- Fridge and freezer – emptied, defrosted if needed, cleaned and left with doors ajar if switched off
- Inside and outside every cupboard and drawer
- Dishwasher filter and washing machine drawer and seal
- Microwave, inside and out
- Sink, taps and plughole, descaled
- Worktops, tiles and grout
- Bins emptied and cleaned
- Floor, including under and behind appliances where possible
Bathrooms
Limescale and mould are the two things that let a bathroom down:
- Toilet inside and out, including the base, behind it and under the seat
- Bath, shower tray and screen descaled
- Tiles and grout cleaned; surface mould treated
- Shower head and taps descaled
- Sink, plughole and overflow
- Mirrors and cabinets inside and out
- Extractor fan cover
- Floor mopped, including corners
Bedrooms and living areas
Clerks look inside furniture and at the edges of rooms:
- Inside wardrobes, drawers and shelves
- Skirting boards, door frames and doors
- Light switches, sockets and handles wiped
- Marks spot-cleaned from walls where possible
- Windows cleaned inside, plus sills and frames
- Curtains and blinds dusted
- Under beds and furniture vacuumed
- Carpets vacuumed thoroughly – or cleaned if they were cleaned at check-in
- Light fittings and lampshades dusted
Everywhere else
The finishing touches:
- Hallways and stairs, including banisters
- Radiators wiped and dusted
- Cobwebs removed from ceilings and corners
- Balcony, patio or garden left tidy, if included in the tenancy
- All rubbish removed – including from sheds and lofts
- All your belongings gone
Get quotes from local cleaners
Professional cleaning and the law
In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 means landlords can't require you to pay for a professional clean as a condition of your tenancy, and Wales has similar rules. What they can require is that you return the property in the same condition as at the start, allowing for fair wear and tear. You can do that yourself – or book a professional if you'd rather not, or if the property needs more than you have time for.
No clean can guarantee your full deposit back, whoever does it. But a thorough clean against the inventory does reduce the chance of cleaning deductions. See our guide to deposit deductions for cleaning.
The five things clerks check first
Inventory clerks and letting agents tend to look at the same areas, because they're where cleaning standards most often slip. If you only have time to perfect a few things, make it these:
- Inside the oven, the hob and the extractor
- Limescale on taps, showers and screens
- Inside kitchen cupboards, the fridge and freezer
- Skirting boards, door frames and the tops of doors
- Carpets, especially in living rooms and hallways
Furnished properties
If the property was let furnished, the furniture is part of the inventory too. Clean inside drawers and wardrobes, vacuum sofas and under cushions, wipe tables and chairs, and clean mattresses if the inventory noted their condition. Check the inventory for items such as kettles, toasters and cutlery, and clean them as well.
Return any furniture you moved to where it was at check-in. Clerks compare photos, and furniture in different rooms can cause confusion.
Timing it right
Book or do the clean after you've moved everything out – cleaning around boxes takes twice as long and always misses something. Ideally schedule it the day before or the morning of the check-out, so nothing gets dirty again in between. In summer and at the end of the academic year, professional cleaners get busy, so book early. Our end of tenancy cleaning prices give indicative costs.
