As with any important task - preparation is key to getting the best results from an end of tenancy clean. Moving house can be a stressful time, so adequate preparation can ensure that you don’t forget anything in the chaos of the moment. However, it doesn’t have to be an over-complicated process - preparing for end of tenancy house cleaning can be done in six simple steps:
1. Declutter
The first thing you need to do before any end of tenancy cleaning is to declutter. Sort through all of the items that you own, deciding which things you will be taking to your new property, and which ones will be thrown out.
This means that neither any professional cleaners nor yourself will end up deep cleaning things that are only going to be thrown out, wasting precious and valuable time. It can also help you to reduce your moving costs, as you will only need to move the items that you know you are going to keep.
2. Move any pets out of the way
It is not very helpful to have a pet around for even our experienced cleaners! Whether you hire a professional cleaning service or not, make sure you move your pets out of the way for a while so that you can undertake a thorough house clean.
Pets can also be a source of dirt and fluff, which is not beneficial when you are trying to get a sparkling clean property. When your rental deposit is at stake, consider taking your cat to a friend’s, relative’s, or a boarding kennel or cattery until you pass the inspection of your landlord.
3. Do an inspection of the property
Do a thorough inspection of your rental property, making a note of any areas that need extra TLC and any damage. This will allow you to target the problem areas, or direct the professional cleaners to the areas that need more attention.
4. Review your rental agreement and inventory
Once you have done an inspection, compare your notes to your rental agreement and inventory that you were provided when you moved in. This will allow you to see where you might lose money in a deposit dispute and so where to focus your time. It can also indicate whether you need to request additional cleaning services.
Extra services that we often undertake during the end of tenancy cleaning includes oven cleaning, carpet cleaning, removal of dried food deposits, and window cleaning. We can polish glass surfaces, metal surfaces, and smooth surfaces to improve the look of scuffs, and we can also clean your fridge and freezer provided you defrost your freezer in advance.
5. Create a checklist
From your tenancy agreement and inventory, create a checklist. Put yourself in the shoes of your landlord and go around the house trying to find places that must be cleaned by professional end of tenancy cleaning services.
6. Call in Kiwi Movers!
And finally, call in the friendly team here at Kiwi Movers. Get an online quote fast by filling out our online form, or get in touch with our dedicated customer service team for a detailed quote personalised to your specific requirements.
As our previous customers can tell you, the end of tenancy cleaning cost is totally worth it, as it can help you get your security deposit back from the Deposit Protection Scheme and avoid any additional charge from your landlord.
How long does an end of tenancy clean take
How long an end of tenancy clean will take can depend on a number of different factors, including:
- Degree of pollution - The dirtier the rental property, the longer it will take to clean it.
- Total area of the room - Students in university accommodation might only have a small room, which can be cleaned quickly, whereas commercial and office cleaning can take longer.
- Presence of stains on the carpet - When carpets are stained, you will have to do deep carpet cleaning treatments, which can add a couple of hours to your cleaning time.
- If there is serious dirt on furniture - Similarly, dirty furniture can lead to extra time and extra elbow grease needed to do a rental clean.
- When appliances, bathrooms, windows, etc., were last cleaned - If you clean your room, fixtures and appliances frequently, then an end of tenancy clean will be quicker and easier.
- Whether your stuff has already been moved out - Maneuvering around boxes of luggage and possessions can be more time consuming than you think.
- Whether you are doing it yourself - Cleaning the property yourself is guaranteed to be more time consuming, especially as you will need to factor in time to buy all the products that you need.
Whereas self-cleaning can be more time consuming, hiring professional end of tenancy cleaning services can ensure that the cleaning is completed quickly and efficiently. But, as the time it will take to clean the property will often dictate the tenancy cleaning cost, we know how important it is to be transparent about how long our end of tenancy cleaning services can take.
We will be able to guarantee a certain deadline for performing our services, even in the case of an emergency. Therefore, here are the factors that determine how long a professional end of tenancy clean from Kiwi Movers will take:
- Condition - Similarly to if you were cleaning the rental property yourself, the time it takes for a professional service to clean depends on the condition of the property.
- Size of property - As a rule of thumb, houses are roughly 10% more time consuming than flats, even if their overall size is the same. For the average one-bedroom apartment, an end of tenancy clean can take around 4 hours, whereas an average three-bedroom house can take around 7 hours.
- Number of employees - Typically, the more employees that are allocated to the job, the quicker the job will get done. For example, we aim to send at least two professional cleaners to clean a standard apartment and anything up to 5 people for larger houses. However, if you have a tight deadline, such as hiring us only one day in advance, we can adjust our number of employees accordingly to meet your requirements and ensure customer satisfaction.
- Availability of additional features and requirements - Opting for additional extras on top of a standard end of tenancy clean can mean that the job takes longer to complete. This includes extra services such as window cleaning, oven cleaning, removal of food deposits from upholstery, and carpet cleaning.
Is end of tenancy cleaning essential?
In short, the answer to this question is yes! End of tenancy cleaning is essential in the case of landlords, agents and tenants of rental properties, both residential and commercial.
For tenants of a rental property, end of tenancy cleaning is essential if you want to get back your security deposit. Otherwise, your rental deposit might be subjected to deposit disputes with the Deposit Protection Scheme, which protects both the landlord and tenant in the event of any terms and conditions of the tenancy agreement being broken.
This is because, as a tenant, it is your responsibility to maintain the standard of the property and return it to the landlord in the same condition as it was when you first moved in. Whilst dirt and damage will most likely occur additional costs, general wear and tear is acceptable. After all, they won’t expect you to bubble wrap your entire house - everyone will make a little mess over a year’s rental agreement.
As you can see, this means that end of tenancy cleaning is essential to tenants who are moving out of their rental property. In this case, you have two choices to consider: you can either undertake the cleaning task yourself, or you can hire a professional cleaning service such as Kiwi Movers! With us, we make it far easier for you to get your deposit back without having to spend a lot of time deep cleaning with your own hands.
For landlords or letting agents, end of tenancy cleaning can also be useful if the property has been empty for a while, or to make your property a more attractive prospect for potential new tenants, increasing rental success. Well-maintained properties are more likely to have a higher rental income, and it can set a standard of cleanliness for your tenants that they should strive to meet.
End of tenancy cleaning can also rectify any problems that might have occurred due to previous tenants who did not undertake an end of tenancy clean, and therefore lost their deposit. This also means that professional end of tenancy cleaning services can minimise the periods between tenancies, making sure that the property is suitable for the new tenants no matter how quick the turnaround.
This is especially important in this time of the coronavirus pandemic. Though restrictions have lifted around the world, the threat of COVID-19 has not disappeared, and the pandemic itself has highlighted how essential frequent deep cleaning can be for our safety. For this reason, end of tenancy cleaning is one way in which landlords and agents can reassure new tenants that the property is safe for them to move into.
