Pre-Checkout Self-Inspection Guide
Most cleaning deductions are not surprises. They're the same handful of issues an inventory clerk finds in nearly every property: oven, extractor, limescale, bathroom sealant, dust on tops, marks on skirtings. If you walk your property the way they will, two or three days before checkout, you can fix nearly all of it in time. This guide shows you how.
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Most cleaning deductions are not surprises. They're the same handful of issues an inventory clerk finds in nearly every property: oven, extractor, limescale, bathroom sealant, dust on tops, marks on skirtings. If you walk your property the way they will, two or three days before checkout, you can fix nearly all of it in time. This guide shows you how.
When to do the self-inspection
The right window is two to three days before your checkout date, after most of your belongings are packed but before furniture is moved out. Empty surfaces show up problems that were hidden under a kettle or behind a sofa. Boxed-up rooms are also closer to how the property will look on the day, which is what the clerk will be comparing to the inventory.
Allow about an hour for a one-bed flat, two hours for a typical three-bed house. Take a phone with the camera ready. The point of this walk is to find issues, not to fix them yet. Photograph anything you spot, then deal with them in a single block of time afterwards.
Kitchen — the highest-risk room
Kitchens cause more cleaning deductions than every other room combined. Inventory clerks know exactly where to look, so check the same spots before they do.
- Oven, hob and extractor
Open the oven door fully and look at the inside of the glass, the door seal and the base. Lift hob grates and check underneath. Pull out the extractor filter and hold it up to the light. If grease shows, it needs degreasing.
- Inside cupboards and drawers
Open every cupboard and drawer. Crumbs, sticky patches and food residue are common. Wipe out every internal surface, including the underside of shelves.
- Behind and under appliances
If the fridge, washing machine or dishwasher is yours and going with you, the floor underneath needs cleaning before checkout. If they belong to the landlord, check the door seals and behind them where possible.
- Worktops, tiles and grout
Limescale around taps, grease splashes on tiles behind the hob, and discolouration in grout lines. All cleanable, all noticed by clerks.
Bathroom — second-highest risk
Bathrooms are the second most common source of deductions because limescale and mould build up gradually and tenants stop noticing them. Walk in with fresh eyes, ideally after the room has been empty for a few hours so you can see it like a stranger would.
- Sealant and grout
Black mould on shower or bath sealant is the single most common bathroom deduction. Check every joint where tile meets bath, basin or shower tray.
- Limescale on metalwork
Taps, shower heads, shower screen edges and toilet flush handles. Anywhere water sits or runs, limescale builds.
- Behind and under fittings
The base of the toilet, behind the cistern, and the underside of the basin. These don't get cleaned in normal use and stand out on inspection.
- Extractor fan
Look up. The extractor cover collects dust and is rarely cleaned. Clerks always check.
Living areas, bedrooms and hallways
These rooms cause fewer deductions individually but they add up if missed. The pattern is the same: clerks check the surfaces nobody else looks at.
- Tops of doors and door frames
Run a finger along the top edge. Dust gathers and shows on white paint.
- Skirting boards
Especially behind where furniture has been. Dust, scuff marks from hoovers, and the occasional pet hair.
- Inside of windows and tracks
Window glass, frames, sills and the runner tracks at the bottom. Tracks collect dirt and are very visible when empty.
- Light switches, sockets and handles
These are touched constantly and accumulate marks. A wipe with a damp cloth restores them quickly.
- Carpets and hard floors
Vacuum after furniture is removed, not before. Look for marks that respond to spot cleaning. If a stain doesn't come out, photograph it now and check the original inventory.
What to do with the list you've made
By the end of the walk you'll have a list and a set of photos. Sort it into three groups. Things you can fix yourself with a couple of hours of cleaning. Things that need specialist work (oven, carpets, mould). Things that were already there when you moved in.
For the first group, block out a few hours and do them in one go. For the second group, this is where booking us makes financial sense — a £140 to £220 end of tenancy clean will almost always cost less than the deductions it prevents. For the third group, dig out the original inventory and check whether the issue was recorded. If it was, you're not liable. If it wasn't but you have photos from move-in, send them to your landlord now in writing, before checkout.
Related guides
Getting your deposit back
How deposit deductions work and how to protect your money.
Learn morePassing inventory checks
What inventory clerks check on the day.
Learn moreInventory-clerk approved standards
The standard professional cleaners work to.
Learn moreGreasy oven at end of tenancy
The single biggest deduction trigger in the kitchen.
Learn moreBathroom mould and limescale
Two issues that cause most bathroom deductions.
Learn moreFailed checkout cleaning
What to do if you've already failed an inspection.
Learn moreHave questions?
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