End of tenancy cleaning checklist: room by room

Deposit disputes in Ireland come down to two things: photos and the checklist the agent walks around with. Here is that checklist, so you can do it yourself or know exactly what you’re paying for.

Kitchen

• Oven, hob, extractor and grill: inside and out, racks and trays, glass door. This is the number one deposit deduction.
• Fridge and freezer emptied, defrosted, wiped inside, doors left open.
• Cupboards and drawers empty and wiped inside and out; cupboard tops.
• Worktops, splashback, sink and taps descaled; bins washed.
• Washing machine drawer and seal; dishwasher filter.
• Floor washed, including under appliances if they move.

Bathrooms

• Limescale off taps, shower screen, tiles and the toilet bowl (this is where “it looks clean” fails an inspection).
• Grout and silicone: mould removed, not painted over.
• Extractor grille, mirror, light fittings, window sill.
• Floor washed; behind the toilet.

Bedrooms and living areas

• Skirting boards, door frames, door tops, light switches, sockets.
• Inside wardrobes and drawers; wardrobe tops.
• Radiators (behind, if you can), curtain rails, lampshades.
• Windows inside, sills and tracks.
• Carpets hoovered edge to edge; professionally extracted if the lease says so or there are marks.
• Mattresses if they belong to the landlord: stains and odours.

Everywhere

• Cobwebs (corners, ceiling lights), marks on walls where furniture stood.
• Bins emptied, nothing left in the attic or shed.
• Take dated photos of every room when you’re finished. If the agent disputes anything, you have the proof.

Doing it yourself vs booking it

A 3-bed done properly to this list is a full day for two people plus an oven kit and a carpet machine. My end of tenancy clean is €3.50 per m² with the oven included, carpets extracted as an add-on, and I send the photos. Most tenants find that the deposit it protects is worth more than the day off.

Related

Getting your deposit back in Donegal · Oven cleaning · Carpet cleaning