Move-out cleaning: the checklist landlords actually check
A move-out inspection is not a judgement of how you lived. It is a comparison against the condition report taken when you moved in, carried out quickly by someone with a list. Cleaning to that list is far easier than cleaning to a general idea of clean.
Do the fixed things first
Anything that stays with the property gets looked at: the oven, the extractor, the fridge seals, the window tracks, the inside of cupboards. Furniture and personal items are gone by then, so nothing hides a surface you skipped.
Kitchen
- Oven interior, racks, door glass and the grill pan
- Extractor hood filter and the wall behind the hob
- Fridge and freezer emptied, defrosted, seals wiped, left open
- Inside every cupboard and drawer, including the runners
- Sink, drain and tap descaled
Bathroom
- Limescale off taps, shower screen and shower head
- Grout and silicone lines, including behind the toilet
- Extractor cover removed and washed
- Cabinet interiors and the underside of the sink
Throughout
- Skirting boards, door frames and the tops of doors
- Light switches, sockets and handles
- Window glass, frames and the tracks the sliders sit in
- Inside built-in wardrobes and airing cupboards
- Carpets vacuumed, hard floors washed, edges included
The three that come up again and again
Window tracks, the top edge of internal doors, and the seal around the washing machine door. None of them takes long. All three are on the inspection list because they are the ones people forget.
Photograph the finish
Take dated photographs of every room once it is clean and empty. A record of the condition you handed the property back in is worth more at deposit time than any amount of arguing afterwards.
