End of tenancy cleaning in London typically costs between £189 and £400+, depending on property size, condition, and whether you go with a specialist or a general cleaner.
That’s roughly 20-30% more than the rest of the UK, which tracks with London’s higher operating costs across the board.
We clean end-of-tenancy properties across London every single day, working alongside agents from Knight Frank and Chestertons.
Rather than give you vague national averages, here are the actual numbers you need to budget for in 2026.
How Much Does End of Tenancy Cleaning Cost in London?
Here’s what you’ll pay for a professional end of tenancy clean in London right now. These prices are for a full, agent-standard clean including oven deep cleaning, all appliances, and interior windows.
| Property Size | London Price Range | Typical Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / Bedsit | £189 - £230 | 3-4 hours |
| 1-Bedroom Flat | £199 - £270 | 3-5 hours |
| 2-Bedroom Flat | £239 - £370 | 4-6 hours |
| 3-Bedroom Property | £299 - £420 | 5-7 hours |
| 4+ Bedroom House | £380 - £600+ | 6-8+ hours |
The lower end of each range assumes a reasonably maintained property. If you’ve got heavy grease buildup in the kitchen or years of limescale in the bathroom, expect to pay toward the higher end.
These prices also assume the property is empty or nearly empty. Cleaners can’t work efficiently around stacked boxes.
Studio and Bedsit Prices
A studio or bedsit end of tenancy clean in London costs £189 to £230.
Our own studio price starts at £189. The job is usually 3 to 4 hours for one cleaner, and the oven is the part that decides how long it takes. A studio with a well-used oven and a limescaled shower can take as long as a tidy 1-bed.
1-Bedroom Flat Prices
A 1-bedroom flat costs £199 to £270 for a full end of tenancy clean.
That covers the kitchen with oven, the bathroom, one bedroom and a living room. This is the most common booking we take in London, and £199 is our standard price for a flat in reasonable condition.
2-Bedroom Flat Prices
A 2-bedroom flat costs £239 to £370.
The spread is wider here because 2-beds vary so much. A modern flat with one bathroom sits near the bottom. A period conversion with two bathrooms, original floors and a separate utility area sits near the top. Expect 4 to 6 hours, usually with a team of two.
3-Bedroom Property Prices
A 3-bedroom house or flat costs £299 to £420.
Three-bedroom properties nearly always need two cleaners and 5 to 7 hours. If the property has a garden door, a hallway with heavy traffic or a second bathroom, quote at the higher end rather than the lower.
4-Bedroom and Larger Prices
A 4-bedroom house costs £380 to £600 or more.
Above four bedrooms, fixed price lists stop being useful and everything is quoted on a walkthrough or a detailed room count. Stairs, multiple bathrooms and large kitchen islands all add time.
End of Tenancy Cleaning Hourly Rates
End of tenancy specialists in London charge £22 to £35 per hour, per cleaner.
Most reputable companies, including us, quote a fixed price per property rather than an hourly rate. Fixed pricing protects you: if the job takes two hours longer than expected, that is the cleaning company’s problem, not an extra line on your invoice.
Be careful with hourly quotes on end of tenancy work. An hourly rate with no cap and no re-clean guarantee gives the cleaner no reason to finish to inventory standard.
London vs Rest of UK Pricing
London prices run 20-30% higher than the national average.
A 2-bed flat that costs £200 to clean in Manchester will set you back £239-£370 in London. That premium reflects higher labour costs, parking charges (which can add £10-20 to your bill), and congestion zone surcharges some companies pass on.
| Property Size | UK Average | London Average |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | £150 - £180 | £189 - £230 |
| 1-Bedroom | £170 - £220 | £199 - £270 |
| 2-Bedroom | £200 - £260 | £239 - £370 |
| 3-Bedroom | £250 - £300 | £299 - £420 |
Prices also shift between boroughs. We’ve broken down local rates in our Fulham, Kensington, Islington and Ealing cost guides.
