# Can I charge my tenant for cleaning the windows, inside and out? Source: https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/can-i-charge-my-tenant-for-cleaning-the-windows-inside-and-out By TenancyVaults (Run by a landlord in England) · Last checked 19 October 2026 ## The short answer Only for windows, and sides of the glass, that the check-in report recorded as clean and that were left dirtier. If the outside wasn’t recorded as clean, charging for it claims a higher standard than the tenant received. In England, a set window-cleaning fee isn’t a permitted payment. ### Key points - TDS’s sample cleaning table lists interior and exterior windows as separate items, each marked clean or not at check-in. - At mydeposits, charging for a higher standard of cleaning than the tenant received at check-in is betterment. - A window-cleaning deduction in England is damages for a breach of the tenancy agreement, taken from the deposit. A separate window-cleaning fee isn’t permitted. - Whether a tenant has to clean the outside of upper-floor windows depends on the tenancy agreement and on what the check-in recorded. - TDS says photos aren’t always a helpful indicator of dirt or dust, so the written description of each window carries the deduction. ## Can I charge my tenant for cleaning the windows? Yes, for windows that were clean at check-in and were left dirtier at check-out. Your tenant owes the standard recorded at the start, and no higher. At TDS, the adjudicator (the scheme’s impartial decision-maker) looks for evidence the property was less clean at the end than at the start ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf)). Fair wear and tear doesn’t apply to cleaning ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf)). So a window that was clean at check-in should be clean at check-out, however long the tenancy lasted. TDS includes the windows in its list of the areas that need the most attention when cleaning ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/news/blog/asktds-can-my-landlord-charge-me-for-cleaning/)). ## What should the check-in report say about the windows? Which windows were clean, and on which side. A report that only covers condition doesn’t set a cleaning standard. TDS says that if a check-in comments only on condition, an adjudicator can’t tell whether cleanliness got worse ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/1tds-guide-to-inventories-check-in-and-check-out-reports-v11.pdf)). TDS’s own samples show the level of detail it expects: - Its sample check-in summary records “Windows: cleaned to interior” ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf)). - Its sample cleaning table has two separate rows, interior windows and exterior windows, each marked clean or not ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/1tds-guide-to-inventories-check-in-and-check-out-reports-v11.pdf)). In TDS’s example, the interior windows are marked clean and the exterior windows are not. Recorded that way, the check-in sets a cleaning standard for the inside of the glass only. If the check-in says nothing about cleanliness, TDS won’t assume the property was clean ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf)). That leaves the window deduction with nothing to compare against. ## Can I charge for cleaning the outside of the windows? Only if the outside was recorded as clean at check-in. Charging for a clean outside when the check-in didn’t record one asks for a higher standard than the tenant received. At mydeposits, betterment applies to cleanliness as well as condition ([mydeposits](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/fair-wear-and-tear-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-applied/)). A general line such as “cleaned to a professional standard” helps, but name the windows too. mydeposits describes a professional-standard clean as including windows inside and out ([mydeposits](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/what-is-the-difference-between-professional-and-domestic-cleaning/)). TDS says a reference to “professionally cleaned” should be backed by an invoice, cross-referenced in the report ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/1tds-guide-to-inventories-check-in-and-check-out-reports-v11.pdf)). An invoice that lists exterior windows settles what was done. ## What about upper-floor windows? That depends on your tenancy agreement and your check-in report. If the agreement makes the tenant responsible for the outside of the windows, and the check-in recorded them clean, the usual rule applies. If neither says anything, there’s no standard for the outside to fall short of. Some landlords pay a window cleaner during the tenancy, especially for upper floors. If you did, include the window cleaner’s invoices with your evidence. They show who looked after the outside of the glass, and when it was last cleaned. ## Can I charge my tenant a window-cleaning fee? Not as a fee. In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 lists the payments a landlord can require, and a cleaning fee isn’t one of them ([Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/schedule/1); [GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fees-you-can-charge-as-part-of-a-tenancy)). You also can’t require your tenant to hire a window cleaner or any other contractor ([section 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/section/1)). Wales has the same ban on requiring a contract for services ([Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019, section 