End of tenancy cleaning • UK guide
End of tenancy cleaning: costs, checklist and quotes
Make your property handover easier with a thorough end of tenancy clean. Plan the rooms, appliances and finishing details, then request free local quotes through MyJobQuote to find a professional for your move-out date.
Preparing for check-out? Use the free end-of-tenancy cleaning and evidence checker to review each room and plan your photo records. No login required.
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Indicative cost
About £100–£415+ depending on size and scope
Typical duration
Roughly 3 hours to a full day or longer
Usual quote basis
Property size, condition, access and agreed extras
Understand the service
What is end of tenancy cleaning?
End of tenancy cleaning is a detailed clean carried out when a rental property is being handed back or prepared for new occupants. It normally goes beyond a regular domestic visit because the cleaner is working to an agreed move-out checklist across the whole property.
Agree a handover checklist that suits your property and inventory. Include oven and appliance interiors, carpet cleaning and windows where needed, and ask about the professional’s re-clean policy.
Who usually books it?
- Tenants preparing for check-out
- Landlords between occupancies
- Letting and property-management teams
- People moving into a previously occupied home
Scope comparison
What is commonly included?
Always compare this guide with the provider’s written checklist before booking.
Kitchen
- Worktops, sink, taps and splashbacks
- Cupboard fronts and accessible interiors when emptied
- Hob, extractor exterior and appliance exteriors
- Floor vacuuming and mopping
Bathrooms
- Bath, shower, basin, toilet and fittings
- Tiles, mirrors and accessible surfaces
- General limescale and soap-residue removal
- Floors, skirting and door areas
Rooms and finishing
- Dusting accessible surfaces and fittings
- Skirting boards, doors, frames and switches
- Vacuuming and hard-floor mopping
- Internal glass and window sills where agreed
Often excluded or charged separately
- Machine carpet and rug cleaning
- Upholstery, mattresses and curtains
- Exterior windows, balconies and outside areas
- Rubbish, bulky-item or hazardous-waste removal
- Mould treatment, pest contamination or biohazards
- High-level areas requiring specialist access
Confirm these before booking
Oven and appliances: Add the oven, fridge and freezer interiors to your checklist and confirm their price in the quote.
Carpets: Vacuuming and professional extraction are different services.
Re-clean policy: Check the reporting deadline, evidence required and exactly what the guarantee covers.
Budget guide
Typical end of tenancy cleaning costs in the UK
Indicative September 2026 ranges compiled from published UK cost guides and provider price lists. They are not quotations.
Studio or bedsit
£100–£180
Condition and appliance scope can outweigh floor area.
1 bedroom
£120–£220
London and furnished homes may sit higher.
2 bedrooms
£150–£285
Extra bathrooms and carpets can increase the quote.
3 bedrooms
£250–£330
Team size and access affect the elapsed time.
4–5 bedrooms
£320–£415+
Large or heavily soiled homes often need a bespoke quote.
Important: Some advertised prices exclude VAT, parking, congestion charges, carpet extraction, oven cleaning or heavily soiled supplements. Compare the complete written scope, not only the headline price.
What changes the final price?
- Bedrooms, bathrooms and total floor area
- Furnished versus empty property
- Grease, limescale, pet hair and general condition
- Oven, fridge, freezer and inside-cupboard scope
- Carpet, upholstery and external-window extras
- Location, parking, access and short-notice booking
How long can the clean take?
A small empty property may take around 3–4 hours, while a larger or heavily used home may require a team for most of a day. A two-bedroom property commonly needs about 4–8 hours of work, but this is only a planning range.
Clock time and labour hours are not the same. Three cleaners working for three hours represent nine labour hours. Ask whether the estimate refers to one cleaner, a team or a fixed completion window.
Restricted access, remaining possessions, a freezer that has not been defrosted or unavailable hot water and electricity can delay the work.
Prepare the property before the cleaners arrive
Clear and empty
Remove personal items, rubbish and food. Empty cupboards that are included in the checklist.