End of Tenancy, End of Lease or Move Out Cleaning?
These are three names for the same job, and the price is the same whichever term your agent uses.
“End of tenancy cleaning” is the standard term in the UK lettings industry and the one you’ll see on inventory reports. “End of lease cleaning” and “move out cleaning” are more common in Australia and the US, and they turn up in London mostly through international tenants and relocation agents. “Check-out cleaning” and “post tenancy cleaning” also mean the same thing.
One term worth separating out is “deep cleaning”. A deep clean is priced similarly, but it is designed for a property someone is still living in. An end of tenancy clean assumes the property is empty and is measured against a check-in inventory, which is a different standard. If you are staying put, ask for a deep clean. If you are handing back keys, ask for an end of tenancy clean.
What’s Actually Included in the Price?
Not all end of tenancy cleans are equal. A company quoting £99 for a 2-bed flat probably isn’t doing what your inventory clerk expects.
Here’s what a proper, agent-standard clean covers (we’ve also published a full room-by-room checklist if you want the complete version):
Kitchen:
- Oven deep clean inside and out (including racks and trays)
- Hob, extractor fan, and hood degreased
- Fridge and freezer cleaned and sanitised
- All cupboards wiped inside and out
- Tiles and grout scrubbed
- Sink and taps descaled
- Floor mopped and disinfected
Bathroom:
- Toilet cleaned inside and out
- Shower, bath, and tiles descaled
- Grout cleaned, mould treated
- Mirrors polished
- Extractor fan cleaned
All Other Rooms:
- Floors vacuumed and mopped
- Skirting boards and door frames wiped
- Internal windows and sills cleaned
- Light switches and plug sockets wiped
- Radiators dusted
- Cobwebs removed
- Inside wardrobes cleaned
What Usually Costs Extra
Some services get quoted separately. Budget for these if your tenancy agreement requires them:
- Carpet deep clean: £40-80 per room
- Curtain or blind steam clean: £30-60
- Balcony or patio cleaning: £40-80
- External window cleaning: £30-50
- Wooden floor buff and polish: £50-100
Always ask upfront what’s included.
The cheapest quote often becomes the most expensive once you add on the things that should have been in the base price.
Why Is End of Tenancy Cleaning More Expensive Than Regular Cleaning?
A standard domestic cleaner charges £13-20 per hour in London. End of tenancy specialists charge £22-35 per hour. That gap exists for good reasons.
End of tenancy cleaning is a different job entirely. Your regular cleaner maintains a lived-in home. An end of tenancy team restores a property to move-in condition.
That means getting into areas that haven’t been touched in months or years: the inside of your oven, behind the fridge, limescale that’s been building since your first shower.
Professional teams also bring industrial equipment. Steam cleaners, dip tanks for oven parts, commercial-grade degreasers.
You can rent some of this yourself for £80-150 a day, but at that point you’ve spent the money anyway and still have to do the work.
The other factor is accountability. Specialist companies offer re-clean guarantees. If your inventory clerk flags something, they come back and fix it at no extra charge.
A regular cleaner typically doesn’t offer that.
Does Eco-Friendly Cleaning Cost More?
Here’s where people get surprised. No, it doesn’t.
There’s a persistent myth that eco-friendly cleaning is a premium service. In practice, our prices are competitive with (and often lower than) the big London cleaning agencies. Our eco-friendly cleaning in London page sets out exactly which products we use and why the terms in this market are worth reading carefully.
Our studio cleans start at £189 and our 1-beds at £199. Compare that to the £230-270 you’ll see quoted by larger agencies for the same property size.
Eco-friendly cleaning products have come a long way. Plant-based degreasers, biodegradable descalers, and non-toxic sanitisers work just as effectively as their chemical-heavy alternatives.
We use them on every job, including properties managed by Knight Frank, and 97% of our clients get their full deposit back.
