An end-of-tenancy cleaning is normally done by a third party, a professional cleaner or cleaning company. Its purpose is to ensure that a property is returned to a landlord or holding agent in the required condition. It specifically refers to cleanliness and not to any damage that may or may not has occurred during the tenant’s occupancy.

One or two things about the nature of an end-of-tenancy cleaning require some planning. The first and most important is that as it takes place nominally after the tenancy has ended, it’s necessary to find some way of conducting it without essential trespassing. Normally, an end-of-tenancy clean is done during the last day or two of tenancy, allowing the tenant to invite a cleaning company into the landlord’s property legally.

Certain service contracts may be coming to an end at the same time as the tenancy. If this is true, the tenant needs to ensure that hot water and power remain on while the cleaning is done. If this does not happen, no cleaning company will be able to complete its work properly.

Certain cleaning jobs require, by law, that more than one person be present – more than one qualified person, that is. Normally this is the case where working at heights is concerned. However, falls from heights are the number one professional killer in the UK, so most cleaning companies require that a tenant give advance notice if any ladder work is involved. It ensures that the cleaning company can send the right number of qualified staff to the job.

In some cases, parking for the cleaning company may present a problem – particularly in metropolitan locations where high charges may apply. However, the tenant is almost always responsible for these charges and for ensuring that the cleaning company can park near his or her apartment or property.

It may help to become aware of the specific end-of-tenancy cleaning services offered by a particular third-party company. Soft furnishings, for instance, may not be covered in a standard end-of-tenancy clean – which has more to do with cleaning skirting boards and light fixtures than it does with cleaning curtains. As a result, the tenant might have to book several cleaning packages side by side to obtain the finish he or she is hoping to get.

It’s important to keep the receipt for an end-of-tenancy cleaning package. It can be used to prove that the tenant has exercised his or her due obligation when it comes to returning the property in an acceptable state if there is any dispute over the return of all or part of a deposit for reasons of insufficient cleanliness.

A tenant may point to this receipt as proof that he or she has taken the necessary steps to fulfill his or her end of the lease contract.