What is end of tenancy cleaning? It is a thorough clean of a rented home once the tenant’s belongings are out, carried out so the property goes back to the landlord in the condition it was let in, allowing for normal wear. It covers every room, including the places a weekly clean never reaches, and it usually happens in the last few days before the keys are returned.
If you are moving out of a rented flat or house in or around Woking, our end of tenancy cleaning service does exactly this job. The rest of this post explains the term itself, so you know what to ask for.
How it differs from a regular or a deep clean
The three are easy to confuse because they share many tasks. What separates them is the purpose and the timing.
| Type of clean | What it is for | When it happens | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular clean | Keeping a lived-in home in order | Weekly or fortnightly | Surfaces, floors, kitchen and bathroom upkeep |
| Deep clean | Resetting a home that has fallen behind | Once, or a few times a year | Behind and under furniture, descaling, built-up grime |
| End of tenancy clean | Handing a rented property back | When the property is empty, before the check-out | The whole property, with the inside of the oven, fridge and cupboards as extras |
An end of tenancy clean is close to a deep clean in effort, but it is done in an empty property, which makes it possible to reach inside every cupboard and along every skirting board. If you live in the home and want the same effort, a one-off deep clean is the service to ask for; for upkeep between visits, see regular cleaning.
Who usually arranges it
Tenants book it because they are the ones handing the property back. Landlords book it between lets to get a property ready for the next tenants, and letting agents arrange it for the landlords they manage for. Our guide for landlords and letting agents covers their side of it.
The type of home varies as much as the person booking: family houses, flats, shared houses, student lets and furnished lets all need it, and furnished lets take longer because there is more to clean around and inside.
When it happens
The clean is done once the property is empty, after the removal van has gone and before the check-out inspection. At check-out the property is compared with the check-in inventory; our guide to what landlords check at the end of a tenancy covers the inspection, wear and tear and the evidence to keep.
What it usually covers
In short, an end of tenancy clean covers:
- the kitchen, including the hob, extractor, the outside of the cupboards, worktops and splashbacks
- bathrooms, with limescale, soap residue, seals and grout
- bedrooms and living areas, top to bottom
- doors, frames, skirting boards and interior windows
- floors and every other surface
Carpet cleaning is a separate job, booked as an extra, and so are the inside of the oven, the fridge and the cupboards. For the room by room detail, use our end of tenancy cleaning checklist.
Need an end of tenancy clean? Call 01483 773531 or request a quote online, and tell us the size of the property and the date the keys go back.