For a landlord, cleaning between tenancies does two jobs at once. It gets the property ready to let again quickly, and it establishes the documented standard that the next tenant will be measured against when they leave.
The second part is the one that gets neglected. A property let out in an undocumented condition is very difficult to make a deduction against later, because a deposit scheme adjudicator will look for evidence of the standard at the start, not an assertion about it.
The short version
- Photograph and date the property at the start of every tenancy
- Fair wear and tear covers deterioration, not soiling and neglect
- Professional cleaning cannot be demanded as a blanket clause, but the standard can
- Keep the invoice: it is the evidence, not the amount spent
- Turnaround speed usually costs less than a week of void
Set the standard at the start
The inventory at check-in is what everything later is compared with. It should record the condition of every room, with dated photographs of floors, appliances, sanitaryware and any existing damage or marks.
Where the property has been professionally cleaned before the let, attach the invoice to the inventory. It converts a subjective description into a verifiable fact about the condition on day one.
- Dated photographs of every room, floor and appliance interior
- Written condition notes, not just images
- Cleaning invoice attached to the check-in inventory
- Tenant signature or a recorded opportunity to comment
Fair wear and tear against damage
Fair wear and tear is the deterioration you would expect from normal use over the length of the tenancy, given the age and quality of the item. A carpet flattening in a hallway over three years is wear. The same carpet contaminated by a pet is not.
The practical distinction is that wear is gradual and unavoidable, while soiling and damage result from how the property was used. Adjudicators also apportion by the remaining life of the item, so a claim for a full carpet replacement on an eight-year-old carpet is unlikely to succeed.
What can and cannot be required
A clause requiring the tenant to pay for professional cleaning regardless of condition is generally treated as unfair. What is entirely reasonable is a requirement that the property is returned in the same standard of cleanliness as it was provided, evidenced by the inventory.
That distinction matters in practice. It means the standard is enforceable, and if a tenant can meet it themselves they are free to, which is exactly what most schemes expect.
- Require a standard, not a specific supplier or invoice
- Reference the check-in inventory in the tenancy agreement
- Give the tenant a clear written checklist before checkout
- Allow a reasonable opportunity to put things right
Where turnaround time is really lost
Void periods are usually lost to sequencing, not to cleaning itself. Cleaning booked before repairs are finished has to be repeated, and carpets cleaned before decorators arrive are ruined by dust sheets and paint splashes.
The efficient order is: clear the property, complete repairs and decoration, clean throughout, then clean carpets last. Photograph immediately afterwards for the next inventory and the marketing.
Carpets between tenancies
Carpets are the single most common source of deposit disputes because they show use more obviously than anything else in a property. Cleaning them between every tenancy keeps them serviceable for longer and resets the documented condition.
Where a carpet is genuinely at the end of its life, cleaning will not disguise that, and it is better to know before the property is marketed. We will say so rather than take the booking.
- Clean carpets after decoration, not before
- Treat pet contamination as a specialist job, not a general clean
- Consider protector on hallways and stairs in family lets
- Record the condition with dated photographs afterwards
Working with agents and multiple properties
Where several properties turn over through the year, a standing arrangement is easier for everyone. It means predictable pricing, a known standard and priority for short-notice turnarounds when a tenancy ends unexpectedly.
For agents, the useful thing is a consistent, documented result across the portfolio, so an inventory clerk sees the same standard at every address.