Cleaning accounts for more deposit deductions than any other category, and a large proportion of those deductions are reduced or rejected when challenged. The reason is rarely that the property was clean. It is that the landlord could not prove what standard it was in at the start, could not show clearly what state it was left in, or claimed a cost out of proportion to the difference between the two.
The principle: return it as you found it
A tenant’s obligation is to return the property in the same state of cleanliness as at the start of the tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear. Not cleaner. Not to a professional standard unless it was professionally cleaned at the start. If a property was let in a domestically clean condition and returned in a domestically clean condition, there is no deduction to make, however much the landlord would prefer it spotless for the next viewing.
This is why the check-in report is decisive. If it says “professionally cleaned throughout, receipt held” and the check-out shows grease in the oven and mould in the shower sealant, the case is straightforward. If the check-in simply says “clean”, the adjudicator has no way to know what that meant and will tend to resolve the doubt in the tenant’s favour.
Recording cleanliness properly at check-in
A good clerk assesses cleanliness separately from condition, room by room, using a defined scale. Common terms are “professionally cleaned”, “cleaned to a good domestic standard”, “cleaned to a fair domestic standard”, and “requires cleaning”. Each room’s entry should also call out the items most likely to be disputed: oven interior, hob, extractor, fridge interior, bathroom sealant, shower screen, toilet, windows, carpets, and skirting boards.
Photographs should support the assessment, particularly for the kitchen and bathroom. A clear image of a clean oven interior on day one is worth more than a paragraph of description when the same oven is photographed at check-out with baked-on residue.
Agreeing the standard with the tenant
Tenants are far more likely to return a property clean if they know what is expected. Many agencies now include a cleaning guide with the check-in report or the tenancy pack: which areas will be checked, what “clean” means for an oven or a shower screen, and a reminder that the standard is the one recorded at check-in. Some also state that if the property was professionally cleaned at the start, a professional clean at the end is the simplest way to meet the standard, while making clear it is not compulsory.
A tenant who has read that guide and still returns a dirty property has fewer grounds for complaint. A tenant who was never told what was expected has a reasonable argument that the standard was unclear.
The check-out report
At check-out, the clerk should assess cleanliness against the check-in entry for each room and key item, stating whether it is at the same standard, marginally below, or requires cleaning, and describing specifically what is wrong. “Kitchen requires cleaning” is weak. “Oven interior: heavy baked-on grease to base and door glass, racks greasy. Hob: burnt-on residue around two rear rings. Extractor filter: saturated with grease. Fridge interior: food debris to salad drawer, marks to shelves” is a description a cleaning contractor can quote against and an adjudicator can weigh.
Photographs at check-out should be taken from the same angles as the check-in wherever possible, so that the two can be shown side by side. This is one of the strongest arguments for using the same clerk or firm for both reports.
Calculating the deduction
The deduction should reflect the cost of bringing the property from the state it was returned in back to the state it was let in. Not the cost of a full professional clean if only the oven and bathroom fell short. Obtain an itemised quote or invoice from the cleaner that matches the specific issues identified in the check-out report. A single-line invoice for “end of tenancy clean” applied to a property that only needed an oven cleaning will be reduced.
If the landlord chooses to have a full professional clean for their own purposes before reletting, that is their cost. Only the portion attributable to the tenant’s shortfall can be claimed.
Common reasons cleaning claims fail
No cleanliness assessment at check-in, or a vague one. No photographs of the specific areas claimed. A check-out report that describes condition but not cleanliness. A claim for a full professional clean where the check-in was only domestic. A cleaning invoice that does not itemise the work or does not match the report. A claim that includes areas the tenant could not reasonably access or was not responsible for, such as external windows on an upper floor or a loft space. Each of these is avoidable with a properly structured pair of reports.
What good practice looks like
Have the property cleaned to a stated standard before check-in and keep the evidence. Instruct a check-in report that records cleanliness separately, per room, with photographs of the key items. Give the tenant a clear guide to the standard expected. Instruct a check-out report that assesses each item against the check-in entry, with matching photographs. Deduct only for the difference, itemised, with a supporting quote. Done that way, most tenants accept the deduction without dispute, and the ones who do not rarely succeed.