Having a rental in London is stressful for any homeowner. Tenant turnover is one of the most important factors that influence whether or not their investment is capable of paying itself.

It’s no wonder then how much to heart London landlords take the end of tenancy cleaning of their rented homes.

On the other hand, there is also you – the tenant. Should you receive the deposit back you’ll be able to give that money to the next landlord and avoid crashing on your friend’s sofa for a month.

All of that makes the proper tenancy cleansing essential. Some people choose to go the easy and safe route, meaning hiring a professional tenancy cleaning company in London. While others prefer to go the budget way and tidy up the house themselves.

Today’s article is for the second group of people. If you’re attempting to undertake this massive task, you’ll need all the help you can get. Here are six commonly overlooked and under-cleaned places that can cost you your deposit money.

  1. Walls Should be Cleaned at The End of The Tenancy

Amongst the various chores that exist during the end of a tenancy, cleaning walls must be the most ungrateful of all. It’s incredibly difficult to remove scuff marks off of them and you can end up spreading the dirt or even damaging the surface.

That’s why wall washing isn’t included in most professional tenancy cleaning services – because you can never guarantee how successful the final results will be.

Walls, however, are one of the areas that your landlord will definitely check, so whatever the spots may be. Make sure to research on some good ways to clean them.

  1. The Hidden Areas of Tenancy Cleaning – Behind and Underneath Appliances

This is one of the most frequently forgotten areas. Homeowners probably think about cleaning behind the fridge once a year, if they’re lucky, but tenants…

Tenants never think about these odd places. They even forget to clean underneath furniture sometimes. That’s why a landlord who’s on a prowl for overlooked places, checks behind the fridge and cooker first. Most of the time, that’s enough to request a re-clean or even hold onto some (or even all!) of the deposit money.

  1. Don’t Forget the Skirtings When You Clean Your London Rental Home

Now, there’s a big difference between a rental being clean and feeling clean. Washing floors and tile grouts, scrubbing the limescale – all those contribute to how tidy a room is.

But wiping off skirtings contributes to how clean a place feels. Why is that important? Because no matter how much effort you put into the actual cleaning, if your London rental still feels dirty, your landlord will do his best to find out what adds to this impression and may require of you to re-clean. And nobody wants that, right? So make sure to be a step ahead of your landlord and wash the skirtings.

  1. The Secret to a Spotless End of Tenancy Clean – Cupboards and Drawers

And their handles! That’s right, you may think that wiping them on the outside is enough until you see your landlord having a peek inside. Believe it or not, this small mistake can cost you lots of quids. Before cleaning the cupboards and drawers on the outside, make sure there are no crumbs and fluff on the inside. You get bonus points if you clean the gunge that all handles have gathered over time.

  1. All the Small Details in Your London Rental

Light switches, fixtures and fittings, painting and mirror frames, door handles, extractor fans. Those are just a tiny portion of the small items which tend to collect a lot of dust and grime over time. Similarly to the skirtings, these details contribute to the overall feel of a clean rental. In fact, they are so important they’re included in each professional tenancy cleaning service that you can find around London.

  1. Always Take Proper Care for Your Blinds

If you’ve forgotten to wash the blinds as part of your London rental tenancy clean, worry not, at least blinds are easy to cleanse. Add them to your cleaning checklist to not forget about them again and risk the landlord to take a bite from your big, fat deposit. In fact, why don’t you go ahead and add all of the extra tasks that we’ve mentioned already? Do your best to keep that money to yourself.

The only thing left is to clean all these areas thoroughly. And if you’ve followed our advice, you can be sure you’ll get that bond back in full.


Stephanie Cooper

Stephanie is a content marketing specialist for Top Cleaners for the past several years. She has extensive experience working with cleaning companies and knows her audience. Stephanie creates engaging and useful content helping the customers of Top Cleaners with their struggles and providing them with the most accurate insight.