There is no single fair price for a professional end of tenancy clean in the UK. Quotes vary widely by region, by property and by what each company includes, and the spread within any one property size is wide enough that identical homes can be quoted very different amounts by different companies in the same week. What actually sets the number is the kitchen, the bathrooms, the condition of the property and what the quote covers.
Before any of that matters, one thing is worth knowing: since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord or agent in England cannot require you to pay for a professional clean as a condition of the tenancy. Any clause saying you must produce a receipt from a professional cleaning company is unenforceable. What they can do is expect the property returned in the condition it was let, allowing for fair wear and tear, and deduct from the deposit if it is not.
Quick answer: Get several quotes on the same information (bathrooms, kitchen, oven condition, carpets, pets) rather than on bedroom count, and check exactly what each one includes. Carpet cleaning is nearly always a separate charge. Only book a company offering a re-clean guarantee, because that is what actually protects the deposit.
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What moves the price, by property size
| Property | What usually drives the time | Ask the company |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | The kitchen area, one bathroom and the oven | Is there a minimum job price? |
| 1 bedroom | Kitchen, bathroom and appliance interiors | Are the oven and fridge interiors included? |
| 2 bedrooms | The number of bathrooms and en-suites | Are inside cupboards and behind appliances included? |
| 3 bedrooms | Bathrooms, kitchen size and carpets | Is carpet cleaning priced separately? |
| 4 bedrooms or more | Several bathrooms, a larger kitchen and outdoor areas | How many cleaners will come, and is a re-clean included? |
Quotes advertised as starting from a low figure are usually minimum job prices for a small property in good condition with one bathroom. They are not misleading exactly, but the number you actually pay is set after the scope is assessed, so treat a from-price as an opening position rather than a quote.
Why bedroom count is the wrong way to compare quotes
Bathrooms and kitchens drive the labour, not bedrooms. Some companies price room by room, charging more for a kitchen or bathroom than for a bedroom or hallway, against a minimum job price. That model explains why two properties with the same bedroom count can be quoted quite differently.
A bedroom is a floor, a window and some skirting. A bathroom is descaling, sanitising, grout, glass, extractor and fittings. A kitchen is the oven, the hob, the extractor filter, the fridge and freezer interiors, and every cupboard inside and out. Two of the three rooms in a property that take real time are the ones nobody counts.
So when you collect quotes, give the same information to each company: number of bathrooms and en-suites, whether the property is furnished, whether carpets or hard floors, oven condition, and whether there has been a pet. Quoting on bedrooms alone produces numbers that cannot be compared, and it is how people end up with a cheap quote that rises at the door.
Ask specifically what the base price includes. Budget operators frequently exclude oven cleaning, appliance interiors and inside-cupboard work, which are precisely the areas an inventory clerk checks first.
What the Tenant Fees Act changed, and what it did not
Landlords and agents in England cannot make professional cleaning a contractual requirement, and cannot charge a fee for it as a condition of the tenancy. They can still deduct from the deposit if the property is returned dirtier than it was let, judged against the check-in inventory and allowing for fair wear and tear.
The distinction is between a requirement and a standard. In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 sets the line: a landlord or agent cannot require a tenant to pay for a professional clean at check-out, or to use a particular cleaning company, but can expect the property back as clean as it was at the start of the tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear. Nobody can compel you to hire a company. Everybody can hold you to returning the property as you found it. In practice this means a tenant who cleans thoroughly themselves and documents it is on solid ground, and a tenant who cleans casually is not, regardless of who did the work.
Cleaning is the most common reason landlords claim against a deposit. The Deposit Protection Service says cleaning was the top reason for deposit claims in 2025, at about 29% of claims, for the fifth year running. That is the actual financial risk you are weighing the cost of a clean against.
