Can I charge my tenant for cleaning at the end of a tenancy?

How common are cleaning deductions?

Very. Cleaning featured in 54% of TDS disputes in 2024/25, more than any other issue (TDS). At DPS, cleaning has been the most common reason for deposit deductions for five years running, at about 29% of claims in 2025 (DPS). It is also where landlords most often claim more than an adjudicator will award.

What standard does the tenant have to meet?

The one recorded at check-in. Every scheme measures cleanliness against the start of the tenancy, and only for the areas left worse. A property that was “domestically clean” at check-in has to be returned domestically clean, and that is all.

Cleanliness isn’t subject to fair wear and tear (TDS). Paint fades and carpets wear with time; a dirty oven doesn’t clean itself. So there is no allowance for how long the tenancy lasted, as there is for damage.

Can I make the tenant pay for a professional clean?

Not as a requirement. In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 stops a landlord requiring a tenant to pay a third party for a service, which includes professional cleaners. A tenancy clause that says “the property must be professionally cleaned” can’t be enforced, and DPS describes a clause requiring a professional clean regardless of the check-in condition as potentially unreasonable (DPS).

What you can do is claim for a breach of the tenancy: the Act allows damages for breach of the tenancy agreement (Schedule 1, paragraph 5). If the tenant left the home less clean than at check-in, the reasonable cost of putting that right is a fair claim. mydeposits suggests wording the tenancy as “cleaned to a professional standard” rather than “professionally cleaned”, and says claiming a professional clean against a domestic-standard check-in is betterment (mydeposits).

What evidence do I need?

TDS says a clause in the tenancy agreement on its own isn’t enough. You need to show the property was less clean at the end than at the start (TDS):

• A check-in report that records cleanliness, not just condition. “Good condition” doesn’t tell an adjudicator anything about how clean something was.
• A check-out report that records it in the same terms, room by room, so the two can be compared.
• Photos where they help. TDS says photos are of limited value for general cleaning, but useful for a single item such as an oven or a fridge.
• An itemised invoice or quote, dated soon after the tenancy ended and broken down by area or item (TDS).

Can I do the cleaning myself and claim for it?

Yes, but evidence it as carefully as a contractor’s bill. TDS won’t award for rough estimates, or for your own work, unless it is clearly itemised and evidenced. mydeposits says landlords can charge for their own labour at a reasonable rate (it gives around £20 an hour as a guide), but not for arranging the work or travelling to it (mydeposits). A contractor’s quote showing your charge is no higher helps.

How should I set the claim out?

Itemise it. TDS’s own guide to presenting a case splits an example cleaning claim of £243 into the carpet (£75), the oven (£25) and general cleaning (£143), each with its evidence. If only part of the home was left worse, claim only that part: mydeposits awards a partial clean proportionately.

For each item, give:

1. what the check-in report recorded, with its page
2. what the check-out report recorded, with its page and any photo numbers
3. the cost, and where it comes from (invoice, quote or your own itemised time)

The short version

Record cleanliness properly at check-in, record it the same way at check-out, and claim only the difference, itemised. That is what each scheme’s adjudicator looks for. When TenancyVaults reads your evidence, it compares the two reports on cleanliness for each cleaning deduction.