Landlord and letting agent cleaning in London

A landlord books a clean between tenancies for a different reason from an outgoing tenant. The tenant is trying to match a report written when their tenancy began. You're setting the standard the next tenant will be measured against when they leave. This page is for landlords and letting agents. If you're a tenant moving out, our end of tenancy cleaning page is written for you.

The clean that sets the next baseline

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme puts the principle simply: a property should be handed back as clean as it was at the start of the tenancy. That makes the check-in report the yardstick for the whole of the next tenancy, and the report can only record the property as clean if it was cleaned first.

So the order of the changeover matters. The outgoing tenant leaves, the property is cleaned, and then your agent or inventory clerk carries out the check-in and writes up what they see. If the check-in happens first, the report describes whatever the last tenancy left behind, and you've lost the evidence you would need at the end of the next one.

Keep the invoice for the clean with the check-in report. A mydeposits resolution case shows why. The landlord had £330 in dispute and was awarded £130. The check-in report said little about cleanliness, and there was no invoice to show a professional clean before the tenancy started, so only a small amount went towards carpet cleaning.

What a landlord can and can't deduct for

Government guidance says tenants get their deposit back if they meet the terms of the tenancy agreement, don't damage the property and pay the rent and bills. Cleaning comes under the first of those, and the limit is the check-in standard. You can claim for the cost of bringing a property back to how clean it was when the tenancy began. You can't use the deposit to get it cleaner than that.

Wear is treated differently. The Tenancy Deposit Scheme says cleanliness is not subject to fair wear and tear: a carpet can be worn thin after years of use and still be expected to be clean. The thinning is wear and tear, and the dirt is a cleaning matter. Charging the tenant for a new carpet because the old one wore out through normal use is a claim for fair wear and tear, and the scheme's principle puts that outside a cleaning deduction.

You or your agent must protect a deposit in one of the approved schemes within 30 days of receiving it, and return it within 10 days of you and the tenant agreeing the amount. If you can't agree, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is settled. Our Uxbridge end of tenancy guide covers the dispute side in more detail, including what the schemes treat as a reasonable claim. Nothing here is legal advice, and the scheme holding the deposit makes the decision.

Keys, access and the day of the clean

A changeover can involve a landlord, an agent and two sets of tenants, each with a claim on the keys, so the quote request is the place to set out how access works. Useful things to tell us:

• who is releasing the keys, and where they go back afterwards
• the date and time the outgoing tenant hands over, and when the check-in is booked
• anything about the building, such as a concierge, a lift that needs booking, or parking restrictions
• whether anything is being left in the property for the next tenant

The cleaners who come are trained, experienced, DBS checked and insured. Cleaning runs from 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, which gives some room to work around an agent's office hours and a tenant's move-out time.

Ready for viewings and listing photos

If the property is being re-let while it's empty, clean it before the photographer comes, so smeared mirrors, water marks on chrome and dust on skirting boards aren't in the pictures that go online. A one-off clean can also be booked closer to viewings if the property has been sitting empty and dust has settled again.

If the carpets need more than a vacuum, carpet and rug cleaning is our newest service, with dedicated equipment bought for it, and it can be booked alongside the clean between tenancies.

Let properties outside the changeover

Not every landlord job falls on a changeover day. A property that has been empty for months, or one that needs more than a standard clean before it goes back on the market, can be booked as a deep clean. If a refurbishment happens between tenancies, the after builders clean deals with the dust before the property is photographed or inspected. And if a furnished let includes cleaning as part of the rent, regular domestic cleans can be arranged for the property.

Asking for a quote

Send the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the postcode, whether the property will be empty or furnished, and the dates you're working to, through the form on the contact page. You'll get a written price back. Photos from the last check-out report help, especially of the kitchen and bathrooms.