When you are in the final days of a London tenancy, trying to understand exactly what a professional cleaning company will do, and what they will not do, is both important and genuinely confusing.
Different agencies describe their services in vague, interchangeable terms. What does “full kitchen clean” actually mean? Does the oven come as standard or is it an expensive extra? Will they clean the inside of the fridge? What about the carpets?
This guide answers every one of those questions with complete precision. Below is the exact, room-by-room breakdown of what is included in end of tenancy cleaning when you hire a professional, reputable London cleaning company like Feel Clean.
Does End of Tenancy Cleaning Include the Oven? (Quick Answer)
Yes. Oven cleaning is always included in a professional end of tenancy clean. It is not an optional extra.
The oven is the single most common reason inventory clerks issue a failed checkout report. A landlord conducting their own viewing will walk straight to the oven and open the door. If there is visible grease, carbon residue on the oven ceiling, or baked-on food on the wire racks, the checkout fails immediately.
Every reputable professional cleaning company includes oven cleaning as a core component of their end of tenancy service. If an agency you are enquiring with quotes you a suspiciously low price and lists the oven as a “supplement,” treat this as a significant red flag and look elsewhere. A cut-price service that omits the oven will cost you considerably more than you saved when the inventory clerk fails your checkout.
At Feel Clean’s end of tenancy service, oven cleaning, including the interior, the door glass, the racks, the trays, and the extractor fan, is always included as standard.
What is Included, Room by Room
Kitchen
The kitchen requires the most labour and specialist chemicals of any room in the property. A professional end of tenancy kitchen clean covers:
Oven and Hob Area
– Complete degreasing of the oven interior, ceiling, base, and door glass to achieve a clear, transparent finish.
– Oven racks and drip trays soaked and scrubbed until all baked-on carbon is removed.
– Hob burners, grates, and surrounding surfaces degreased and polished.
– Extractor hood and filter degreased or replaced.
White Goods and Appliances
– Fridge completely emptied, all shelves and drawers removed, washed, and dried. Interior walls wiped and sanitised. Rubber door seal cleaned.
– Freezer defrosted and wiped clean.
– Washing machine drum cleaned, filter drawer removed and cleared, and the rubber door seal lifted to clean the mould-prone groove behind it.
– Dishwasher interior cleaned, filter at the base removed and rinsed.
– Microwave interior and exterior wiped.
– Kettle and toaster exterior wiped clean.
Surfaces, Cupboards and Sink
– All worktops sanitised.
– All kitchen cupboard doors wiped clean inside and outside, including the shelves.
– Sink, taps, and plughole polished and descaled to a streak-free shine.
– Splashback tiles degreased.
– Floors swept and mopped.
Bathrooms and En-Suites
Shower and Bath
– Shower screen descaled using industrial limescale remover until completely transparent. This is a direct reference point in your checkout inventory.
– Shower head descaled, including the underside.
– Bath, shower tray, and surrounding sealant scrubbed clean.
– Taps and chrome fixtures polished to a high shine with all limescale removed.
– Plugholes cleared of hair and debris.
Toilet
– Bowl scrubbed including under the rim where limescale accumulates invisibly.
– Seat and lid cleaned on both sides.
– Exterior cistern, base, and the area behind and around the unit cleaned.
Surfaces and Floors
– All tiles cleaned and grout scrubbed.
– Mirror polished to a streak-free, spot-free finish.
– Bathroom floor mopped.
– Skirting boards and sealant edges wiped clean.
Bedrooms
- All wardrobes and fitted furniture cleaned inside and out, including shelves, the hanging rail, and the floor base.
- All surfaces, bedside tables, dressers, window sills, dusted thoroughly.
- Light fittings and lampshades dusted.
- Mirrors cleaned.
- Skirting boards wiped the full length of each wall.
- Under-bed area hoovered, including far corners.
- Hard floors mopped; carpets thoroughly hoovered. (Note: carpet stain removal and shampooing is a separate optional service, see below).
Living Room and Dining Areas
- All upholstered furniture (sofas, armchairs) hoovered including under cushions and at the back.
- All shelves and surfaces dusted, including the backs of alcove shelving.
- Television and entertainment units dusted and wiped.
- Remote controls wiped with an antibacterial cloth.
- Skirting boards wiped along all walls.
