End of tenancy cleaning is priced on the size of the property, its condition at the point of checkout, and how much of the work is specialist rather than general. A two bedroom flat that has been looked after is a different job to the same flat after three years of heavy use, even though the floor plan is identical.
The honest answer is that nobody can give you a final figure without knowing the condition. What we can do is explain exactly what drives the number so you can compare quotes properly and avoid paying twice for the same work.
The short version
- Property size sets the baseline, condition sets the real price
- Ovens, carpets and hard water build-up are the three most common extras
- A checkout clean is not the same as a regular domestic clean
- Deposit disputes usually turn on evidence, not on how much you spent
- Ask what is excluded before you compare two quotes
What a proper checkout clean actually covers
A checkout clean is a full reset of the property to the standard recorded in the inventory. That means inside and outside of every cupboard and drawer, appliance interiors, skirtings, door frames, light switches, sockets, radiators, extractor grilles, window interiors and frames, tiles, grout and all sanitaryware.
The work is deliberately methodical rather than fast. Most disputes are about details that a routine clean would never touch, such as the seal on a shower screen, the rubber gasket inside a washing machine door, or the grease film on top of a kitchen wall unit.
- Kitchen: appliances inside and out, extractor filter, cupboard interiors, splashbacks
- Bathrooms: limescale removal, grout, seals, shower screens, extractor vents
- Living areas: skirtings, frames, switches, radiators, window interiors and sills
- Floors: vacuumed and mopped, with carpets cleaned separately where required
What pushes the price up
Condition is the biggest variable by a distance. A neglected oven can take longer than an entire bathroom, and heavy limescale on shower glass often needs repeat treatment rather than one pass.
Property size matters less than people expect. A large but well kept house can be quicker than a small, heavily soiled flat, because the time is in the detail work rather than the floor area.
- Oven and hob condition, particularly baked-on carbon
- Limescale in hard water areas across taps, screens and tiling
- Pet hair embedded in carpets, upholstery and skirting edges
- Mould around window reveals or in poorly ventilated bathrooms
- Rubbish left behind, which is removal rather than cleaning
Where carpet cleaning fits in
Most tenancy agreements ask for carpets to be returned in the condition they were received, allowing for fair wear and tear. In practice that usually means professional cleaning rather than a domestic vacuum, especially if pets have been in the property.
Booking the carpets as part of the same visit is normally cheaper than arranging it separately, because the setup and travel time is shared. It also means one date to give the agent instead of two.
Where the carpet is genuinely worn out rather than dirty, cleaning will improve it but it will not restore it. We would rather tell you that in advance than take the booking and disappoint you.
Tenants and landlords pay for different things
Tenants are paying to close out an inventory. The goal is evidence: a clean property, a dated receipt and photographs. That is what protects a deposit if the agent disputes anything later.
Landlords are paying for marketability. The property needs to photograph well and show well, so attention goes to the things a viewer notices first, such as smell, window glass, kitchen surfaces and floor condition.
How to compare quotes without getting caught out
Cheap checkout quotes are almost always cheap because something is excluded. The usual exclusions are the oven interior, carpets, external window glass, and anything at height.
Ask three questions of every quote: is the oven interior included, are carpets included, and is the price fixed or hourly. Once those are answered, two quotes can be compared honestly.
- Fixed price against hourly rate, and what happens if it overruns
- Whether the oven interior and extractor filter are included
- Whether carpet cleaning is included or a separate line
- Whether cleaning products and equipment are provided
Getting the timing right
The clean should happen after the property is empty and after any repairs, not before. Cleaning around furniture and then moving it later undoes half the work.
Leave a buffer of at least a day between the clean and the checkout inspection. It gives you time to deal with anything that needs a second look and, if carpets have been cleaned, it gives them time to dry properly.