If you are moving out of a rented flat in London, you have probably seen quotes ranging from £79 to £400 for the same job. That gap is confusing, and it matters, because cleaning is the single most common reason deposits get reduced at check-out.
Here is the short answer: end of tenancy cleaning in London costs roughly £150 to £500 in 2026. Most one-bed flats land between £180 and £260, and most two-bed flats between £240 and £350. Below is a full breakdown of what drives that number, what should be included, and how to tell a fair quote from a false economy.
End of tenancy cleaning prices in London by property size
These are typical London market rates for a full, agent-standard clean of an empty property in reasonable condition. Prices assume the oven is included, which it always should be.
| Property size | Typical London price | Approx. time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Studio flat | £150 – £220 | 3 – 4 hours |
| 1 bedroom flat | £180 – £260 | 4 – 5 hours |
| 2 bedroom flat | £240 – £350 | 5 – 6.5 hours |
| 3 bedroom flat or house | £300 – £430 | 6.5 – 8 hours |
| 4 bedroom house | £380 – £520 | 8 – 10 hours |
| 5+ bedroom house | From £500 (site visit advised) | 10+ hours |
London runs about 15–30% above the national average. That premium is not a mark-up for the postcode. It reflects higher labour costs, parking and permit charges, ULEZ and congestion fees, and genuinely harder water, which means far more limescale work in bathrooms and around taps.
What should be included in the price?
A proper move-out clean is a fixed-scope job, not an hourly tidy. Before you accept any quote, check that all of the following are covered as standard:
- Full oven deep clean, including the door glass, racks, trays and grill
- Inside and outside of all kitchen cupboards, drawers and appliances
- Extractor hood and filter degreasing
- Fridge and freezer cleaned inside (defrosted where needed)
- Full bathroom descale: tiles, grout, shower screen, taps, shower head, toilet
- Interior windows, sills, frames and tracks
- Skirting boards, doors, door frames, light switches and sockets
- Woodwork, radiators, wardrobes inside and out
- Vacuum and mop throughout, plus cobweb and dust removal at height
Anything priced well below the ranges above usually excludes two or three of these lines and adds them back on the day. Reputable London end of tenancy specialists quote one inclusive price and put the full scope in writing before they turn up.
What makes the price go up or down?
Condition, not just size
Two identical two-bed flats can be quoted £100 apart. A property handed back in fair order sits at the bottom of its band. The same flat after two years of an uncleaned oven, heavy limescale and smoke residue sits at the top, because it is genuinely twice the labour.
Number of bathrooms
Bathrooms are the slowest rooms in the property. A two-bed with two bathrooms will always be quoted higher than a two-bed with one.
Furnished vs unfurnished
Furnished properties take longer because everything has to be cleaned around and underneath. An empty flat is faster and cheaper. If you can, book the clean after the removals van has gone.
Add-on services
| Add-on | Typical London cost |
|---|---|
| Carpet cleaning (per room) | £30 – £60 |
| Upholstery / sofa cleaning | £45 – £90 |
| Exterior window cleaning | £40 – £80 |
| Balcony or patio clean | £30 – £60 |
| Mattress cleaning | £35 – £60 |
If your tenancy agreement says carpets must be professionally cleaned and you had them cleaned at the start, budget for this. It is the second most common deduction after kitchen cleaning.
Hourly cleaner vs fixed-price service: which is actually cheaper?
A domestic cleaner in London charges around £18–£30 per hour. A full move-out clean on a two-bed takes a trained team five to six hours, which is £110–£180 in labour alone, before any commercial equipment, oven dip tanks or professional descalers.
The real difference is the guarantee. Fixed-price end of tenancy services typically include a 48 to 72 hour re-clean if the agent flags anything at check-out. An hourly cleaner does not, so if the inspection fails, you pay twice. That guarantee is usually the entire gap between a budget quote and a mid-market one.
Is it worth it, or should you clean it yourself?
Do the arithmetic on your own tenancy. The average London deposit is five weeks’ rent. On a two-bed at £2,000 a month, that is around £2,300 sitting with a deposit scheme. A £280 clean is roughly 12% of that deposit, spent to protect the other 88%.
You are legally allowed to clean it yourself. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord or agent in England cannot force you to use a professional company or charge you a fee for one as a condition of the tenancy. What they can do is deduct the reasonable cost of bringing the property back to its inventory standard. So the question is not whether you are required to hire someone. It is whether you are confident of passing every line on the agent’s checklist.
In practice, the usual outcome of a DIY clean is not a total fail. It is partial deductions of £60–£150 for the oven glass, the extractor filter and the bathroom grout, which are the three things almost everyone underestimates.
Red flags in a cheap quote
- A price quoted per hour rather than per property for a full move-out clean
- Oven cleaning listed as an optional extra
- No written scope of works or checklist
- No re-clean guarantee, or a guarantee with no stated time window
- No public liability insurance
- Payment demanded in full upfront in cash
How to get an accurate quote
- Give the exact property type, number of bedrooms and number of bathrooms.
- Say whether the property will be empty or still furnished.
- Be honest about condition, especially the oven and any limescale.
- List any add-ons you need, such as carpets or exterior windows.
- Ask for the checklist and the guarantee terms in writing.
- Book for the day before check-out, not the same morning.
Frequently asked questions
How long does end of tenancy cleaning take in London?
Three to four hours for a studio and up to ten hours for a four-bed house. Most teams of two or three complete a two-bed flat in a single working day.
Should I book before or after the removals?
After. An empty property is cleaned faster, cleaned better, and usually quoted lower.
Do I need a receipt?
Yes. A dated invoice from a professional company is the strongest single piece of evidence you can hold if a cleaning deduction goes to adjudication with a deposit scheme.
What if the agent still is not happy?
Ask for the specific items in writing, then call the cleaning company within the guarantee window. A reputable firm will return and re-clean the flagged items at no charge.
The bottom line
Budget £150–£220 for a studio, £180–£260 for a one-bed, £240–£350 for a two-bed and £300–£430 for a three-bed in London in 2026. Pay for scope and a guarantee rather than the lowest headline number, keep the invoice, and treat the clean as insurance on a four-figure deposit rather than as another moving cost.