End of Tenancy Cleaning is a classic professional service in the UK. Although perceived as a service, some still independently undertake the End of Tenancy Cleaning task End of Tenancy Cleaning entirely independently. In both cases, it is about cleaning a home – an apartment or a house – that has been rented. There is still controversy about who is cleaning itself – the tenant or the landlord. Instead, it is a matter settled in the contract and the personal arrangements between the two parties, with the tenant most often obliged to perform a Tenancy Cleaning immediately before leaving. However, the End of Tenancy Cleaning checklist is always the same. Cleaning is always thorough, top-to-bottom and detailed.
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End of Tenancy Cleaning – Planning and Strategy
The action plan is part of the End of Tenancy. Especially if you plan to do the whole task yourself, if you decide to take advantage of faster and better professional cleaning services, you will also need to do a few things, but they will not cost you much effort, namely:
- Choose a professional company to trust. Follow the advice of friends who have already booked an End of Tenancy cleaning service, or do thorough internet research. Good companies leave a particular feedback form on their pages, where customers themselves can comment on the services used.
- Contact the selected company. After ensuring that it offers End of end-of-tenancy cleaning, it is of the utmost importance that you give the maximum details and instructions for your requirements, property type, property condition, additional needs, etc. Even if you forget something, don’t worry. Usually, cleaning companies have reliable customer support, so you can call back to complete your instructions.
- In most cases, a professional cleaning company will schedule a day to visit the home. In 90% of the cases, this is a free consultation and aims to form the right team and plan for action. During this consultation, it is advisable to familiarise the company with your tenancy contract. Often, it contains additional requirements by the landlord. This is also an excellent time to discuss the service’s details – price, package of cleaning services, time and duration, emergency service, etc.
- What should I provide to the End of Tenancy cleaning team during the appointment? Virtually nothing. This is also one of the benefits of having a professional service. The company will not ask you to prepare detergents, equipment or others. They have these, but they also work with quality equipment that achieves up to 70% high efficiency compared to your standard vacuum cleaner, two-handed pair, and environmentally friendly cleaning products 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 amount of equipment the cleaners bring and load in a special van. You do not need to be present during the cleaning service – yes, this is entirely possible and useful to accomplish other relocation tasks – all you need to do is supply the team with a key to the apartment or house.
That’s not how things go with DIY End of end-of-tenancy cleaning planning. Here’s what you need to do to formulate the perfect strategy for this daunting task:
- Consider the time you have for End of Tenancy Cleaning. Keep in mind that this is a time-consuming cleaning. Properties with up to 2 bedrooms will take at least one full day. According to UK precision homeowners who have passed the DIY End of Tenancy challenge, a single-story 3-bedroom house can be perfectly cleaned and the deposit refunded in at least two business days. If you are in a hurry, you may need to take a few days off.
- Given what we said above, including helpers in your action plan would not be wrong. Be careful about your choice. Of course, involving the people closest to you (children, partners, friends, etc.) in cleaning is easiest. If this is impossible or you need even more staff, remember which friend owes you a favour or stop arguing with your neighbours because they may be the only people who can help you with this task.
- Consider the cleaning supplies available. The End of Tenancy cleaning check will not pass successfully even if only one spot is found on the carpet. We want to say that everything in the home needs to shine with cleanliness. In this regard, standard universal cleaners may not work. Here is what you need to do: start touring room by room and write down exactly what you need for each. This way, you will not forget anything, and you will not waste your time with great walking to the shop for a degreaser or other preparation.
- What’s more, different rooms may require other cleaning products. For example, if you have carpets in the living room, inspect them, as they may be delicate and cleaned with specialised equipment only (you will need to buy or rent one). It is possible to have mould and scale in the bathroom, which are not removed with standard cleaning products.
- Go to the market once you’ve made the list of necessary cleaning supplies. Shop without thinking much about money and savings because if your deposit is large, you will lose it due to poor cleaning.
- It is advisable to remove your personal belongings before cleaning yourself. This will make it easier for you to identify hidden spots and dirt. On the other hand, if you collect and move your belongings after cleaning, it may be possible to create new chaos and dirt just before the inventory check.