The check-in inventory is the reference document for all of it. If the property was let with a grimy oven and the inventory records that, you are not obliged to hand it back gleaming. If the inventory says the oven was clean, you are. Find your check-in report before you decide how much cleaning to pay for, and note that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate under separate legislation. In England, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 changed how most private tenancies end from 1 May 2026, but the position on cleaning and deposit deductions described here still applies.
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The add-ons that are not in the headline price
Carpet extraction, upholstery, external windows and balconies are almost always charged separately because they need different equipment. Carpets are the big one, priced per room or across the whole property.
- Carpet hot water extraction. Usually priced per room. In England, a tenancy clause requiring professional carpet cleaning is not binding under the Tenant Fees Act; what counts is whether the carpets come back in the condition the check-in inventory records, allowing for fair wear and tear.
- Upholstery and sofas. Priced by size and fabric.
- Oven deep clean. Included by better operators, charged as an extra by budget ones. Built-up grease is one of the most common things an inventory clerk flags.
- External windows. Usually a separate trade entirely.
- Balconies and outdoor areas. Treated as add-ons because they need different kit.
- Mould, heavy limescale or pet hair. Adds time, so declare it when quoting rather than letting the team find it.
Declaring the true condition up front is genuinely in your interest. A fixed quote given on accurate information holds; a fixed quote given on optimistic information gets revised on the doorstep, when you have no time to call anyone else.
What a full clean should actually cover
A genuine end of tenancy clean is judged to inventory-check standard, which is stricter than a domestic deep clean. The difference is that it covers the inside of things: appliance interiors, cupboard interiors, extractor filters, window tracks and the areas behind and beneath white goods.
Use this to check what a quote includes before booking. If a company will not confirm these in writing, the price is not comparable with one that does.
- Kitchen. Oven interior, racks, glass door and seals; hob and extractor filter; fridge and freezer interiors defrosted and wiped; washing machine drawer and seal; inside and outside of every cupboard; behind and under freestanding appliances; sink, taps and splashback descaled.
- Bathrooms. Limescale removed from taps, shower head and screen; grout and sealant; toilet including behind the pan and the cistern; extractor fan cover; mirrors and glass streak-free; plugholes cleared.
- All rooms. Skirting boards, door frames and doors including tops; light switches and sockets; radiators including behind; picture rails and coving; internal windows, sills and tracks; wardrobe and cupboard interiors if fitted.
- Floors. Hard floors mopped, carpets vacuumed thoroughly including edges and under furniture that is staying. Extraction is separate.
- Often forgotten. Loft hatch surround, meter cupboard, bin store, garden waste and anything left in a shed or garage.
Two areas cause a large share of failed inspections and both are invisible during a normal tidy. The first is the oven, including the inner glass panel, which on many models unclips for cleaning and is otherwise impossible to reach. The second is anywhere behind a freestanding appliance, since a fridge or washing machine that has not moved in three years hides a genuinely poor floor.
Also empty the property completely, including anything stored in a loft or garage. Items left behind are charged for as removal rather than cleaning, and disposal can cost more than the cleaning itself. Anything you no longer want is better donated in the week before, which our guide to decluttering before a move covers.
Doing it yourself against paying a company
Compare the three routes on cost, time and the risk of paying twice. The result is closer than the headline prices suggest, because the cheap options carry a failure cost the expensive one does not.
| Route | Cost | Your time | If it fails inspection | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean it yourself | Materials only | A long day or more | You pay for a clean anyway, on top | Properties let in modest condition, documented |
| Hourly cleaner | The hourly rate times the hours it takes | Supervision only | No guarantee, so you pay again | Topping up your own work |
| Professional end of tenancy service | The highest upfront | None | Free re-clean under guarantee | Larger deposits, where a deduction would cost more than the clean |
Two conclusions. First, the hourly route is the weakest of the three. Once you add up the hours a thorough end of tenancy clean takes, it can land close to a professional quote while carrying none of the guarantee, and it has no incentive to finish quickly.