What you do get with eco-friendly cleaning is a property that’s safe for the next tenant from day one. No chemical residue on kitchen surfaces. No harsh fumes lingering in bathrooms.
If you’ve got children or pets moving in, that matters.
Is It Worth Paying for Professional End of Tenancy Cleaning?
Short answer: almost always yes. Here’s the maths.
The average deposit on a London rental is 5 weeks’ rent. For a 2-bed flat at £1,800 per month, that’s roughly £2,077.
A professional end of tenancy clean for the same property costs £239-370. You’re spending 12-18% of your deposit to protect the other 82-88%.
According to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, cleaning disputes are the single most common reason for deposit deductions. More than damage, more than rent arrears.
A receipt from a professional cleaning company is your strongest defence if a dispute goes to adjudication.
DIY vs Professional: The Real Cost Comparison
| Approach | Cost | Time | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY | £50-100 (products) | 10-15+ hours | High. No guarantee, no receipt |
| Independent cleaner | £100-200 | 4-6 hours | Medium. Usually no guarantee |
| Professional specialist | £189-420 | 3-8 hours | Low. Re-clean guarantee included |
The DIY route looks cheapest on paper, but factor in your time. If 12 hours of scrubbing is worth £15/hour to you, that’s £180 in time alone, before products.
And if your landlord isn’t satisfied, you’ll end up paying for a professional clean anyway, likely at short-notice rates.
How to Avoid Overpaying
Not every cleaning quote is created equal. Here’s what to look for:
What Each Price Point Actually Buys
| Quote for a 2-bed flat | What you usually get | Deposit risk |
|---|---|---|
| £99 - £150 | One cleaner, 3-4 hours, domestic products. Oven and appliances often extra | High. Rarely passes an inventory check first time |
| £180 - £240 | Two cleaners, agent-standard checklist, oven included, short or no guarantee | Medium |
| £239 - £370 | Two cleaners, full checklist, oven and appliances included, 48-hour re-clean guarantee | Low |
The cheapest quote is not automatically the wrong choice, but at under £150 for a 2-bed you are usually buying a general clean priced as an end of tenancy clean. Ask what happens if the inventory clerk rejects it. If the answer is nothing, the price is not really £99.
Our own approach is on the how it works page, and the terms of the 48-hour re-clean guarantee are published in full rather than summarised.
Get at least three quotes. Prices vary significantly between companies. But don’t just compare the total. Compare what’s included.
Ask about oven cleaning. Some companies charge £40-60 extra for this. Others include it as standard. Oven cleaning is almost always required by letting agents, so a quote without it is incomplete.
Check the guarantee terms. A 24-hour re-clean guarantee is minimal. Look for 48-72 hours, which gives time for your inventory check to happen.
Book 1-2 weeks in advance. Same-day and next-day bookings often carry a 20-50% surcharge. If you know your move-out date, book early and pay standard rates.
Confirm parking arrangements. If your area has permit parking or meters, you’ll need to sort this. Some companies add £10-20 for parking. Others expect you to provide a visitor permit.
Who Pays for End of Tenancy Cleaning?
In practice, the tenant pays, but not because the landlord can demand it.
The tenant is responsible for returning the property in the condition it was handed over, fair wear and tear excepted. Most tenants meet that obligation by booking and paying for a clean themselves. What a landlord cannot do is require you to use a particular company, or charge you a cleaning fee as a condition of the tenancy.
If the property is handed back below the check-in standard, the landlord can pay for a clean and deduct the reasonable cost from your deposit. That is the route by which most tenants end up paying more than they needed to, because a landlord-arranged clean at short notice is rarely the cheapest option.
Can Your Landlord Force You to Pay for Professional Cleaning?
No. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 made it illegal for landlords to require tenants to pay for professional cleaning.
They can only require that the property is returned in the same condition as at the start of the tenancy (fair wear and tear excepted).