- Carpets deeply hoovered; hard floors swept and mopped.
- Interior window glass spot-cleaned; window sills wiped.
Hallways, Stairs, and Landings
- All light switches and plug sockets wiped clean of fingerprints and marks.
- Skirting boards and door frames wiped across all hallways and staircases.
- Stair banisters and handrails wiped down.
- Hoovering of carpet stair runners (if present).
- Hard floor entrance hoovered and mopped.
- Any mirrors or wall frames in hallways dusted and polished.
- All interior doors wiped on both sides. Door handles polished.
What About Carpet Cleaning?
Carpet cleaning, specifically professional hot water extraction carpet shampooing (sometimes called steam cleaning) to remove deep stains, pet odours, or ingrained soiling, is typically an optional add-on rather than a standard inclusion.
This is the most important question to ask any cleaning agency before you book, as it is the most common source of confused expectations.
Standard end of tenancy cleaning includes: thoroughly hoovering all carpets across every room.
Optional add-on (extra cost): Hot water extraction carpet shampooing to remove stains, heavy soiling, or pet hair that cannot be addressed by vacuuming alone.
In London, professional carpet shampooing typically costs:
– Per room: £40 – £80
– Full flat (3-4 rooms): £120 – £220
Whether you need this service depends on whether the carpets were spotless at move-in (per your inventory photos) and their current condition. If there are clear stains that postdate your move-in, adding carpet cleaning to your booking is strongly advisable to avoid a deduction.
What About Window Cleaning?
Internal window glass, all the glass on the inside surface of every window, is included as standard in a professional end of tenancy clean.
External window cleaning (the outside surface of the glass, which requires specialist equipment and ladder access) is generally not included in a standard end of tenancy service. This is because external windows are affected by weather conditions that are entirely outside both the tenant’s and cleaner’s control, and letting agents rarely cite external windows as a cause for deposit deductions.
If your property has easily accessible ground-floor or internal-facing windows, confirm with your cleaning agency whether they will clean both sides as part of their standard service.
What is NOT Included in an End of Tenancy Clean?
Being clear about what is deliberately excluded from a standard end of tenancy clean helps you arrive fully informed and prevents unpleasant surprises. The following are typically outside the scope of a standard end of tenancy service:
- Garden clearing and maintenance: Mowing the lawn, clearing patios, weeding the garden, or tidying communal outdoor spaces.
- Rubbish removal: Clearing large volumes of furniture, appliances, or rubbish left in the property beyond normal bin bags. This requires a licensed waste carrier.
- Mould remediation: Where black mould has penetrated porous surfaces (such as grout, silicone sealant, or plasterwork) beyond the surface level, specialist mould treatment may be required at an additional cost.
- External cleaning: Cleaning the exterior of the building, drains, gutters, or fascias.
- Deep decluttering: If the property contains significant personal belongings, furniture, or items left behind, these must be removed before the cleaning team can begin.
End of Tenancy Clean vs Deep Clean: What is the Difference?
A common question is how an end of tenancy clean differs from a standard deep clean.
A deep clean is an intensive one-off clean of a property that is already occupied and furnished. It goes beyond the surface of a regular domestic clean, addressing built-up grease, limescale, and ingrained dirt throughout the home.
An end of tenancy clean targets the same high intensity, but is specifically structured to meet the standard required for a landlord or letting agent inventory checkout. This means the sequencing, the focus areas, and the resulting standard are all calibrated against the question: will this pass inventory?
For the full breakdown of what your specific clean should cost in London, refer to our 2026 End of Tenancy Cleaning Price Guide.
Conclusion: Know Exactly What You’re Booking
Understanding precisely what is and is not included in a professional end of tenancy clean is the first step to protecting your deposit and avoiding the frustration of a failed checkout.
The core service, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, living areas, and hallways cleaned to inventory standard, with the oven always included, is the baseline for every reputable London cleaning company.
If your property has heavily stained carpets, you should add professional carpet shampooing. If there is surface mould in the bathroom, flag this to your cleaning team in advance.
For a complete room-by-room breakdown of the checklist our professional team follows on every London checkout, read our End of Tenancy Cleaning Checklist.
Ready to book? Get a free, instant quote for Feel Clean’s professional end of tenancy cleaning service today and move out with complete confidence.
