An end of tenancy clean is the professional deep clean performed at the end of a rental period before a new tenant moves into the property. Not only does it leave a property in the perfect condition for its new residents, but it can also reduce the chance of deposit disputes. In fact, The Deposit Protection Scheme states that 56% of deposit disputes are the result of insufficient cleaning, making it the most common reason that tenants lose out on their full deposit.
Whilst hiring a professional cleaning company is not a legal requirement at the end of a tenancy, you will be expected to leave a property in a condition equal to the standard it was at before you moved in.
If you haven’t performed the cleaning before leaving the property, or it’s not to a high enough standard, then your landlord will likely hire a professional cleaning company to do the job and deduct the bill from your deposit. A landlord cannot deduct more than the cost of the cleaning bill. However, it is worth noting that they are unlikely to be as cost conscious or to compare cleaning quotes as you might if you hired a company yourself.
A landlord cannot force you to use a professional cleaning company at the end of your tenancy, so you can certainly clean the property yourself. However, it is worth taking into account how large a job end of tenancy cleaning can be, especially when you are also trying to juggle moving house. You may also need to hire specialist cleaning equipment and purchase additional cleaning products for jobs like carpet and oven cleaning. If you do intend to do it yourself, make sure to set plenty of time aside in advance of your moving date to get the job done.
This will vary between specialist cleaning companies, but a thorough deep clean should leave the property spotless. A landlord or letting agency will expect the same level of hygiene that was documented in the move-in inventory report and so you or your cleaning company should match this. This is not a light clean and it will often involve scrubbing every crevice of the property – from limescale removal in the bathroom to cleaning the inside of your kitchen cupboards.
At Cleanse, our end of tenancy cleaning service includes:
This will vary depending on the size of the rental property and the state that it is in. The best way to determine the cost and length of time required is to get a quote from a reputable cleaning company.
Cleanse Cleaning Specialists are experts in end of tenancy cleaning, so get in touch today for a no-obligation quote or if you have any questions about rental cleaning services.