What does an end of tenancy clean include?

End of tenancy cleaning is a classic professional service in the UK. Although it is perceived as a service, there are still people who undertake the task of an end of tenancy cleaning and completely independently. In both cases it is a question of cleaning a dwelling – an apartment or a house – which is rented out. There is still controversy over who exactly does the cleaning itself – the tenant or the landlord. Rather, it is a matter that is settled in the contract and personal arrangements between the two parties, as most often the tenant is obliged to perform end of tenancy cleaning immediately before leaving. In all cases, however, the end of tenancy cleaning checklist is always the same. Cleaning is always thorough, top-to-bottom and detailed.

End of tenancy cleaning – planning and strategy 

The action plan is part of the whole end of tenancy cleaning. Especially if you intend to do the whole task yourself. If you have decided to take advantage of the faster and higher quality professional cleaning services, you will also have to do a few things, but they will not cost you much effort, namely:

• Choose a professional company that you can trust. Use the advice of friends who have already booked an end of tenancy cleaning London service, or do a thorough research on the Internet. Good companies leave a special feedback form on their pages, where customers can leave an opinion about the services used.
• Contact the selected company. Once you make sure that it offers end of tenancy cleaning, it is extremely important to give maximum details and instructions for your requirements, type of property, degree of pollution, additional wishes, etc. Even if you forget something, don’t worry. Usually, cleaning companies have reliable customer support, so you can always call again to complete your instructions.
• In most cases, the professional cleaning company will schedule a day to visit the home. In 90% of cases, this is a free consultation and it aims to form the right team and end of tenancy cleaning action plan. During this consultation it is advisable to familiarize the company with your tenancy contract. Often, it contains additional requirements for hygiene and end of tenancy cleaning on the part of the landlord. This is also a good time to discuss details about the service – price, package of cleaning services, term and duration, possibility for emergency service, etc.
• What should the end of tenancy cleaning team provide on the day of the appointment? Practically, almost nothing. This is one of the advantages of using a professional service for this purpose. The company will not ask you to prepare any detergents, appliances or other cleaning supplies. They not only have them, but also work with quality equipment, achieving up to 70% high efficiency compared to your standard vacuum cleaner and your pair of two hands, as well as environmentally friendly detergents that protect human health and the environment. However, it may be necessary to provide free parking space in front of your home precisely because of the large equipment with which employees arrive and which they load in a special van. If you intend not to be present during the end of tenancy cleaning – yes, this is entirely possible and useful to complete other relocation tasks – you will need to provide the team with a key to the apartment or house.

Nothing to do, right? This is not the case with DIY end of tenancy cleaning planning 

Here’s what you need to do to shape the ideal strategy for this difficult task:

• Estimate the time you have for end of tenancy cleaning. Keep in mind that this is a really time consuming clean. Properties with up to 2 bedrooms will take no less than a full working day to handle. According to the UK precision hosts, who have already gone through the DIY end of tenancy cleaning challenge, a one-storey house with 3 bedrooms can be perfectly cleaned and the deposit – restored – in a minimum of 2 working days. In this regard, if you are in a hurry, you may need to take a few days off.
• Given the things we said above, it would not be bad to include helpers in your action plan. Be precise in your choice. Of course, it is easiest to involve in the cleaning the people who are at hand – the children and your partner. If this is not possible or you need even more “staff”, remember which friend owes you a favor or stop picking on your neighbors, because they may be the only people who can help you with end of tenancy cleaning London service.
• Evaluate the available cleaning agents. The end of tenancy cleaning inspection will not be successful and will be immediately terminated only if one stain on the carpet is found. We want to say that everything in the home really should shine with purity. In this regard, standard universal cleaners may not work. Here’s a piece of advice from us: start going around the room and write down exactly what you will need for each of them. This way you will not forget anything, and you will not waste your time going to the store for degreaser or other detergent. Moreover, different rooms may require different cleaners. For example, if you have carpets in the living room, inspect them, as they may be delicate and can only be cleaned with specialized equipment (you will need to buy or rent one). In the bathroom it is possible to have mold and scale, which are not removed with standard detergents.
• Once you have made the list of the necessary cleaners, go to the market. Shop without thinking much about money and savings, because if your deposit is large, you will eventually lose it due to poor cleaning due to poor quality products taken on promotion.
• It is advisable to remove your personal belongings first before you start cleaning. This will make it easier for you to identify hidden stains and dirt. On the other hand, if you take out and collect your belongings after cleaning, it is possible to create new chaos and dirt just before the inventory check.
• And now it’s time for a cleaning plan. It is a good idea to act room by room, just as you did in the preview, to decide what will be cleaned with a detergent. You can safely use the end of tenancy cleaning checklist, which is followed by professional cleaning companies. This will save you time to make your own schedule, and you will ensure that you will not forget anything, as the cleaning companies are extremely precise in their work and due to the 48-hour warranty they provide, they closely comply with end of tenancy cleaning standards.

