Cleaning it yourself
Pros
- No cleaning bill
- You control when and how it is done
Cons
- A lot of effort during an already busy move
- Ovens, limescale and grease need the right products
- Easy to miss areas agents check, such as skirting boards and inside cupboards
Booking a professional clean
Pros
- A full checklist built around inspections
- Products and equipment included
- An invoice for your records
- A 72-hour re-clean guarantee if anything on the checklist is missed
Cons
- A cost to budget for
- You need to book a date around your move
How to decide
- Small, well-kept home and plenty of time: DIY can work.
- Larger home, heavy kitchen or bathroom build-up, or a tight move-out date: a professional clean is usually easier.
If you clean yourself, use our end of tenancy cleaning checklist.
What a professional clean costs
Our end of tenancy cleaning is From £155. Read end of tenancy cleaning prices for what changes the price.
Typical job £270 — based on 2,199 completed jobs in the last 12 months.
Room-by-room priorities if time is short
If you are cleaning yourself and cannot do everything, focus on the areas that are inspected most closely. Start with the kitchen: a greasy oven, hob or extractor is one of the first things an agent notices. Then move to bathrooms, where limescale on taps and screens and mould in grout stand out. After that, work through skirting boards, doors and switches in every room, because dust and fingerprints there make a home look uncared for even when floors are clean.
Leave floors until last in each room. Vacuum carpets thoroughly, including edges and under radiators, and mop hard floors on your way out of the room so you do not walk over them again.
Fair wear and tear
You are not expected to return a home in better condition than you received it. Normal wear from everyday living, such as light scuffs on walls or slightly worn carpet in walkways, is usually treated as fair wear and tear rather than a cleaning issue. Dirt, grease, limescale and marks that cleaning would remove are different, which is why a thorough clean matters.
Common DIY mistakes
- Underestimating the kitchen. Inside cupboards, the oven and the extractor fan take more effort than most people expect.
- Using the wrong products. Bleach does not remove limescale, and abrasive pads scratch baths, glass and stainless steel.
- Cleaning while still moving out. Boxes and furniture block floors and cupboards, so areas get missed.
- Skipping inside windows and sills. They are easy to forget and easy for an agent to notice.
A fair way to decide
Look honestly at the time you have, the size of the property and the condition it is in. If you have a small, well-kept flat and a free day after the move, cleaning it yourself with the checklist can work. If you are short on time, the property is large, or the oven and carpets need attention, a professional clean with the right add-ons is usually simpler. Either way, compare the result with the check-in inventory before you hand back the keys.