- And now it’s time to plan for the cleanup itself. It’s a good idea to go room by room, just like you did on a preview, to decide what product to use. You can safely use the End of Tenancy checklist professional cleaning companies maintain. This will save you time making your schedule and ensuring you do not forget anything, as cleaning companies are exact. Because of the 48-hour guarantee, they will strictly comply with the required standards.
Classic End of Tenancy Cleaning checklist – what does the whole service and cleaning of the individual premises include?
The standard plan is to keep an End of Tenancy list of requirements you can safely follow. If you will clean without professional help, begin with some basic tasks and hygiene missions. Then it goes to cleaning room by room. Here are the standard End of Tenancy tasks (they are performed in every room of the property):
- Checking the walls for scratches and smudges. They have to be removed immediately or repaired (the tenant does not require the latter and is only used for timely signalling the client to take quick measures properly)
- Remove cobwebs
- Wiping dust everywhere, including inside the furniture (e.g., drawers, closets, cabinets, etc.)
- Wiping and cleaning switches, handles, windowsills
- Window Cleaning – the inside part only
- Thoroughly clean the upholstered furniture – steam cleaning, stain removal
- Thoroughly clean the carpets – steam or dry cleaning, stain removal, depending on the type of fabric
- Cleaning appliances. Some may require disassembly for deeper cleaning (for example, the oven, which is a top priority during inspection).
- I was cleaning the doors, if necessary.
- I was cleaning the flooring, regardless of type.
- Cleaning the terrace/balcony
- If agreed between the tenant and the landlord, cleaning is also done in front of the house (porch, garden furniture, yard, garage)
- After cleaning any room, it is ventilated.
Now see what the End of Tenancy Cleaning includes in the separate rooms.
EOT kitchen:
- Wiping and cleaning countertop shelves with particular diligence in the area, which is preparing
- sink wash and monitor the scale and stains from water
- Empty all bins
- Remove stains from stale, burnt food and remaining greasy stains or mould around the sink.
- Careful cleaning of the refrigerator after it is emptied and thawed
- Remove foul odours if necessary
EOT bathrooms (bathroom and toilet)
- Cleaning of shower, bath, shower, sink and bathroom furniture
- Thorough inspection and removal, if available, mould and scum, and stains from water
- Wiping mirrors or other glass surfaces
- Empty dispensers and cleaning
- Mop the floor and washing of carpets, if available
- Cleaning shower curtains
EOT living room and living
- Thoroughly remove items available in all sections and cabinets and wipe the furniture and shelves
- inspection sofas and need specialised service upholstery cleaning (dry or steam depending on
- Cleaning the flooring according to its type
- more cleaning the TV, stand or table for the TV with
- Moving the furniture to clean the space they have covered
EOT bedroom:
- Cleaning the mattress – basic – if necessary, may be required, and specialised mattress cleaning service
- Turndown and laundering of linen
- Cleaning and dressing mirrors, if available
- Wiping blinds
- Laundering curtains
- Remove any spots b h regardless of their origin
- Cleaning floors, plus cleaning the carpet, if available, such
- Airing
Aside from ventilating the premises and ensuring there are no residual unpleasant odours? In fact, yes, the tasks for you continue. The following is an assessment of everything done under the plan so far. The landlord usually does the check. He will, as well as you, inspect the entire home with precision and detail. If you find a slight irregularity, you risk your deposit. However, do not despair if the cleaning service has been entrusted to a professional company. This service is always bound by a certain guarantee that comes into play in such cases. If the inspection reveals any irregularities, you have a certain period to contact the cleaning company. They will send a team to check on the spot for this irregularity. In compliance, the company will bear the total cost of re-cleaning. That way, as your client, you will get your deposit back.
End of Tenancy Cleaning is a highly detailed and delicate task. As you have already seen, it involves several tasks that a removal practitioner would categorically cope with independently. Using a professional service will save you a lot of effort, time, and trouble. You must admit that the cleaning tasks listed here are tricky for some people, especially those who dislike cleaning. Please do not risk your deposit, but take it with a smile and leave the property in a good relationship with your landlord. In any case, we wish you a successful End of Tenancy Cleaning!