Classic end of tenancy cleaning checklist – what does the whole service and cleaning in the individual rooms include?

The standard plan that end of tenancy cleaning companies are guided by and that you can be guided by if you are going to clean without professional help, starts with some basic tasks and hygiene missions. Then proceed to cleaning room by room. Here are the standard end of tenancy cleaning tasks (they are performed in each room of the home):

• Checking the walls for scratches and stains, which are either removed immediately or repair actions are taken (the latter are not provided by the end of tenancy cleaning employees, but only serve for timely signaling of the customer in order for him to take quick measures)
• Removal of cobwebs
• Dusting – everywhere, including inside the furniture (for example, in drawers, wardrobes, cabinets, etc.)
• Wiping and cleaning of keys, sockets, door handles , window sills
• Cleaning of windows and joinery – from the outside only
• Thorough cleaning of upholstered furniture – dehumidification, removal of stains
• Thorough cleaning of carpets – dehumidification, removal of stains, dry or wet cleaning depending on the type of fabric
• Cleaning of household appliances. Some of them may require disassembly for deeper hygiene (for example, the oven, which is a top priority during the inspection)
• Cleaning the doors, if necessary
• Cleaning the flooring, regardless of their type
• Cleaning the terrace
• In case of explicit is agreed between the tenant and the landlord, in front of the house is also done cleaning (porch, garden furniture, yard, garage)
• After cleaning any room, it is ventilated

And now see what includes end of tenancy cleaning in the individual rooms 

End of tenancy cleaning – kitchen:

• Wiping and cleaning the countertops, shelves with special care in the cooking area
• The sink is washed and monitored for scale and water stains
• Emptying all trash cans
• Removing stains from stale, burnt food, as well as remaining greasy stains or mold around the sink
• Thorough cleaning of the refrigerator after it is emptied and thawed
• Removal of bad odors, if necessary

End of tenancy cleaning – bathrooms (bathroom and toilet):

• Cleaning of shower, bath, shower, pipes, sink and bathroom furniture
• Thorough inspection and removal, if mold and scale are present, as well as water stains
• Wiping mirrors or other glass surfaces
• Emptying dispensers and cleaning
• Polishing the floor and washing bathroom carpets, if any
• Cleaning shower curtains

End of tenancy cleaning – living room and living room: 

• Thorough removal of available items in all sections and cabinets and wiping of furniture and shelves
• Inspection of upholstered furniture and, if necessary, special early service upholstery cleaning
• Cleaning of the flooring according to its type
• Cleaning of the TV, the stand or the table for the TV with special attention to the equipment and its preliminary disconnection from the socket
• Moving the furniture to clean the space , which they covered, and return them to their original position

End of tenancy cleaning – bedroom:

• Mattress cleaning – basic – if necessary, a specialized mattress cleaning service may be required.
• Fixing the bed and washing the bed linen
• Cleaning the dressing table and mirrors, if available such
• Wiping the blinds
• Washing the curtains
• Removing any stains regardless of their origin
• Cleaning the flooring, plus sanitizing the carpet, if any
• Ventilation

After cleaning – is there anything else that requires end of tenancy cleaning?

Apart from ventilating the premises and making sure that there are no residual unpleasant odors? In fact, yes, the tasks for you continue. What actually follows is an assessment of everything that has been done according to plan so far. The inspection is usually performed by the landlord. He, as you will be sure, will inspect the whole apartment precisely and in detail. If he finds a small irregularity, you risk your deposit.

However, do not despair if the end of tenancy cleaning has been entrusted to a professional company. This service is always subject to a special guarantee, which comes into play in such cases. If the inspection reveals an irregularity, you have a certain period within which to contact the cleaning company. She will send a team to check on the spot for this irregularity. If compliant, the company will bear the full cost of re-cleaning. This way you, as her client, will get your deposit back.

End of tenancy cleaning is an extremely detailed and delicate task. As you have already seen, it includes many tasks that a person dealing with removal would definitely find difficult to handle on his own. Using a professional end of tenancy cleaning service will save you not only a lot of effort and time, but also possible trouble. You have to admit that the cleaning tasks listed so far are quite difficult, and for some people, especially those who do not like to clean very much, even impossible. Do not risk your deposit, but take it with a smile, with which you can properly terminate the good relationship with your landlord. In any case, we wish you a successful end of tenancy cleaning!