End of tenancy cleaning cost in 2026 — and how to get your full deposit back

Moving out is exhausting. You're packing, booking vans, cancelling broadband, and somewhere in the middle of all that there's a clean standing between you and a deposit that might be worth more than a month's rent. This guide is here to take the guesswork out of it: what a proper end of tenancy clean costs, what you're legally required to do (and what you're not), and exactly how to make sure your deposit comes home with you.

What end of tenancy cleaning costs in 2026

Across the UK market, end of tenancy cleans are widely quoted between roughly £200 and £450+, depending on size and location. Our prices are fixed, published, and don't change on the day unless you ask for extra work.

What's included as standard: every room top to bottom, inside kitchen cupboards and drawers, inside the fridge and freezer, bathrooms descaled, skirting boards, doors, frames and handles, light switches and sockets, interior windows and sills, and all hard floors washed. The oven, hob and extractor are included — carpets are available as an add-on. We work to the same room-by-room checklist letting agents use at check-out: see the full checklist here.

What changes the price: the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the condition the property is in, whether carpets need a specialist clean, and access and parking. We ask about all of this up front, so the price you're quoted is the price you pay.

Get a fixed written quote before booking.

Why this clean matters more than any other

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most deposit disputes aren't about damage. They're about cleaning.

The Deposit Protection Service reported that cleaning was the top reason for deposit claims in 2025, at 29.38% of claims, ahead of damage (18.42%) and rent arrears (16.45%). It has been the leading reason every year since at least 2021. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme's adjudicators found cleaning came up in 54% of the disputes they handled in 2025 — the single biggest source of disputes.

Now put that next to what's at stake. In England your deposit can be up to five weeks' rent. On a £1,200-a-month flat, that's about £1,385. A professional end of tenancy clean on a 1-bed starts at from £145. That's roughly a tenth of the deposit it's protecting.

What the law actually says (England)

This part surprises a lot of tenants, and it's worth knowing before anyone tells you otherwise.

Your landlord can't make you pay for a professional clean. Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord or letting agent cannot require you to pay for a professional clean when you check out, according to the government's guidance for tenants. A clause in your tenancy agreement that says you must use a professional cleaner is not enforceable.

But you do have to leave it clean. You're responsible for returning the property in the condition you found it, apart from fair wear and tear. If you don't, your landlord can claim the reasonable cost of cleaning from your deposit.

Deductions need evidence. If your landlord wants to deduct for cleaning, they should justify it with the check-in inventory, check-out report, photos, receipts and invoices. “It wasn't clean enough” on its own isn't evidence.

Fair wear and tear isn't dirt. Faded paint, slightly flattened carpet and worn fabric from normal living are fair wear and tear. Grease on the oven door, limescale on the taps and dust on top of the kitchen cupboards are not.

Your deposit must be protected. In England it has to be held in one of three government-approved schemes — the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme — and each offers free dispute resolution if you and your landlord can't agree.

So you don't need a professional clean. You need a clean that would pass an inspection against your check-in inventory. A professional clean is simply the most reliable way to get there, and the invoice becomes part of your evidence.

DIY or professional: an honest comparison

We'd be the first to say a professional clean isn't always necessary. If you've been in the flat for six months, kept it immaculate and have a good eye for detail, doing it yourself can work.

DIY is reasonable when the tenancy was short, the property is small, the oven's barely been used, there are no carpets or they're in good condition, and you have a full day free after your furniture has gone.

Professional usually wins when the tenancy has been a year or more, there's an oven with real use behind it, there are carpets, there's limescale in a hard-water area, you're moving on a tight timeline, or the inventory was done to a professional standard at check-in. Professional check-in cleans set a high bar, and matching it with supermarket sprays and a borrowed hoover is genuinely hard.

Count the hidden costs of DIY too: products, a carpet-cleaner hire, the oven cleaner that doesn't quite work, and a day you probably don't have in moving week.

What inspectors check first

Inventory clerks and letting agents look at the same places every time. If you do it yourself, start here:

1. The oven, hob and extractor. Racks, glass door, the inside of the extractor hood and the filter.
2. Limescale. Taps, shower screens, shower heads, plugholes and the base of the toilet.
3. Inside cupboards and drawers. Crumbs, sticky shelves and the tops of wall units.
4. The fridge and freezer. Defrosted, dried, doors left ajar so they don't smell.
5. Behind and under. Behind the washing machine, under the bed, beneath the sofa.
6. Skirting boards, doors and light switches. Dust and fingerprints show up in check-out photos.
7. Windows and sills. Interior glass, frames and tracks, and any condensation mould.
8. Carpets. Stains and heavy traffic marks, especially if they were professionally cleaned at check-in.

