Moving out is stressful enough without a landlord withholding your deposit over a grimy oven or a dusty skirting board. Most deposit disputes come down to cleanliness — so a thorough end-of-tenancy clean is the single best thing you can do to get your money back.
Here’s a room-by-room checklist to work through.
Kitchen
- Clean inside and outside all cupboards and drawers
- Degrease the oven, hob and extractor fan
- Descale the kettle
- Defrost and wipe out the fridge and freezer
- Scrub the sink and polish the taps
- Wipe down all worktops and splashbacks
- Mop the floor
Bathroom
- Descale and polish taps, showerhead and screens
- Remove limescale from tiles and bleach the grout
- Clean and disinfect the toilet, sink and bath
- Polish mirrors until streak-free
- Empty and wipe inside all cabinets
Living areas and bedrooms
- Dust and wipe all surfaces, shelves and skirting boards
- Clean light switches, sockets and door handles
- Vacuum carpets thoroughly (consider a professional carpet clean)
- Clean the inside of windows
- Wipe wardrobes and drawers, inside and out
Throughout the property
- Remove cobwebs from ceilings and corners
- Clean all internal doors and frames
- Wipe down radiators
- Hoover and mop every floor
- Remove all rubbish
A few insider tips
Take date-stamped photos once you’ve finished — they’re your proof if a dispute comes up later. Dig out the inventory report from when you moved in and match the property back to it. And don’t skip the oven: it’s the single most common reason deposits get docked.
Short on time?
End-of-tenancy cleans are one of our specialities. We know exactly what letting agents look for, and we clean to that standard — giving you the best possible chance of a full deposit return, without the stress.