Key points
- Start from the check-in inventory. mydeposits advises inspectors to use it for reference and comparison at the final inspection, so your checklist should follow its room-by-room entries.
- Cleaning is one line on the check-out. mydeposits tells inspectors to focus on cleanliness, damage, missing items, gardens, items left, keys and meter readings.
- Ivory's standard list covers the kitchen, bathrooms and the rest of the property. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards, a machine carpet clean and a full wall wash are priced on top.
- Photograph every room once it is finished and keep the pictures with the inventory.
An end of tenancy cleaning checklist for a London rental is only as useful as the document it is checked against. The check-out compares each room with the check-in inventory, so the list below is meant to be read beside your inventory, one room at a time, before the keys go back.
It covers the kitchen, the bathroom and the rest of the property, then the items that sit outside a standard clean. It promises no result at the check-out: what a landlord or agent claims is their decision, and a clean only deals with the cleaning side.
What should a London end of tenancy cleaning checklist start from?
The inventory. It records the property as it stood on the day you moved in. mydeposits advises whoever carries out the final inspection to use the check-in inventory for reference and comparison, so that differences are described in the same terms. Your list should use those terms too.
If you never received a copy, ask your landlord or agent for one before you clean. mydeposits says an inventory is not a legal requirement but is strongly recommended, and that without a clear one it is very difficult for a landlord or agent to prove that damage or cleaning issues arose during the tenancy. Its guide to check-in and check-out (opens in a new tab) sets out how the final inspection is meant to run.
For what the deposit schemes say about cleaning standards, read the deposit guide.
What does a check-out look at in the kitchen?
Grease and limescale settle on kitchen surfaces, so the room gets a pass of its own. Clear your food and belongings off the worktops first, so every surface can be wiped. Ivory's standard kitchen list matches these checks:
- The hob, including the area around the rings, and the extractor above it. Both are degreased.
- The sink, taps and splashback, with limescale cleared from the taps.
- Worktops, and the fronts of cupboards and drawers, wiped down.
- The floor, vacuumed and mopped.
Inside the oven, the fridge and the cupboards are different. They are paid extras with Ivory, on every service, so if your inventory lists them, say so when you ask for a price.
What does a check-out look at in the bathroom?
Clear the shelves, the cabinet and the window sill first. Water leaves visible marks in a bathroom, so the checks are specific:
- Limescale on the taps, tiles and shower screen.
- Grout between the tiles, scrubbed back rather than just wiped.
- The toilet, bath and basin, sanitised.
- The extractor cover and the mirror.
- Sealant around the bath, shower and basin. Note any staining and photograph it once you have cleaned.
What about the bedrooms, living rooms and hallways?
These rooms have fewer fixtures, so the check is about the edges and the corners between the large surfaces. They are also the places that get skipped while you are packing.
- Skirting boards, door and window frames and light switches, wiped.
- Marks on paintwork, lifted where they will lift.
- Light fittings and ceiling corners, dusted.
- Carpets vacuumed and hard floors mopped.
- Wardrobes, drawers and shelves, emptied.
Census 2021 (ONS) counts purpose-built flats as 40% of London households, so for many tenants the inventory describes a flat. Whatever you rent, read the inventory for anything outside the main rooms, for example a balcony, a utility cupboard or built-in storage, and add it to your list.
Which checklist items cost extra, and which fall outside the clean?
Some items on a check-out list are not part of the standard clean, and some are not cleaning at all. This is how Ivory treats them:
| On your list | With Ivory |
|---|---|
| Inside the oven | Paid extra |
| Inside the fridge | Paid extra |
| Inside the cupboards | Paid extra |
| Carpets that need more than a vacuum | Machine carpet clean, priced on top |
| A full wall wash | A separate line on your price |
| Repairs and redecoration | Not covered: cleaning only |
| Garden work | Not covered |
| Rubbish and left-behind items | Not covered: they need to be gone before the team arrives |
If the oven is the only thing your list needs, it can be booked as its own job: see oven cleaning. If your list asks for more than a vacuum on the carpets, carpet cleaning covers that.
If you have already cleaned most of the property, tell us what is left and we can price a targeted top-up instead of a full clean.
What should you do once the clean is finished?
Photograph every room, dated, and keep the pictures with the inventory. The three approved schemes name the same kinds of evidence when a deduction is disputed: the inventory, the check-out report, date-stamped photographs and receipts. The DPS (opens in a new tab) and mydeposits (opens in a new tab) both set this out.
If the agent queries something, ask them to name the room and the item, so you know exactly what you are answering. If the clean was ours, send us what they flagged and the team returns to re-clean those areas within 48 hours, at no extra charge.
The order of events matters as much as the list. When to book an end of tenancy clean covers where the clean sits between your belongings leaving and the check-out.
How do you get a price against your own list?
Send the postcode, the number of bedrooms and the day the keys go back, plus anything on your list that the standard clean leaves out. Your price comes back within 30 minutes, any day from 8am to 10pm, and same-day availability means a late request is still worth sending.
Ivory's end of tenancy clean is from £190, and the final price reflects the condition of the property, not how long you lived there. The cleaners are vetted, bring their own equipment and eco products, and the team carries £2m public liability insurance.
Questions people ask
It should follow your check-in inventory room by room: hob, extractor, sink and taps in the kitchen, limescale and grout in the bathroom, and skirting, switches, paintwork and floors elsewhere. Add anything the inventory names that this list does not.
The cleaning list is the same, and the inventory decides what is on it. Read yours for outdoor space, built-in storage or anything else specific to the property, and tell us what it names when you ask for a price.
No. mydeposits tells inspectors to focus on cleanliness, damage, missing items, gardens, items left, keys and meter readings. Check the keys and meter readings alongside the clean.
Ask the agent which room and which item they mean, and keep your dated photographs to hand. If something is queried after an Ivory end of tenancy clean, tell us and we come back to re-clean within 48 hours.
Ivory has a London team covering all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Put your postcode in the form to confirm, and your price comes back within 30 minutes.
Sources
Written by M.A. Published .
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