That said, many tenancy agreements include a clause about professional cleaning. While this isn’t legally enforceable as a mandatory charge, having a professional receipt does make deposit disputes much easier to resolve in your favour. We’ve covered this in detail in our guide to end of tenancy cleaning laws in the UK.
When Should You Book Your End of Tenancy Clean?
The ideal timeline:
- 2 weeks before move-out: Get quotes and book your preferred company
- 1-2 days before check-out: Schedule the clean after all furniture is removed
- Day of clean: Defrost the freezer 24 hours beforehand, empty all cupboards, remove personal items and rubbish
- After the clean: Do a walkthrough before the inventory clerk arrives
Don’t schedule the clean for the same day as your inventory check if you can avoid it. Give yourself a buffer day to inspect the results and flag anything with the cleaning company before the agent sees it.
Ready to get your deposit back? Get your free quote or call us on 07383 435 879. We cover all London postcodes with same-day availability where schedules allow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does end of tenancy cleaning cost for a 1-bed flat in London?
A professional end of tenancy clean for a 1-bedroom flat in London typically costs £199-270. This includes a full clean of the kitchen (including oven), bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Carpet cleaning is usually charged separately at £40-80 per room.
How much is an end of tenancy clean for a 2-bed flat?
A 2-bedroom flat in London costs £239-370. A modern flat with one bathroom sits at the lower end. A period conversion with two bathrooms or original floors sits at the higher end. Outside London, the same property is typically £200-260.
What is the average cost of end of tenancy cleaning in the UK?
The UK average is roughly £150-180 for a studio, £170-220 for a 1-bed, £200-260 for a 2-bed and £250-300 for a 3-bed. London runs 20-30% above those figures because of higher labour costs, parking charges and congestion charges.
Is end of tenancy cleaning charged per hour or per property?
Most specialists quote a fixed price per property. Where an hourly rate is quoted, expect £22-35 per hour per cleaner in London. A fixed price is safer for you, because the risk of the job overrunning sits with the cleaning company rather than with you.
Who is responsible for end of tenancy cleaning?
The tenant is responsible for returning the property in its check-in condition, fair wear and tear excepted. The landlord cannot require you to use a specific company or charge a cleaning fee as a tenancy condition. If the property is handed back below standard, the landlord can arrange a clean and deduct the reasonable cost from the deposit.
Is end of lease cleaning the same as end of tenancy cleaning?
Yes. End of lease cleaning, move out cleaning, check-out cleaning and post tenancy cleaning all describe the same job. End of tenancy cleaning is the standard UK term and the one used on inventory reports. Prices do not change with the terminology.
How much does a 3-bedroom house cost to clean at the end of a tenancy?
A 3-bedroom house in London costs £299-420. Budget toward the higher end if the property has more than one bathroom, a heavily used oven or a hallway and staircase with significant traffic. Expect two cleaners for 5-7 hours.
Is carpet cleaning included in end of tenancy cleaning?
Usually not. Most companies include vacuuming as standard but charge separately for professional carpet deep cleaning using hot water extraction. Budget £40-80 per room. Check your tenancy agreement, as some require professional carpet cleaning specifically.
How long does end of tenancy cleaning take?
A studio or 1-bed flat takes 3-5 hours. A 2-bed flat takes 4-6 hours. A 3-bed house can take 5-7 hours or more. These times assume the property is empty and in reasonable condition. Heavily soiled properties take longer.
Can I do end of tenancy cleaning myself?
Yes, there’s no legal requirement to hire a professional. However, inventory clerks check to a very specific standard, and missing areas like inside the oven, behind radiators, or limescale on taps are common reasons for deposit deductions. If you do clean yourself, photograph everything as evidence.
What happens if the cleaning isn’t good enough?
If you hired a company with a re-clean guarantee, they’ll return and address any issues flagged by the inventory clerk at no extra charge. This is why guarantees matter. Without one, you’ll need to pay for a second clean or accept deposit deductions.
Last updated: 10 September 2026
