Key points
- The easiest time to clean is the gap between collecting the keys and your belongings arriving, when every room is at its clearest.
- If you rent, compare the home with the check-in inventory and photograph any mismatch before you clean, so the starting condition is on record.
- Ivory's deep clean covers limescale, grout, skirting boards, door frames, switches and interior windows (not the sills). Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras.
- Send the details once you know your key date: the price comes back within 30 minutes, and same-day availability helps when the dates are tight.
A viewing is short, and it shows you layout and light more than detail. If you are weighing up a deep clean before moving in to a London home, the real question is what you cannot see from the doorway: grout, the edge of a shower screen, the top of a door frame, the skirting boards.
The window between collecting the keys and carrying the boxes in is when those places are easiest to reach. This guide covers what a move-in deep clean includes, which jobs cost extra, what renters should check before the cleaners arrive and how to time the booking.
Is a deep clean before moving in worth it?
A viewing is built for judging layout, light and how the rooms feel. It is not built for checking grout, the edge of a shower screen or the top of a door frame, so a home can look clean on viewing day and still hold build-up in those places.
That is no comment on whoever lived there before. Those spots are easy to miss in any home. A deep clean first means you know the condition from your first night, instead of finding things out one at a time.
Timing helps too. Before your belongings arrive, every room is at its clearest and the surfaces are easy to reach. After the move, boxes and everyday clutter crowd the rooms and some of the clean gets harder to do.
What does a move-in deep clean cover?
Ivory's deep clean works room by room through the places a quick tidy leaves:
| Room | On the list |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | Hob, extractor and splashback degreased, cupboard fronts wiped down, floors vacuumed and mopped |
| Bathrooms | Limescale lifted from taps, tiles and glass, grout scrubbed, toilet, basin and bath sanitised |
| Living spaces and bedrooms | Skirting boards, door frames and switches, dusting up to the picture rails, interior windows (not the sills) |
Carpets are a separate job. If the home has them, ask about carpet cleaning at the same time. If the home has just had building work, that is a different clean again: see after builders cleaning.
What should renters check before the cleaners arrive?
Census 2021 (ONS) puts private renting at 30% of London households, against 20% across England. If you are one of them, there is a step to take before any clean: compare the home with your check-in inventory.
mydeposits describes a check-in inventory as a detailed list of a property's contents and areas with the condition of each, and says it is strongly recommended even though it is not a legal requirement. It also says tenants typically have around seven days after moving in to review it and report differences. Check your own agreement, or ask your agent, for your actual deadline. See the mydeposits guide to inventories (opens in a new tab).
- Collect the keys and open the inventory before you unpack.
- Walk each room with it. Note anything that does not match, such as limescale, grease or dust the report does not mention.
- Photograph every mismatch with the date on the photo.
- Send your list to the landlord or agent in writing, inside the deadline in your agreement or the one your agent gives you.
- Book the clean.
The order matters because cleaning changes what a photograph can show. mydeposits says that without a clear inventory it is very difficult for a landlord or agent to prove that damage or cleaning issues were caused during the tenancy. In one of its case studies, the check-in report set the baseline and the check-out photographs showed where the clean fell short. That is one adjudication, not a rule, but it is a good reason to keep your day-one record.
A move-in clean does not change what the inventory says, and it does not replace reporting differences. It makes the home ready to live in.
When should you book a move-in deep clean?
Once you know the day you collect the keys. Send your postcode, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the condition you can see and any extras you want. Your price comes back within 30 minutes and you see it before you pick a day.
Pick the day between collecting the keys and your belongings arriving. Ivory is open 7 days, 8am to 10pm, with same-day availability, and covers all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. The team brings its own equipment and eco products, so you do not need to unpack a cleaning kit first.
Not sure what it will cost? The deep clean cost guide explains what sets the price. Ivory's price reflects condition, not history, so describe the home as it is today.
What if you have to move in before the clean?
Book it for the first day you can. Build-up gets easier to stop noticing once you live with it, and the rooms get harder to clear as you unpack.
If you rent, still do the inventory check first. Photograph any mismatch before the cleaners arrive and send your list in writing before your deadline.
What comes after the move-in clean?
A deep clean is a one-off reset. Regular visits are what keep the home at that standard afterwards. Regular clean vs deep clean sets out the difference, with a fingertip test you can run yourself.
If you want help with the upkeep, Ivory's weekly residential cleaning is priced from £55 for the 2h minimum, then £25/hr. Starting it on a home that has just been deep cleaned means it maintains a standard you chose.
Questions people ask
Before, if the dates allow. The rooms are at their clearest before your belongings arrive, so every surface is easy to reach. Book the day between collecting the keys and the move itself.
Compare each room with your check-in inventory and photograph anything that does not match. mydeposits says tenants typically have around seven days to review the inventory and report differences, but check your own agreement, or ask your agent, for your actual deadline.
Ivory covers all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Put your postcode in the quote form and we confirm that we reach you.
No, they are paid extras on every Ivory service. Interior windows are included, but not the sills. Tick the extras you want on the form and they are added to your price.
Tell us the floor, whether there is a lift and how the team gets into the building when you send your details. If the building expects visitors to be announced to reception or a managing agent, let them know first.
Sources
Written by M.A. Published .
Keep reading
Deep clean cost in London: what pushes the price up or down
Equal bedroom counts do not mean equal workloads in London. See what drives a deep clean price, which jobs cost extra and what a good quote asks you.
Regular clean vs deep clean in London: which does your home need?
They are two different task lists, not two speeds of one job. See what each covers, compare them in a table and run a quick test to tell which your home needs.
End of tenancy cleaning deposit in London: what a clean can and cannot change
What the deposit schemes say about cleaning at check-out, how much a London landlord can ask for, and what a professional clean can and cannot change.
