A clear cleaning plan for moving day.

Put the clean between the right two events.

1. Before cleaning: confirm when the previous occupant, movers or trades will finish. Say whether the property will be empty and which rooms remain in use.
2. During the cleaning window: keep agreed surfaces accessible and confirm water, electricity and entry arrangements. Avoid planning the clean at the same time as dusty work or box moving.
3. Before handover: leave time for the agreed checklist to be reviewed and questions to be raised before the next occupant arrives.

A requested handover date is not a confirmed appointment. Share both the earliest access time and the time the space must be ready so availability can be discussed.

Walk the empty rooms in a consistent order.

• Kitchen: worktops, sink, external appliance surfaces and accessible floors. Specify any empty cupboard or appliance interiors you want considered.
• Bathrooms: toilets, basins, mirrors and reachable shower or bath surfaces. Mention build-up and finish restrictions.
• Bedrooms and living spaces: accessible surfaces, reachable details and floors. Confirm what remains in the property.
• Entrance and circulation: accessible floors and ordinary waste arrangements. Discuss balconies, windows or outside areas separately.

For a move-in, say whether deliveries will arrive before or after cleaning. For a move-out, agree what happens to remaining possessions, rubbish and keys. Ordinary cleaning does not automatically include clearing a property.

Name the work that is easy to assume.

Appliance interiors, empty cupboards, high-level glazing, specialist floor treatment, heavy-item moving and removal of building debris are separate requests to assess. List them individually instead of expecting “move-out” to include everything.

If painting, renovation or construction has just finished, describe that condition explicitly. Dust and residues after building work can require different equipment or specialist treatment. Do not treat a standard handover clean as confirmed post-construction work.

Use the agreed checklist at the handover.

Before booking, confirm the rooms, tasks, price and access window. If another person will review the space, agree who that is and how the checklist will be shared. A cleaning service does not determine a landlord’s inspection outcome or guarantee a deposit return.

Keep keys, codes and confidential documents out of the initial enquiry. Start with the neighbourhood, room counts, property condition and handover timing.