Our agency-approved checklist goes through every room, and what landlords actually check explains how inspections are scored.

Getting the timing right

Book the clean after the last box leaves. An empty home is faster to clean and nothing gets dirty again as furniture comes out.

Book it before the check-out inspection. Ideally the day before or the same morning. Leave yourself time for a re-clean if something is flagged.

Sort the keys early. Tell your cleaner how they'll get in and how the keys will get back to you or the agent.

Don't book it for the day of the move itself unless you're sure the van will be gone by the time the cleaners arrive. If you are leaving London, use our long-distance moving guides to sequence the move and clean.

Your deposit-protection kit

This is the bit that turns “I'm sure it was clean” into “here's the proof”.

• Photos and video after the clean. Match the angles and lighting of your check-in inventory, room by room. Date-stamped if possible.
• The cleaning invoice. It shows what was cleaned, when, and by whom.
• The checklist. Ask your cleaner for the list they worked to.
• Your check-in inventory. Keep a copy. It's the benchmark everything is judged against.
• Meter readings and a key-return receipt. Not cleaning evidence, but they close the tenancy cleanly.

If your landlord still wants to deduct for cleaning

1. Ask for an itemised breakdown and the evidence behind it, including the check-out report and photos.
2. Compare it with your check-in inventory and your own photos. Is it really dirt, or is it fair wear and tear?
3. If you used a professional cleaner, tell them straight away. With Hello Services, if anything on our checklist was missed and you tell us within 72 hours, we come back and put it right at no cost.
4. Negotiate in writing. Many disputes are settled at this stage.
5. If you still can't agree, use your deposit scheme's free dispute service. An independent adjudicator decides based on the evidence — which is why that deposit-protection kit matters so much.

For landlords and letting agents

If you're turning a property around between tenants, the same clean protects you too: a clean, well-photographed property at check-in makes every future check-out easier to judge and much harder to dispute. We clean to the same agency-style checklist, can work around tight turnaround windows, and can add carpet cleaning in the same visit. Talk to us about landlord and agency cleaning.

Frequently asked questions

How much does end of tenancy cleaning cost?

With Hello Services it is a fixed price from £145 for a 1-bed, from £185 for a 2-bed and from £245 for a 3-bed, including products and equipment. Oven cleaning is from £65 and carpets from £45 per room.

Can my landlord make me pay for a professional clean?

No. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord or agent in England cannot require you to pay for a professional clean at check-out. You do have to return the property as clean as it was at the start, allowing for fair wear and tear.

Can my landlord deduct cleaning costs from my deposit?

Yes, if the property is not left in its check-in condition, apart from fair wear and tear. They should justify the deduction with the inventory, check-out report, photographs and invoices.

How long does an end of tenancy clean take?

Allow 4–5 hours for a 1-bed, 6–7 hours for a 2-bed and a full day for a 3-bed. Condition, limescale and oven carbon can extend the work.

What if the landlord is not happy after the clean?

Tell us within 72 hours and we will re-clean anything on our checklist that was missed, free of charge.

Do I need to be there during the clean?

No. You can arrange key access through us or your agent, and we will confirm when the work is finished.

Is carpet cleaning included?

Carpet cleaning is a separate add-on at from £45 per room because it uses hot-water extraction equipment. Vacuuming is included in every clean.

When should I book?

Book once you know your move-out date. The clean should happen after the furniture has gone and before the check-out inspection.

Protect your deposit with a fixed-price clean. Same-week slots, an agency-style checklist and a 72-hour re-clean guarantee. Book your end of tenancy clean or get a free quote.

Related guides: The agency-approved end of tenancy cleaning checklist · What landlords actually check · How much does a cleaner cost? · Moving out of London · Man with a van vs removal company

Sources: GOV.UK, Tenant Fees Act 2019: Guidance for tenants · Deposit Protection Service 2025 claims data (reported June 2026) · NRLA, “What 2025 taught us about deposit disputes” (TDS adjudication data, December 2025) · Hello Services published rate card.