End of tenancy cleaning checklist: room by room

What the agent is checking against

At check-out, the agent or an independent inventory clerk walks through the home with the check-in inventory in hand. That is the report, usually with dated photos, that recorded the condition of every room on the day you moved in. They are not judging whether the flat looks nice. They are looking for differences between then and now.

That works in your favour. If the oven was greasy when you arrived and the inventory says so, you don't have to hand it back gleaming. If the inventory says "professionally cleaned" and shows a very clean kitchen, that is the standard you are held to. Find your copy before you start and read the kitchen and bathroom pages first.

The checklist

Work top to bottom in each room, and do the kitchen and bathroom first, because they take the longest. Tick items off here as you go, or print the list and take it round the flat.

Kitchen: where most deductions start

Expect the clerk to open everything in the kitchen. The oven is one of the first things they check, because baked-on grease is easy to photograph and slow to shift.

• Oven: shelves, racks and trays out and soaked, the inside walls and roof, the door glass on both sides (unscrew the inner pane only if the manual says you can), the grill and the seal.
• Hob and extractor: burners or the glass top, the knobs, the hood outside and underneath, and the grease filter, which usually unclips and goes in hot soapy water.
• Fridge and freezer: emptied, defrosted at least a day before, shelves and drawers washed, the door seals wiped and the door left ajar so it doesn't smell.
• Cupboards and drawers: inside and out, including the tops of wall units, which collect a sticky film of dust and cooking grease.
• Sink and taps: limescale off the taps and around the base, the plughole and overflow, and the draining board.
• Washing machine: the detergent drawer pulled out and rinsed, and the rubber door seal wiped.
• Tiles, worktops and floor: grout lines, the gap between the cooker and the units, and the kick boards under the cupboards.

Bathroom: limescale and grout

Hard water leaves a white crust on chrome and glass that a quick wipe doesn't touch. Expect the clerk to run a finger along taps and shower screens, so this is where an hour of descaling pays off.

• Taps, shower head and shower screen descaled, including the hinge side of the screen and the rail.
• Bath, basin and the silicone seal around them. Black mould inside silicone usually needs the seal replacing, which is a repair, not cleaning.
• Toilet inside and out, including the base, the back of the pan and the hinges of the seat.
• Tiles and grout, the extractor fan cover, the mirror, and the inside of the bathroom cabinet.
• The floor, behind the toilet and under the radiator or towel rail.

Bedrooms, living rooms and hallways

These rooms are mostly about dust in the places nobody looks while they live somewhere. Once the furniture is out, every ledge shows.

• Skirting boards, door frames and the tops of doors.
• Light switches, sockets and door handles, which pick up fingerprints.
• Window sills, window frames and the inside of the glass.
• Inside wardrobes and drawers, and the shelf above the hanging rail.
• Radiators, including the gap behind them, and curtain rails or blind slats.
• Carpets vacuumed right to the edges, and hard floors mopped. Move the bed if it is the landlord's and can be moved safely.
• Banisters, stair edges and the meter or boiler cupboard if it is inside the flat.

Before the clean starts

1. 1

   Move out first

   An end of tenancy clean works best in an empty or nearly empty home. Boxes and furniture hide floors and block cupboards, and anything moved back afterwards leaves marks.

2. 2

   Take the rubbish away

   Bags of rubbish, unwanted furniture and anything left in the loft or garden are yours to clear. A cleaner isn't a removal or waste service.

3. 3

   Keep the power and water on

   The cleaner needs running water, hot water, electricity and lights. Don't close the energy accounts until after the clean.

4. 4

   Defrost the freezer

   Switch it off the day before with a towel underneath, so the clean doesn't start with a block of ice.

5. 5

   Sort out access

   If you have already handed back the keys, arrange for the agent, a key safe or the concierge to let the cleaner in, and put it in your booking notes.

Doing it yourself, or booking it

You can do this yourself. In England, your landlord can't make you pay for a professional clean. They can only ask for the home to be returned in the condition it was let in, apart from fair wear and tear. If you are thorough and work from the inventory, you can meet that standard yourself.

Budget a full day for a two-bedroom flat if you are doing it alone, and longer if the oven hasn't been touched in years. If you are also packing, moving and working, that day is often the one that runs out.

A cleand end of tenancy clean is charged by the hour at £25 an hour, including VAT, for the hours we recommend for your home. For a two-bedroom flat with one bathroom, that is 5.5 hours, which comes to £137.50. The oven is included. Inside the fridge and inside windows are extras you can add. You see the full price before you pay.

When to book it

Book the clean for the day before your check-out, or the morning of it if the check-out is in the afternoon. That leaves time to look round afterwards and deal with anything you spot. cleand cleans can be booked from tomorrow onwards, at least 12 hours ahead, with a morning (8am to 12pm) or afternoon (12pm to 5pm) arrival window.

Take your own dated photos once the clean is finished, room by room, from the same angles as the inventory. If there is a disagreement later, those photos and your booking receipt are your evidence.