Cleaning Guides

What Does End of Tenancy Cleaning Include?

Fantastic Team
Published: Feb 07/2022
Last update: Aug 03/2023
8min read
Views: 774

So, the time has finally come for you to move out of your home. And you’re probably wondering whether this end of tenancy cleaning thing is included in your tenancy agreement. Well, we’re here to help answer just that. In this post, we will go over what end of tenancy cleaning is, what it includes and why it’s important for both you and your landlord.

So if you:

Are planning on moving out and want to find out what end of tenancy consists of;
Want to know how much an end of tenancy cleaning service costs;
Are wondering whether an end of tenancy clean is mandatory;

Then this post is for you!

What is end of tenancy cleaning?

An end of tenancy clean refers to a collection of cleaning tasks that need to be carried out by the tenant when they’re moving out of the rented property. It’s usually a part of the tenant’s tenancy agreement.

This task can also be performed by a professional cleaning company for a one-time fee. Usually, an end of tenancy cleaning service is not limited in time and is carried out by a team of experienced cleaners who will go over the property from top to bottom, ensuring that the tenant gets their deposit back from the landlord.

Such a service can be arranged by either the current tenant or the landlord and benefits both parties. In the landlord’s case, it gives them the security that the property will be returned to them in the same state it was before the tenant first moved in. As for the tenant, a professional end of tenancy clean can be the thing that secures them their deposit.

Who is responsible for the end of tenancy clean?

The tenant is the one responsible for leaving the property in clean condition. Still, if you are wondering if the deep cleaning is mandatory, then the answer is “no”. A tenant cannot be charged by the landlord for a professional clean when they’re checking out of the property. However, this wasn’t the case back in the day. Before the “Tenant Fees Act 2019”, most tenancy agreements included a “professional cleaning clause” which stated that the tenant must organise and pay for a professional cleaning service at the end of their tenancy.

Thanks to the aforementioned act such clauses have been made illegal in England starting from June 1, 2019. However, if a tenancy was entered before that date and the tenant agreed to the professional cleaning clause, the landlord could continue to charge these fees up until the 31st of May 2020. But, from 1 June 2020, the term requiring the booking of professional cleaning at the end of the tenancy is no longer binding on the tenant.

What does an end of tenancy cleaning service include?

An end of tenancy clean is pretty much a thorough deep clean of almost the entire property (sans the balcony, garage and utility room). And yes, it is different from a normal domestic clean. So let’s take a look at what exactly is cleaned in each room and how:

Hallway

Hoovering and mopping hard floors;
Hoovering carpets;
Dusting and polishing furniture

Living room

Wiping handles and switches
Cleaning and polishing of all the mirrors
Cleaning all picture frames
Removing any cobwebs
Wiping the fireplace and surrounding area.
Cleaning and polishing of all windows internally including the sills and ledges
Wiping down and cleaning all the doors
Vacuuming hardwood floors and mop tiled floors
Dusting skirting boards and woodworks
Wiping light fittings, plugs, sockets and lamp shades
Cleaning behind, around and under furniture
Cleaning cupboards and furnishings inside and out
Dusting and polishing all hard surfaces
Vacuuming all upholstery, including cushions

Kitchen/dining room

Cleaning and polishing of all kitchen cupboards both inside and out
Removing grime and mildew and food deposits from the dishwasher
Cleaning the fridge/freezer inside and out and wiping the door handles
Cleaning the Microwave inside and out;
Degreasing and cleaning the whole oven including the grill pan and oven racks; cleaning the inner top of the oven; wiping clean the rubber seal.
Cleaning and polishing hob & grill
Cleaning and drying the splashback
Cleaning the exterior of all kitchen appliances such as kettles, toasters, etc.
Wiping every kitchen countertop
Clean and descaling the sink
Cleaning the windows from the inside and wiping down window sills/ledges
Wiping all woodwork (doors, door frames, skirting boards, etc.)
Wiping down the washing machine inside and out
Wiping the tumble dryer inside and out, dusting and cleaning the lint filters
Cleaning plugs, light switches
Hoovering and mopping of all hard floors

