End of Tenancy Cleaning: What Tenants and Landlords Should Know

A tenant has to return the property as clean as it was when they moved in, allowing for fair wear and tear. Not cleaner, and not to a hotel standard, unless that is how it was handed over. The evidence for both sides is the check-in inventory: its descriptions and photographs of each room on the first day.

Fair wear and tear covers the ordinary effects of living somewhere: lightly worn carpet in a hallway, faded paint, small marks from furniture. Dirt, grease, limescale and a neglected oven are not wear and tear.

In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 means a landlord or agent cannot require a tenant to pay for a professional clean as a condition of the tenancy. A clause saying a tenant must use a professional cleaner at the end is not enforceable.

What a landlord can do is claim the reasonable cost of cleaning from the deposit if the property is returned less clean than it was let, allowing for fair wear and tear. So the tenant chooses how to reach the standard, and pays the cost if they do not.

A deposit for an assured shorthold tenancy in England must be protected in a government-approved scheme (the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme) within 30 days of being paid. If tenant and landlord cannot agree on deductions, each scheme offers free dispute resolution, and the adjudicator looks at the inventory, the check-out report and the evidence each side provides.

• Oven, hob, grill pan and extractor hood, inside and out.
• Fridge and freezer, defrosted, emptied and wiped.
• Limescale on taps, shower screens, tiles and toilet.
• Inside every cupboard, drawer and wardrobe.
• Skirting boards, door frames, light switches and handles.
• Windows on the inside, sills and tracks.
• Carpets vacuumed throughout; stains may need a specialist carpet clean.

Clean after the furniture and belongings have gone, and before the check-out inspection. Take dated photographs of each room once it is done, and keep the receipt if you pay someone. If the check-out report says something was left dirty, that evidence is what the scheme's adjudicator will weigh.

A clean between tenancies is also the best moment to see what else needs doing: a reseal round the bath, a dripping tap, a sticking door. Booking the cleaner and a handyman for the same week turns the property round faster and starts the next inventory from a better place.