HOW TO HIRE · CLEANING

How to hire an end of tenancy cleaner in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to end of tenancy cleaning. Your protection is the inventory, dated photos and your deposit scheme.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an end of tenancy cleaner in five steps

  1. Read the inventoryThe clean is checked against it.
  2. Book the oven and carpetsAgents look closely at both.
  3. Take dated photosAfter the clean, room by room.
  4. Keep the receiptWith the scope listed.
  5. Know your deposit schemeDisputes are held there until settled.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Nothing licenses end of tenancy cleaners in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, so an end of tenancy clean can be offered by anyone; trader status, insurance and references carry the weight.

Ask for a business name, an invoice for the end of tenancy clean and the name of the insurer.

Your deposit scheme

gov.uk says a landlord in England or Wales must put a deposit on an assured periodic tenancy into a government-approved scheme within 30 days and return it within 10 days of you agreeing the amount; during a dispute it stays protected in the scheme. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes.

Find which scheme holds your deposit before the end of tenancy clean, and keep the clean's evidence for it. gov.uk →

Waste carrier registration if rubbish goes

A business that takes waste away needs waste carrier registration — the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or the NIEA — and in England and Wales section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes you hand household waste only to an authorised person. That applies to bags left over from an end of tenancy clean.

If the end of tenancy clean includes taking rubbish, ask for the waste carrier number and search the public register. environment.data.gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

Nothing obliges a cleaner to be insured, but public liability cover is the difference between a claim paid and a dispute if an end of tenancy clean goes wrong. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to an end of tenancy clean done with reasonable care and skill.

Get the insurer's name from the cleaner before booking the end of tenancy clean.

VAT

End of tenancy cleaning is standard-rated at 20%. A cleaning firm taking more than £90,000 a year must register, charge the 20% on the clean and its extras, and show it separately so the receipt works as deposit evidence.

Ask for the VAT number and keep the invoice showing the 20% apart; it doubles as evidence for the deposit. gov.uk →

“Will the end of tenancy clean work to my inventory?”

A good answer: Yes, they ask to see it.

“Are the oven and carpets included in the cleaning?”

A good answer: Priced add-ons, or included.

“Do you offer a re-clean if the check-out finds something?”

A good answer: A clear policy, in writing.

“Will the cleaner take rubbish left behind?”

A good answer: Only with a waste carrier number.

“How long will the end of tenancy cleaning take?”

A good answer: A realistic time for the property size.

“Are you insured for damage?”

A good answer: Public liability, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Property size and rooms
  • Oven, carpets and windows priced
  • Re-clean policy
  • Rubbish removal and carrier number
  • Who actually attends the end of tenancy clean, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% shown under the property price and the oven or carpet extras

Walk away if

  • Will not look at the inventory
  • No re-clean policy
  • Takes rubbish with no carrier number
  • No receipt
LOW
£90
TYPICAL
£190
HIGH
£350

What an end of tenancy cleaner costs: £90–£350 per visit

End of tenancy cleans are priced per visit by the size of the property, with the oven and carpets as add-ons. End of Tenancy Cleaning price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

End of tenancy cleaners near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. InventoryThe check-in report read first.
  2. KitchenCupboards, appliances and tiles.
  3. BathroomsDescaled throughout.
  4. Every roomSkirting, doors, switches and wardrobes.
  5. FloorsWashed and vacuumed to match the inventory.

Inventory
The record of a property's condition at check-in.
Check-out report
The landlord's record of the condition at the end.
Deposit protection scheme
A government-approved scheme holding the deposit.
Re-clean guarantee
A return visit if items are missed.
Assured periodic tenancy
The main private tenancy type in England since 1 May 2026.
Deduction
Money kept from a deposit.

AFTER

When the job is done

Photograph every roomDated, after the clean.
Keep the receiptFor the check-out and any dispute.
Attend the check-outIf you can.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy are tied to a booking, so yours about the end of tenancy clean carries weight. If something is not right, the make-it-right step gives the end of tenancy cleaner the first chance to fix it before it is published.

STEP 1Complain to the end of tenancy cleaner firstMessage the end of tenancy cleaner with the date, what went wrong and the fix you want. If the end of tenancy clean fell below reasonable care and skill — the test in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — sections 55 and 56 give you a free redo or a cut in the price.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepBelow four stars, Locufy offers to pass the problem with the end of tenancy clean to the end of tenancy cleaner before your review is published, and follows it up with both of you.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplinesTrading Standards is reached through a helpline, not directly: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland can log a complaint about the end of tenancy cleaner and pass it on.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedAn unpaid refund or repair bill from the end of tenancy clean goes to small claims: £10,000 is the limit in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland using simple procedure, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland — all designed to be used without a solicitor.

Hiring an end of tenancy cleaner: questions people ask

No. No licence or register applies.

In England and Wales a government-approved deposit scheme, which holds it during a dispute; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own.

The receipt, the scope and dated photos of every room.

£90–£350 per visit, about £190 on average. Read the end of tenancy cleaning price guide for the factors behind it; to see cleaners near you, enter your town above.

Only if they are a registered waste carrier.

Four to eight hours.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in cleaning

How to hire: Move-in / Move-out CleaningHow to hire: Deep CleaningHow to hire: Oven CleaningHow to hire: Carpet CleaningHow to hire: One-Off CleaningHow to hire: House CleaningHow to hire: Window CleaningHow to hire: After Builders CleaningAll 701 hiring guides →

End of tenancy cleaners near you

End of tenancy cleaners in LondonEnd of tenancy cleaners in ManchesterEnd of tenancy cleaners in BirminghamEnd of tenancy cleaners in GlasgowEnd of tenancy cleaners in BelfastAll end of tenancy cleaners on Locufy →Do it yourself: cleaning a rented home at the end of a tenancy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — tenancy deposit protection
  2. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  3. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  4. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register