Bedrooms

Dusting all furniture surfaces;
Removing cobwebs from ceilings;
Cleaning mirrors and pictures;
Cleaning top of picture frames;
Cleaning light fittings and shades;
Cleaning all switches;
Wiping the top of all doors;
Wiping all skirting boards;
Cleaning behind furniture;
Hoovering and dusting both sides of the curtains;
Wiping the curtain rails;
Cleaning the windows internally, wiping down window sill and removing any leftover fingerprints
Wiping all the doors; cleaning the top of the doors

Bathroom and toilet

Cleaning taps and fittings and removing any limescale
Cleaning soap dispenser
Wiping and dusting the radiator and towel rail
Removing any limescale from shower screens and tiles
Cleaning and removing limescale from the bathtub; removing hair around the drainage
Disinfecting and cleaning toilet & bidet inside and out
Checking the shower cubicle for hair around the drainage, Removing any limescale,
Washing and drying the tiles with a dry cloth or paper; removing any mould
Cleaning & polishing mirrors
Wiping down the extractor fan
Cleaning the plugs and light switches

If you’re interested in finding out more about what’s cleaned as a part of an end of tenancy cleaning service, check out our in-depth end of tenancy clean checklist.

Does end of tenancy cleaning include carpets and oven?

As you’ve probably noticed, carpet cleaning is part of the end of tenancy cleaning but it covers a simple hoovering. While this will help eliminate dust, it will not tackle stains from food, beverages, pets or kids. These can be very hard to tackle, especially if they had time to settle into the carpet’s fabric.

In most cases, staining is not considered “fair wear and tear”, which could lead to extra charges by the landlord. Therefore, a lot of people prefer to opt for professional carpet cleaning. A steam cleaning of carpets or upholstery furniture is considered an additional service and is not included in the standard end of tenancy cleaning package. Often times the same applies for the deep cleaning of the oven.

What is the average price for end of tenancy cleaning in the UK?

The price for an end of tenancy cleaning service will entirely depend on the size of the property, i.e how many bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas it has. Also, the price will go up if you add professional carpet, upholstery or curtain cleaning to your service.

Prices for end of tenancy cleaning usually range between £120 and £550, with the average cost in the UK being around £260. Here’s our price table for reference.

Property type	End of tenancy cleaning	End of tenancy cleaning + 40% OFF Deep carpet cleaning
Studio flat	from £121	from £147
1 Bedroom	from £199	from £225
2 Bedrooms	from £232	from £258
3 Bedrooms	from £289	from £315

Book with a reliable professional near you!

Count on the experienced and hard-working Fantastic cleaners!

Can I clean the property myself?

Yes, you can tackle your end of tenancy cleaning all by yourself, that is if you have the free time and the right equipment and detergents at hand.

If you’re sharing the property with other people, you can get them to help you out with the cleaning. This will make things a lot easier and hopefully reduce the time you spent on the end of tenancy cleaning.

Do bear in mind, however, that in some cases booking a professional cleaning service is a must. For example, you might be contractually obliged in your tenancy agreement to have your carpets, rugs, upholstery and curtains professionally cleaned when moving out. And such cleaning is impossible without expensive cleaning equipment that you probably do not own.

Why it’s worth booking a professional end of tenancy cleaning service

Not everyone has the free time or skills to pull off a satisfactory end of tenancy deep clean of their home. And that’s ok because they can always contact Fantastic Services to do it for you. Our end of tenancy cleaning service is carried out by a team of skilled professionals who bring with them all the needed equipment and detergents for the job.

But it’s not only the quality of the clean that’s good, so are the myriad of benefits the service also comes with. For example, our end of tenancy clean is not limited in time, we have free oven deep cleaning as part of the service, and best of all, we offer up to 168 hours service guarantee. Meaning that if the landlord is not satisfied with the way we cleaned his property, we will come back and re-clean it for free!

Looking for a professional end of tenancy clean?

Have a team of cleaners perform a deep clean of your entire home.

Takeaways

End of tenancy cleaning means detailed cleaning of the entire property.
A landlord cannot legally force a tenant to pay for an end of tenancy cleaning service.
Prices for end of tenancy cleaning range between £120 and £550 depending on the size of the property.
You can clean the property all by yourself if you have the time and the necessary detergents and equipment.

Disclaimer: Every piece of information here is meant for informational and educational purposes only. So please, do not use this as a definitive legal basis. Fantastic Services encourages you to seek authority professional counsel before you decide to act upon what you have read. For more information, check our disclaimer.

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