Provide access
Confirm keys, parking, entry instructions and access to electricity, hot water and lighting.
Share the checklist
Send the inventory or agent requirements early and identify priority areas before the booking is confirmed.
Take dated photographs after cleaning and keep the provider’s invoice and written scope with your check-out records.
England tenancy evidence
Professional cleaning and deposit evidence in England
England only: The practical question is usually whether the property is returned to a comparable standard of cleanliness, not whether a tenant has automatically hired a professional cleaner. Rules and tenancy arrangements differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Do tenants have to use a professional cleaner?
Not automatically. Shelter England explains that the starting point is the cleanliness recorded when the tenant moved in, normally through the inventory or check-in report. A tenant may choose a professional cleaner, but paying for a service is different from proving the required result.
What evidence should be kept?
- The signed check-in inventory and any written notes about cleaning issues at the start.
- The check-out report plus clear, dated photographs of the same rooms and problem areas.
- The cleaner’s written scope, invoice or receipt, together with relevant messages to the landlord or agent.
- Any re-clean terms and reporting deadline, so a problem can be raised while the provider can still inspect it.
TDS guidance says deposit decisions compare evidence of cleanliness at the start and end of the tenancy. Written reports, receipts and correspondence are important; photographs are most useful when they support a clear written record.
Can cleaning still lead to a deposit deduction?
Potentially. If the evidence shows that the property was returned less clean than at the start, reasonable cleaning costs may be claimed to restore a comparable standard. That is different from automatically charging a tenant to use a particular professional cleaning service.
Primary guidance: GOV.UK — Tenant Fees Act guidance for tenants; Shelter England — cleaning and deposit deductions; and Tenancy Deposit Scheme — professional cleaning guidance.
This is general information for England, not legal advice. Check the current tenancy agreement, inventory and guidance from the relevant deposit-protection scheme.
Free fillable PDF
Download the End of Tenancy Evidence Pack
Use this 8-page A4 pack to compare check-in and check-out condition, record dated photos, confirm the cleaner’s written scope, and keep meters, keys and receipts together.
Free to use • Fill on screen or print • No email required
This pack helps organise records. It does not guarantee a deposit return and is not legal advice.
Practical MV Cleaning insight
The details that cause most misunderstandings
From hands-on cleaning work, the biggest problems rarely come from the obvious floor and surface tasks. They come from assumptions about oven trays, extractor filters, limescale, inside cupboards, behind movable appliances and whether carpet cleaning means vacuuming or extraction.
A useful quote lists these items before the visit. Photographs help the provider judge condition, but they do not replace a written scope.
Questions to ask a provider
- What exactly is included and excluded?
- Is the price fixed and does it include VAT?
- Are equipment and products supplied?
- What happens if access or condition differs?
- Is there a re-clean policy and reporting deadline?
- Who handles booking changes and complaints?
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End of tenancy cleaning FAQs
Does end of tenancy cleaning guarantee the return of a deposit?
No cleaning provider can control every part of a deposit decision. Damage, missing items, rent, the check-in record and tenancy rules are separate from cleaning. Treat any guarantee as a limited re-clean policy and read its conditions.
Is oven cleaning included?
Ask for the oven interior, racks, trays, hob and extractor in your quote request. Confirm the complete appliance checklist with your chosen professional before booking.
Are carpets professionally cleaned?
Standard vacuuming may be included, while hot-water extraction or another professional carpet method is commonly an add-on. Ask which method is used and whether drying time affects check-out.
Should the property be empty?
An empty property is normally easier to quote and clean thoroughly. If furniture or belongings remain, identify them before booking and confirm which areas can be accessed.
Is end of tenancy cleaning the same as deep cleaning?
They overlap, but end of tenancy cleaning is usually organised around a property handover and inventory-style checklist. Deep cleaning is broader and can be tailored to an occupied home without a check-out requirement.
Can I compare quotes for this service?
Yes. Use the MyJobQuote button to enter your postcode and describe the property. You can compare up to 3 free local quotes, with no obligation to accept.