Typical durations
End of tenancy cleans are thorough: every room top to bottom, inside every cupboard and drawer, inside the oven, fridge and other appliances, descaling bathrooms and cleaning windows inside. Companies normally send a team so the work is done within a day. These figures assume an empty property in reasonable condition.
| Property | Typical team | Approximate time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Studio flat | 1–2 cleaners | 3–5 hours |
| 1 bedroom flat | 2 cleaners | 3–6 hours |
| 2 bedroom flat or house | 2–3 cleaners | 4–7 hours |
| 3 bedroom house | 2–4 cleaners | 5–8 hours |
| 4+ bedroom house | 3–5 cleaners | A full day, sometimes more |
Indicative end of tenancy cleaning times for an empty property. Condition, extras and team size change these.
What adds time
These are the usual reasons a clean takes longer than the table suggests:
- Belongings still in the property – packing boxes and furniture slow cleaners down
- Heavy limescale in bathrooms, common in hard-water areas
- A heavily soiled oven, especially range cookers and double ovens
- Extra bathrooms, en suites and cloakroom toilets
- Carpet cleaning, which also needs drying time afterwards
- Internal windows, conservatories and balconies
- Long walks or stairs from parking to the flat
When to book it
The ideal slot is after your belongings have gone and before the check-out inspection, with time in between to fix anything that's missed. Many tenants book the clean for the day after the removal van, with the check-out a day later. If that's not possible, book the clean for the morning of moving day once everything is out, and arrange the check-out for the following day.
Carpet cleaning needs drying time – usually a few hours, sometimes longer – so it's best done at the end of the clean and well before the inventory clerk arrives. See how long carpets take to dry.
Get quotes from local cleaners
Do you need to be there?
Not necessarily. Many tenants leave keys with the cleaning company or a neighbour, or use a key safe, and come back to check. It helps to be present at the start, so you can point out problem areas, and at the end to check the work against the checklist. Our guide on being home for a cleaner covers practical arrangements.
Doing it yourself? Allow much longer
If you're cleaning yourself, double or triple the professional times – a team of experienced cleaners with the right products works far faster than one or two people doing it once. A 2 bedroom flat could easily take a full weekend, especially the oven and bathrooms. Our DIY vs professional end of tenancy comparison helps you decide, and the end of tenancy checklist lists every task.
Fixed prices and guarantees
Most end of tenancy cleaning is quoted as a fixed price by property size, so the time on site doesn't change what you pay unless the condition is very different from what you described. Many companies offer a re-clean guarantee if the landlord or agent raises cleaning issues within a set period – see end of tenancy cleaning guarantees. Indicative prices are on our end of tenancy cleaning costs page.
