What is the checklist for the end of lease cleaning?

What should a cleaning checklist include (also known as a lease cleaning checklist)?

For a professional end of lease cleaning service, everything inside the rental property should be deeply cleaned. This includes furniture or appliances that belong to the landlord or letting agency. 

Every room must be included in the cleaning if it is in the tenancy agreement that the entire property is being let out to the tenant. This will consist of bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, kitchen, closets, hallways and stairs/landings. In some cases, it is a single room that requires end-of-tenancy cleaning. This is if the tenant has only rented out that one particular room.  

Below is an idea of precisely what should be included in the tenancy cleaning checklist:

• Remove cobwebs from ceilings, walls and corners.
• Dust all surfaces – wardrobes, drawers, shelving and cupboards and Wipe any built-up dust and dirt from top of doors and door frames.
• Wipe off dust and build up dirt from skirting boards, picture rails, and wall dado railing.
• Wipe built-up dust from the top of picture frames, light switches and plug sockets, window sills.
• Wipe dirt and dust off curtain rails and tieback holders.
• Clean, disinfect and polish mirrors, picture frames and any wall hangings.
• Dust off light fittings and lampshades.
• Wipe and polish any decorative items.
• Thorough vacuum of all mattresses and carpeted areas.
• Thorough vacuum of all curtains and upholstery.
• Mop polish floors and laminate. (all hard floors will be mopped and vacuumed)
• Wipe doors.
• Clean and polish sinks, stainless steel fixtures, taps and fittings. 
• Remove hard water stains from shower screens and tiles.
• Remove all limescale.
• Clean all soap dishes and dispensers.
• Wipe, dust and polish radiators and towel rails
• Wipe and disinfect all wall tiles.
• Scrub and disinfect the toilet bowl inside and out.
• Make drains clean and free from any hair and debris.
• Wipe and polish mirrors, polish and clean internal windows. 
• Clean any extractor fans.
• Clean inside and outside of cupboards, drawers and shelving.
• Clean and degrease ovens internally and externally.
• Clean and disinfect kitchen sink area.
• Scrub gas rings and gas control knobs.
• Clean all small appliances inside and out. 
• Clean out the fridge/freezer inside and out.
• Clean the washing machine inside and out.
• Sanitise the bins and remove any rubbish bags (replace with new bags)
• Dust off blinds, curtains. (sometimes upholstery cleaning is also booked separately)
• Cleaners will be expected to remove all rubbish from the property and dispose of them correctly. 

This isn’t everything that will be expected from the tenant. However, this is what most professional cleaning companies will cover. Other things might be required.

However, the tenant would need to check that the cleaning company covers these or a different company might need to be booked for wall repairs. The end of lease checklist is simply there for tenants or landlords to have a list that they can check off to ensure nothing is missed. Without the end of lease checklist they might not be able to lease the property out to the next potential tenant. 

So what is the checklist for the end of lease cleaning? The tenancy cleaning checklist is a checklist for the landlord/ letting agent to check any cleaning service that has been completed to ensure it has been done thoroughly enough to give the tenant their deposit back in full or in part. 

What does a professional end of tenancy cleaning service include?

So for the professional end of tenancy  cleaning, the entire property will be cleaned from top to bottom. The cleaners will usually start upstairs and work their way down. 

Bathrooms will be completely disinfected 

• Toilets will be cleaned inside and out
• Bath tubs cleaned inside and out
• Showerheads and taps will be cleaned and polished
• Limescale will be removed from all areas where needed
• Wall tiles will be cleaned and water marks will be removed
• Tile grout will be scrubbed and disinfected
• Windows will be cleaned and polished (inside only). For external window cleaning you would require a professional external window cleaner. (most cleaning companies can offer this for an additional charge)
• Behind all units will be cleaned if accessible and all containers such as toothbrush holders and soap dishes will be thoroughly cleaned. 

Bedrooms 

• Everything will be dusted
• Drawers and wardrobes will be cleaned inside and out
• Bed bases and frames will be wiped and disinfected
• Plug sockets, light switches and light fittings dusted
• Door frames cleaned and dusted
• Skirtings in all areas will be dusted and disinfected
• All flooring will either be swept, vacuumed and mopped

Carpets 

Мost professional cleaning companies will offer a steam carpet cleaning service. However this is usually booked as a separate service with an additional cost as it requires a different technician. The technician will need to bring a specialist carpet cleaning machine and specific carpet cleaning products. 

Kitchen cleaning

• All tiles will be wiped and disinfected
• All small appliances will be cleaned inside and out, including the descaling of the kettle. 
• The fridge freezer will be cleaned thoroughly inside and out, including all the seals on the doors
• Oven cleaning is also included inside and out, including any extractor fans. The cleaners may start with the oven cleaning, this is so they can leave the inside of the oven to soak whilst they continue with other areas of the property if there is a dishwasher that will be thoroughly cleaned inside and out including all the filters
• Kitchen cupboards will also be emptied, cleaned inside and out, and placed back inside neatly
• Washing machines will be cleaned inside and out including the detergent drawer and rubber seals. 

Some cleaning companies will charge additional for additional bathrooms and or toilets however this will all be discussed when you inform them the size of the property and the time of booking. So everything is included inside of the property apart from walls and ceilings. These will be dusted only so no damage comes to the paintwork unless told otherwise. If the cleaners are told to do so, they may only wipe walls down using a damp cloth. 

If required, many additional services can be booked, such as external window cleaning and upholstery and steam carpet cleaning. The cleaners will supply all of the required cleaning supplies needed and they will bring all needed equipment as well.

Most cleaning companies operate on a seven days a week basis. This allows you to book in for same-day cleaning in most cases. Some even work on bank holidays, as usual. This gives you a great selection of available dates and times to make it easy. 

How do I prepare for a professional end of tenancy cleaning service?

The best way to prepare the property for a professional end of tenancy cleaning service is to ensure any breakable items are secure and/or moved out of the way. The professional cleaners should be insured to cover for any breakages. However, if you are worried about specific items you can let the cleaners know that their things are not to be cleaned. 

• Ensure that anything you are taking with you isn’t present or the cleaners have been informed that those items do not need cleaning. They will automatically clean everything inside the property so if it doesn’t need to be cleaned be sure to make them aware otherwise they may spend uneasy time where it could be spent somewhere else. Declutter, the less there is to clean the quicker the cleaning can be complete. 
• Remove any pets from the property where possible before booking the clean. Cleaning with pets present can create a problem while cleaners are cleaning. Pets shed hair and track in dirt regularly so while the cleaners clean the pets could be undoing all that behind them. It is best to move any pets to the new property before booking the clean. 
• Complete your own inspection, this will alert you of any damages that may need fixing and you can complete these before the cleaners come in. Repairs can create dust and debris so it’s best to have any repairs completed before the cleaners arrive. Repairing painted walls and repairing holes from hooks can create an additional mess. 

What can I clean at the end of my lease?

To make the cleaning process easier and quicker you could run around with a duster and dust off ornaments and personal items and remove any marks to the walls as this will not be included. However if you’re booking a professional cleaning company, you do not need to clean anything if you don’t want to. As previously discussed, everything is included inside the property.

Hence, unless you wish to complete a carpet clean yourself or external windows, most professional cleaning companies should have everything else covered.