5 Easy Steps to follow when Preparing for an end of tenancy cleaning
When you are moving out you will need to organise an end of tenancy cleaning. For those who are not familiar with the service the end of tenancy cleaning is a thorough cleaning of the entire property which is normally performed by professional cleaning company. Here we would like to discuss 5 key points on how to prepare yourself for the arrival of an end of tenancy cleaning company. This is to serve as a guideline especially for those who are not familiar with the service and are conducting it for the first time. Some points may seem obvious, but nonetheless are worth mentioning.
- Remove all personal belongings
Please note that the property should be clear of all personal belonging prior to commencing an end of tenancy cleaning. It isn’t necessary the property to be empty as you may have furniture from your landlord which will remain after your departure. The end of tenancy cleaning is an extensive cleaning which will involve cleaning inside cupboards, wardrobes etc. Ensure that there aren’t any clothes left behind or personal items. In this way the cleaners can clean inside your cupboards and wardrobes.
Please also note that it’s not a responsibility of the end of tenancy cleaners to clean your cutlery or plates. Any cutlery should be neatly stacked. Don’t leave dirty plates in the sink as this is not a responsibility of the end of tenancy cleaners. Ensure that you will not need to stay in the property after the end of tenancy cleaners have left cleaning the property. Some customers remain in the property for couple of days after the end of tenancy cleaning but please don’t do that as dust will accumulate and you will not be able to pass an inspection.
We have also seen some customers leaving all their belongings put into boxes but after you remove the boxes there will be dust. Most cleaning companies are trying to be flexible and provide you with an end of tenancy cleaning even though you may not be fully prepared due to late arrival of removal company, but you will need to plan ahead to avoid any problems. Ensure that you notify the cleaning company of any items that will need to be thrown away such as food, magazines, newspapers, clothes etc. The cleaning company will not simply throw away your items. You will need to let them know what goes into the bin before they start the cleaning.
- Ensure there’s electricity and hot water
This might be obvious but ensure that the property has electricity and hot water. Imagine cleaning messy oven with cold water. It’s a struggle. Further, if you have arranged for a carpet steam cleaning you will definitely need to provide hot water so that the stains can be treated appropriately. Through our experience we have noticed that many tenants switch off the boiler and there isn’t hot water available. Most cleaning ladies will not dare dealing with boilers and may not have another option than to clean with cold water. Some properties have blown bulbs and you can’t light a room properly. Ensure that if this is the case with your property to schedule the service during the day so that at least natural light can be used.
End of tenancy cleaning is quite detailed cleaning service, and the cleaners need to be able to see clearly what they are doing. Please also note that some properties may experience the following electricity problems: sags and dips in power, light switches not functioning, circuit breaker tripping frequently, circuit overload etc. If you have booked professional carpet steam cleaning some properties experience circuit overload and the circuit breaker will trip. This will lead to the inability of the carpet cleaner to steam clean the carpets. If this is the case with your property, ensure that you inform the cleaning company so that they can take alternative measures to power their equipment.
- Arrange parking
Parking in cities such as London could be quite hectic and if your property is located in an area that requires a permit to park during the day, you will need to arrange one for the cleaning company. You should ask the cleaning company how long the service will take and book a permit accordingly. If you live in a block of flats and you don’t have parking space, ask your concierge if they have allocated temporarily parking for contractors.
Most large apartment developments will have a concierge and they should have certain procedures that they follow to allow contactors on site. Ask them and insist on helping you. Some companies such as Citi Clean London will not charge you for parking but there are companies that apply this fee, and you need to ask prior to scheduling an appointment. Please note that if your property is located in zone 1, parking fees could be quite high and you may have to pay for additional charges such as Congestion Charge and ULEZ.
- Book your removal company a day before cleaning
Did you know that most removal companies arrive late for their appointments and take longer than expected to clear your property? We would advise you to arrange removal company one day before cleaning due date to ensure the removal company does not overlap with the cleaning company. On regular basis when you have scheduled removal company they arrive late and take more time than planned, then the cleaners arrive, and it gets crazy.
Ensure that if possible, the removal company arrives a day before or if not possible allocate at least 2h more than you have been told by the removal company. In some instances, the cleaners have no option but to wait for the removal company to finish. This may take couple of hours additionally and the cleaning company will finish much later than planned. Strictly avoid doing everything in one day such as: removals, cleaning, and inventory check. Ideally, the inventory should take place after the end of tenancy cleaning has been performed.
- Arrange additional services
There are few services that can be added as part of your end of tenancy cleaning. Some can be provided by the cleaning company others will need to be performed by different companies. You will need to coordinate between different companies of the services you may need for your end of tenancy cleaning. The most commonly used additional service used for an end of tenancy cleaning is the carpet cleaning. Professional carpet steam cleaning may require additional time and you will need to ask the cleaning company questions such as: the duration of the service, time needed for the carpets to dry, equipment used etc. Some inventory company may decline to perform check on your property if the carpets are wet, hence plan accordingly and ask the cleaning company any questions you may have.
Upholstery steam cleaning is another commonly used end of tenancy cleaning service. Thus, you may not have carpets in your property but still have to hire someone to come over and steam clean your furniture. The mostly used surfaces for upholstery cleaning is to be done to sofa, armchair, table chairs and curtains. You will need to check your tenancy agreement whether these services are to be done.
Most cleaning companies would not be able to provide you with gardening and handyman services. Gardening services are quite common to be used in an end of tenancy cleaning, but first check this with your landlord. The garden requires a lot of effort to be maintained and you may need to be able to present it in a bad condition upon your departure.
Handyman services is another commonly used service in an end of tenancy cleaning. From fixing cracks to installing new toilets, the handyman can do many small jobs and fixes in your property. There are plenty of handyman companies in London that specialise in all sorts of domestic jobs, hence you will be able to find reputable company quite easily. Obviously, a word of mouth is also useful to find reliable company but simple search on Google will provide you with hundreds of searches to choose from.
We hope this article has provided useful insight into some of the most important steps you may need to take to prepare yourself for an end of tenancy cleaning. The importance of this service is at times neglected by customers but don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s an easy task. As we have discussed in this article you may need to hire additional services that can easily overlap with the cleaning and create chaos. Plan ahead carefully and ensure that you read as much information as possible about this topic. We at Citi Clean have been providing Tenancy Cleaning Services London for nearly a decade now and have vast experience in conducting professional end of tenancy cleaning service. Our cleaners are fully trained, vetted and experienced to ensure that you will be getting your full deposit back. For anything you may need you can call our office 7 days a week.