Second, the re-clean guarantee is the entire value proposition of the professional route, not the cleaning quality. If the property fails a check-out inspection, the company returns and redoes it at no cost, which means you cannot end up paying twice. A firm that will not offer one is selling you the same risk you would carry doing it yourself, at a higher price.
Check the guarantee window. It usually runs for a limited period after the clean, and it has to cover the gap until the check-out inspection. Book the clean for the day before the inspection, not four days before.
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When paying for it is not worth it
Skip the professional clean if your deposit is small relative to the quote, if the check-in inventory records the property as being let in poor condition, or if you have several unhurried days and the property is genuinely not in bad shape.
Cleaning companies will not tell you any of this, so here it is plainly. If you rented a room in a shared house with a £400 deposit and the quote is £250, the arithmetic does not work. Clean it yourself properly, photograph everything, and accept the risk of a modest deduction.
The inventory point matters just as much. Tenants routinely pay to hand back a property in better condition than they received it, because nobody checks the check-in report. If it records grease on the oven and marks on the carpet at the start, you owe the same standard back and no more.
Whichever route you take, photograph every room, every appliance interior and every floor on the day you hand the keys back, with the date visible. Evidence is what settles a cleaning dispute, and it costs nothing.
One thing that is worth paying for regardless: clean after the property is empty, not before. Cleaning around furniture and boxes wastes the money entirely, because the areas an inventory clerk checks are the ones currently hidden. Our checklist for moving out of a flat sets out the order.
How EcoGreen Movers fits around the clean
Sequencing decides whether the cleaning money is well spent. Everything out, then the clean, then the inspection, in that order and ideally across two days. EcoGreen Movers gives a written price based on an agreed inventory, so the move is planned before the day and the clean can be booked around it rather than squeezed in.
We run residential moves in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, and use reusable packing crates rather than a hallway of cardboard for the cleaners to work around. Storage means a property can be emptied fully before the clean rather than half-emptied around stored items. Get in touch for a quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord force a tenant to pay for professional cleaning?
No. Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords and agents in England cannot make professional cleaning a condition of the tenancy or charge a fee for it. They can still deduct from the deposit if the property is returned in worse condition than the check-in inventory records, allowing for fair wear and tear.
Is carpet cleaning included in the price?
Usually not. Most companies include vacuuming as standard and charge separately for hot water extraction. In England, a tenancy clause requiring professional carpet cleaning is not binding under the Tenant Fees Act, but you still need to return the carpets in the condition the check-in inventory records, allowing for fair wear and tear.
How long does a clean take?
It depends on the size and condition of the property and how many cleaners are sent, so ask each company how long they expect to be on site. Any estimate assumes the property is empty, which is why furniture and boxes still in place push the time and the price up.
What is a re-clean guarantee?
A commitment to return and redo the work free if the property fails a check-out inspection within a set window after the clean. It is the main reason to use a professional service rather than an hourly cleaner, and it should be the first thing you ask about.
Which areas cause the most deductions?
Ovens are the classic problem, followed by limescale on taps and shower screens, extractor fan filters, inside kitchen cupboards, behind and under white goods, window tracks and skirting boards. Inventory clerks check to a specific standard, and these are the areas casual cleaning misses.
In summary: compare on rooms, insist on the guarantee
Get several quotes on the same information, with carpets priced separately. Quote on bathrooms and kitchens rather than bedrooms, declare the real condition, and only book a company that offers a re-clean guarantee covering the gap to your inspection.
Check the check-in inventory before deciding what standard you actually owe, and photograph everything on the day you hand back the keys. Nobody can require you to hire a professional. Whether it is worth it depends on the size of your deposit, not on what the tenancy agreement claims.
One last practical note: book the cleaner as soon as the move date is confirmed rather than in the final week. End of tenancy work tends to cluster around month ends, and the companies with the strongest guarantees fill those dates first. A late booking narrows the choice to whoever still has a slot, which is rarely the firm you would have picked.
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