2](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2019/2/section/2)). What the Act does permit is damages for a breach of the tenancy agreement ([Schedule 1, paragraph 5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/schedule/1)). So the route is a deduction from the deposit at the end of the tenancy, for the cleaning that wasn’t done. ## How do I set out a window-cleaning deduction? Make it easy to check, line by line. For each window or group of windows: 1. the check-in entry, with its page, showing which side was clean 2. the check-out entry, with its page, showing which side wasn’t 3. any dated photos, labelled with the room and the window 4. the cost, as its own line on an invoice or quote, split into inside and outside Photos support the written report rather than replace it. TDS notes that photos aren’t always a helpful indicator of dirt or dust ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/1tds-guide-to-inventories-check-in-and-check-out-reports-v11.pdf)). DPS asks for date-stamped photos with an explanation of what each shows, and an itemised contractor’s bill ([DPS](https://www.depositprotection.com/claims-and-disputes/what-makes-a-reasonable-deposit-claim)). ## How do the three schemes approach it? The same way they approach any cleaning deduction. - **TDS** won’t make an award solely because the tenancy agreement says the tenant must clean. It looks for evidence of a difference between the start and the end ([TDS](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf)). - **DPS** suggests a clause asking the tenant to clean to the same standard as at the start of the tenancy, with evidence of that standard ([DPS](https://www.depositprotection.com/learning-centre/disputes/in-disputes-be-fair)). - **mydeposits** expects the cost to be proportionate to the breach ([mydeposits](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/rules-of-claiming-for-deposit-deductions/)). Claiming for every window when a few were left dirty invites a reduced award. ## Where next? Record each window, inside and out, at check-in, and use the same words at check-out. The full answer on [charging for cleaning](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/can-i-charge-the-tenant-for-cleaning) covers the oven, fridge freezer and carpets, and the [check-in inventory template](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/check-in-inventory-template) has a row for each. If your tenant disputes the deduction, a [deposit dispute pack](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/dispute-packs) sets each window entry from both reports side by side for the adjudicator. ## Common questions ### Can I charge for the outside of the windows if the check-in doesn’t mention them? It’s hard to support. TDS won’t assume a property was clean if the check-in doesn’t mention cleanliness. Without a record that the outside was clean at the start, there’s nothing to show it was left dirtier. ### Can I make my tenant use a window cleaner? No. In England, the Tenant Fees Act 2019 stops a landlord requiring a tenant to contract with a third party for a service, and Wales has a similar ban. You can require the windows to be left as clean as they were at the start. ### Is dirty glass fair wear and tear? No. At TDS and mydeposits, fair wear and tear applies to condition, not cleanliness. A scratch or crack is different: that’s damage, not cleaning, and it needs evidence it happened during the tenancy. ### Do window frames and sills count? They follow the same rule. If the check-in recorded them as clean, the tenant should leave them that way. Describe frames and sills in both reports, rather than relying on one line for “windows”. ## Sources The facts on this page come from these official sources, checked on 19 October 2026. 1. [TDS: How TDS approaches disputes involving cleaning](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/how-tds-approaches-cleaning-disputes.pdf) 2. [TDS: Inventories, check-in and check-out reports (effective 1 April 2019)](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/public/support/1tds-guide-to-inventories-check-in-and-check-out-reports-v11.pdf) 3. [TDS: #AskTDS, Can my landlord charge me for cleaning? (2019)](https://custodial.tenancydepositscheme.com/news/blog/asktds-can-my-landlord-charge-me-for-cleaning/) 4. [DPS: In disputes, be fair](https://www.depositprotection.com/learning-centre/disputes/in-disputes-be-fair) 5. [DPS: What makes a reasonable deposit claim?](https://www.depositprotection.com/claims-and-disputes/what-makes-a-reasonable-deposit-claim) 6. [mydeposits: Fair wear and tear, what is it and how is it applied?](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/fair-wear-and-tear-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-applied/) 7. [mydeposits: Professional and domestic cleaning](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/what-is-the-difference-between-professional-and-domestic-cleaning/) 8. [mydeposits: Rules of claiming for deposit deductions](https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/rules-of-claiming-for-deposit-deductions/) 9. [Tenant Fees Act 2019, section 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/section/1) 10. [Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/schedule/1) 11. [Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019, section 2](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2019/2/section/2) 12. [GOV.UK: Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fees-you-can-charge-as-part-of-a-tenancy)