Key points
- The order is notice, belongings out, clean, check-out. The clean sits between the second and the fourth, with a gap before the inspection.
- GOV.UK says an assured tenancy can no longer have an end date, so if that is your tenancy your leaving date usually comes from a notice. Ask for a price once you know it.
- A check-out booked before the clean sees the property as you left it, so ask your agent to move it.
- Your Ivory price comes back within 30 minutes and you see it before you pick a day. Same-day slots exist, and the team is open 7 days, 8am to 10pm.
When to book end of tenancy cleaning in London comes down to where the clean sits, not how many days ahead you ask. It belongs in the gap after your last belongings leave and before the check-out, and everything else about timing follows from that gap.
GOV.UK says it is no longer possible to have an assured tenancy agreement with an end date, following the Renters' Rights Act changes of 1 May 2026. If that is your tenancy, your leaving date usually comes from a notice, not from a date printed in the agreement. This guide covers the order of the last days, the timing traps, how far ahead to ask for a price and what to confirm with your agent.
What order do the last days of a tenancy run in?
The clean needs two things around it: empty rooms before, and a gap after. This is the sequence to plan around.
- Notice and a leaving date. Whoever ends the tenancy gives notice, and that sets the day you are planning for.
- Belongings out. Furniture, boxes and bin bags all gone, so every surface can be reached.
- The clean. Done in the empty property, against the same list the inspection uses.
- The check-out. The agent compares each room with the check-in inventory. Ask whether it happens when the keys are handed over or at a separate time.
- The deposit. GOV.UK says the landlord must return your deposit within 10 days (opens in a new tab) of you both agreeing how much you get back.
The clean sits third because it needs empty rooms to reach the skirting boards, cupboard fronts and floors, and it has to be finished before the agent looks at those same places.
Does the Renters' Rights Act change when you should book?
It changes where your leaving date comes from. GOV.UK's overview for tenants (opens in a new tab) says most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and that a tenant can end an assured periodic tenancy by giving 2 months' notice.
If a landlord is ending the tenancy, GOV.UK's guidance on ending a tenancy (opens in a new tab) says section 21 notices can no longer be used and the landlord needs a valid ground. Notice is usually at least 2 months, but can be up to 4. It also says tenants can give 2 months' notice at any point, unless a shorter notice period has been agreed.
For timing, the notice is your cue. Once you know the day you are leaving, ask for a price. You do not need to wait until the removals are booked.
What goes wrong when the clean lands at the wrong moment?
Most timing problems are one of five situations. Each has a simple fix, and the fix is almost always a conversation with the agent or the cleaner before the day.
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The last furniture leaves on the morning of the check-out | The clean cannot start until the rooms are empty. Move the removals earlier, or ask the agent for a later check-out. |
| The check-out is booked before the clean | An inspection that comes first sees the property as you left it. Ask the agent to move it to after the clean. |
| The clean would finish just before the agent arrives | There is no time to look round. Leave a gap, and ask the cleaner whether the visit fits inside it. |
| You will still be using the kitchen or bathroom on the last night | Tell the cleaner which rooms will still be in use. Those rooms can only be finished once they are free. |
| The removals date has not been set | Ask for a price now and confirm the day once the date is firm. |
How far ahead should you ask for a price?
No number of days suits everyone, so ask as soon as you have a leaving date, even a rough one. Your price comes back within 30 minutes and you see it before you pick a day. An earlier request gives you more days to choose from, and same-day slots exist for when plans tighten. The team is open 7 days, 8am to 10pm.
Ivory's end of tenancy clean is from £190, and the final price reflects condition, not how long you have lived there. Have these to hand when you ask:
- The postcode and the number of bedrooms.
- The day you want the clean, and the time of the check-out if you know it.
- Anything on your check-out list that sits outside the standard clean. Inside the oven, fridge and cupboards are paid extras, and a machine carpet clean is priced on top.
- Whether you have already cleaned part of the property. If so, tell us what is left and we can price a targeted top-up.
What should you confirm with your letting agent?
- The date and time of the check-out, and that it falls after the clean.
- When and where the keys go back.
- A copy of the check-in inventory, so the clean follows the same description the check-out does.
- Whether you can attend the check-out. mydeposits calls giving the tenant the chance to attend the final inspection best practice (opens in a new tab).
Once the timing is fixed, the checklist shows what the inspection goes through, and the deposit guide explains what a clean can and cannot change.
What if the agent queries something after the clean?
Ask them to name the room and the item. 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. Dated photographs of each room, taken when the clean was finished, are what you will want to hand.
What if your leaving date moves?
A moved leaving date moves the whole sequence: the removals, the clean and the check-out all shift with it. Tell your cleaner first, then re-check the check-out time with your agent.
Write any day from 8am to 10pm with the new date and the reply comes back within 30 minutes, saying what is free.
Questions people ask
Book it for after your belongings are out and before the check-out, and ask for a price as soon as you know your leaving date. Booking ahead gives you more choice of day.
GOV.UK says most existing assured shorthold tenancies automatically became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and that an assured tenancy can no longer have an end date. If yours is one of them, your leaving date usually comes from a notice, and a tenant can give 2 months' notice.
Ask your letting agent to move it to after the clean. An inspection that happens first sees the property as it was before the clean, so the clean does no work for you.
The GOV.UK guidance read for this guide sets one rule for England and none for London alone. It says a tenant can give 2 months' notice to end an assured periodic tenancy, and tenants can give 2 months' notice at any point unless a shorter period has been agreed.
Ivory has same-day availability and a London team covering all 32 London boroughs and the City of London. Put your postcode in the form and the reply, inside 30 minutes, says what is free.
Sources
Written by M.A. Published .
Keep reading
End of tenancy cleaning checklist for London, room by room
Read it beside your check-in inventory: the kitchen, bathroom and other rooms as a London check-out goes through them, and which items cost extra or fall outside a clean.
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.
Deep clean before moving in to a London home: is it worth it?
The gap between collecting the keys and carrying the boxes in is the easiest time to clean a London home. Here is what to cover, what to check first and when to book.
