End of Tenancy Cleaning Cost in London
The figures in the worked example are made up.
What an end of tenancy clean costs in London by flat size, what the extras cost, what cheap quotes leave out and who has to pay.
- Category
- Lettings
- Who it is for
- Landlords, letting agents and tenants in London
- Time to set up
- Half an hour to get three quotes on the same terms
- Saves or earns
- About £130 each change of tenant
01The Problem
Ask five London firms to clean the same two-bed flat and you can get quotes from £130 to £375. They are rarely quoting for the same job. One includes the inside of the oven, the inside of every cupboard and the limescale. Another quotes for two and a half hours of wiping and charges extra for everything else.
Here is what London firms usually charge for an end of tenancy clean in 2026, for an empty home in normal condition:
Studio
About £120 to £230.
One Bed
About £150 to £280.
Two Bed
About £180 to £375.
Three Bed
About £250 to £560.
Four Bed
About £320 to £750.
The low end is usually a basic clean with the oven and carpets charged on top. The high end usually includes the oven and sometimes the carpets. London is often 10 to 30 per cent dearer than the rest of the UK, because wages, travel and parking cost more.
The extras most people need are priced separately by most firms:
Inside the Oven
Often £45 to £95, depending on size and how bad it is. A double oven or a range costs more.
Carpet Cleaning
Often £30 to £50 a room in London. Stairs and hallways are usually charged as a room each.
Inside the Fridge and Freezer
Often £20 to £30, and the freezer must be defrosted first.
Inside Windows for the Whole Flat
Often £30 to £60. Outside windows above the ground floor are a separate job with a window cleaner.
Balcony or Patio
Often £25 to £70.
Sofa or Mattress
Often £50 to £110 an item.
As one example, Artemis prices its standard end of tenancy clean at £120 for a studio or one bed, £133 for a two bed with one bathroom, £157 for a three bed with one bathroom, £179 for a three bed with two bathrooms and £203 for a four bed with two bathrooms. The inside of the oven is £35 more, the fridge £20 and a balcony £25. Carpets, outside windows and rubbish are not included. Its deep clean, which includes the oven, extractor, hob, inside cupboards, limescale, behind furniture, doors and radiators, is £160 to £282 across the same sizes. The prices are worked out from the hours the job takes, at £32 an hour for standard and £36 for deep. Other firms will price differently, so use this to see how a quote is built, not as the going rate.
02The Cost
The price is set by a short list of things:
Hours
Most firms work out a price from the time it takes. A one bed usually takes one cleaner three to five hours. A three bed takes six to eight hours, or a team of two most of a day.
Bathrooms
A second bathroom adds an hour or more, which is why a three bed with two bathrooms costs more than one with one.
Condition
A flat left with grease, limescale and mould takes far longer. Many firms will change the price on the day if the photos you sent were out of date.
Furniture
Empty homes are faster. Cleaning around a furnished flat, and under and behind the furniture, adds time.
The Hourly Rate
London domestic cleaners usually charge about £20 to £28 an hour. A firm also pays holiday pay, National Insurance, insurance, travel and products, and the National Living Wage has been £12.71 an hour since April 2026. A quote that works out far below about £20 an hour usually means fewer hours than the job needs.
Timing
Weekend and same-day jobs often cost 10 to 25 per cent more. The last days of each month are the busiest, because that is when most tenancies end.
Getting There
Parking, and the Congestion Charge in central London, are often added to the price.
A cheap quote is cheap because something is missing. Usually it is one or more of these: the inside of the oven, the inside of the fridge, the inside of cupboards and drawers, limescale on taps, shower and tiles, skirting boards and door frames, under and behind furniture, extractor filters, and a free return visit if the check-out finds something missed.
Here is what that costs a landlord. Take a two-bed flat let at £1,300 a month, about £42.74 a day. Between tenants the landlord books the cheapest quote, £150 for a basic clean. The cleaner spends two and a half hours and skips the oven, the cupboards and the shower screen. The new tenant's check-in finds them, so the landlord pays £110 for a second visit and £75 for a separate oven clean, and the move-in slips by a day. That is £150 plus £110 plus £75 plus £43, about £378. And the check-in record now shows a dirty oven, so the landlord can't claim for cleaning the oven when this tenant leaves.
03The Fix
Know Who Pays
In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 means a landlord or agent can't make a tenant pay for a professional clean. A tenancy clause that says "the tenant must pay for a professional clean at the end" asks for a payment the Act bans, and the council can fine a landlord who charges it. What the tenant must do is hand the home back as clean as it was at check-in, allowing for fair wear and tear. They can clean it themselves, use a friend or book a firm. If it is left dirtier than at the start, the landlord can take the reasonable cost of putting it right out of the deposit, backed by photos and an invoice or quote.
Send Every Firm the Same Details
Number of bedrooms and bathrooms, whether it is furnished or empty, whether you want the oven, fridge, carpets, balcony and inside windows, the date and a time window, and six to ten recent photos, including the oven, the shower and the worst room. Without photos, the price can change on the day.
Ask How Many Hours and How Many Cleaners
Divide the price by the hours. If two quotes are the same price and one is for twice the hours, they are not the same job. If a firm won't say how long it will take, ask why.
Get the List of What Is Included in Writing
Inside the oven, extractor and filters, hob, inside the fridge and freezer, inside every cupboard and drawer, limescale, skirting, doors and frames, light switches, radiators, inside windows and sills, under and behind furniture, floors last. Anything not on the list is not in the price.
Ask About a Free Return Visit
Many firms come back for free if the agent's check-out finds something they missed, usually within 48 to 72 hours of the clean. Ask for the time limit and the conditions in writing.
Check Insurance and Payment
Ask for public liability insurance. Find out the deposit and when the rest is due. Most firms take a deposit at booking and the rest after the job.
Book a Deep Clean When the Home Needs One
After a long tenancy, a smoker, pets, or a home that hasn't had a full clean in years, a basic clean plus extras often costs more than a deep clean that includes them. Compare the two totals.
Book Early and Leave a Day
Book two to three weeks ahead for the end of the month. Clean after the furniture has gone and before the check-out, and leave a day between the clean and the next move-in so anything missed can be fixed.
Keep the Invoice
A dated invoice that lists what was done, with photos at the end of the job, is your evidence at the next check-in and in any deposit dispute.
04The Result
Before
Cheapest quote at £150, a second visit, a separate oven clean and a day lost: about £378, and a dirty oven on the check-in record
After
One full clean at about £250 with the oven, cupboards and limescale included, a written list and photos at the end
Cost
Half an hour to get three quotes on the same terms
Better Off
About £130 each change of tenant, and a check-in record that holds up in a deposit dispute
For a tenant, the sum is simpler. A two-bed clean at about £200 to £300 against a deposit of about £1,500. Cleaning is the most common reason for a deduction, so a clean that matches the check-in report is usually cheaper than arguing about one.
The Lessons
- In London, expect about £120 to £230 for a studio and about £180 to £375 for a two bed, with the oven and carpets often on top.
- Compare quotes on hours and on a written list of what is included, not on price alone.
- A landlord can't make a tenant pay for a professional clean, but the home must go back as clean as it was let.
- A deep clean can cost less than a basic clean plus extras, so add up both.
- Keep the dated invoice and the photos. They are your evidence next time.
- If you are unsure what a tenancy clause allows, check your own position with a lettings professional or solicitor.
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