End of Tenancy vs Domestic Cleaning: What’s the Real Difference?

When the time comes for you to move out of your rented home, the big question becomes “Will I get my security deposit back?” In order to ensure your deposit comes back to you and you part ways with your landlord on good terms, you have to leave the place as clean as it was on the first day of your tenancy. For this, you need to book an end of tenancy cleaning service.

However, in our line of practice, we’ve noticed that a lot of tenants consider booking a standard domestic cleaning service at the end of their tenancy, thinking it would be just as effective. And more affordable. This, however, couldn’t be any further from the truth.

In this post, we will explain the true meaning of domestic cleaning and end of tenancy cleaning and outline the differences between the two, so you pick the right one depending on your situation. Let’s begin.

What is domestic cleaning?

Domestic cleaning is actually a standard cleaning around the house, which includes dusting, hoovering, making beds, doing laundry and ironing. A domestic cleaner normally work on an hourly basis and will try to prioritise certain tasks based on the number of hours that you’ve booked. Domestic cleaning can be performed on a regular basis, depending on the needs of the homeowner.

There are two types of domestic cleaning you can choose from:

Both types of domestic cleaning services provide great help to homeowners who don’t have the time to clean and maintain their homes by themselves. However, neither of these services provides the deep clean your landlord requires of you before you move out.

What is the end of tenancy cleaning?

End of tenancy cleaning is performed by a team of specialised cleaners who follow an extensive end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist. It’s a professional service used by tenants, landlords and agencies to ensure the property is in the best condition possible. Ideally, that would be the same condition as when the tenant moved in.

When you book an end of tenancy cleaning service, you will get a team of 2-3 fully equipped cleaners arriving at your property. Unlike domestic cleaners, the move-out cleaning team is not limited by time. Meaning they will follow a checklist and will complete every task, regardless of how much time that takes. Additionally, the end of tenancy cleaners will provide all the cleaning materials necessary to complete the job.

Therefore, this service guarantees that you will receive your security deposit back. There was probably an end of tenancy cleaning performed in the property before you moved in, either paid for by the landlord or the previous tenants.

5 key differences between end of tenancy cleaning and domestic cleaning

Now that we’ve roughly explained the nature of the different types of cleaning services, here is a list of 5 things you won’t get from a domestic cleaner. They are, however, part of an end of tenancy cleaning, as landlords expect them to be done in order to return a deposit.

1. Carpet cleaning – A domestic cleaner will hoover your carpet as best they can, but if it has old stains, it will need steam cleaning. The latter can be requested and done as part of an end of tenancy cleaning, as carpets are often an area of dispute when a person moves out.
2. Clean light fixtures – It’s not something people usually clean on a regular basis, so a domestic cleaner would probably overlook light switches, sockets, lamps and shades. An end of tenancy cleaner, however, would most certainly not.
3. Clean inside and around kitchen appliances – A one-off domestic cleaner will wipe around and inside your kitchen appliances. However, an end of tenancy cleaner will remove all grime, mildew and food deposits from the inside of your fridge. The same goes for your washing machine and dishwasher. The lint filters of your tumble dryer will be cleaned out. Your microwave and toaster will be spotless. But most importantly – the end of tenancy cleaners will degrease the inside of the oven. Oven cleaning is its own separate service, just like carpet cleaning. However, at Fantastic Services you can benefit from a free deep oven cleaning when booking an end of tenancy clean.
4. Clean limescale in the bathroom – Another task only the end of tenancy cleaning team does. The professionals will not just remove all limescale, but they will also clean taps and fittings, clean the soap dispenser, check for hair around the drains, clean the toothbrush glass. They will also wipe the extractor fans and the top pipework behind the toilet bowl if accessible.
5. Clean places you usually forget about – The things you usually forget to clean by yourself include picture frame tops, door tops, window screens, mirrors, curtain rails, walls, etc. Fingerprints accumulate on every surface and it’s easy to forget to remove them when you don’t even know they are there. An experienced end of tenancy cleaner, however, have a well-trained eye and know where to look. One would even remove the cushions from a sofa and hoover inside of it.

Hire the right cleaning service with the right professionals!

If the time has come for you to leave the rented place for another, move into your own home or just deal with the yearly spring cleaning, don’t hesitate to hire the Fantastic professional cleaners.

They are experienced and reliable specialists in their field, who will give their best to satisfy your expectations or those of your landlord, if necessary. The Fantastic Services team is always ready to aid you, regardless of the cleaning task you have to conquer!

Takeaways

• The two types of domestic cleaning are regular and one-off cleaning.
• A domestic cleaning service, regardless of its type, is hourly based and could be used as a way to maintain a property.
• An end of tenancy cleaning service usually follows a checklist and includes carpet steam cleaning, oven degreasing and other important tasks that are not included in a standard domestic cleaning service.
• An end of tenancy cleaner guarantees you get your deposit back.

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Do you know someone who has hired a standard domestic cleaner instead of an end of tenancy cleaner to save money? How did that go for them? Tell us in the comments!