Each year The Deposit Protection Service publishes what landlords claim for at the end of a tenancy. In 2025, cleaning was the most common reason for claims against the deposits it holds, at 29.37% of claims, ahead of damage and rent arrears.1 The DPS reports that it has led for five years running.
The same figures carry a quieter point. Fewer than 5% of deposits the DPS protects end in a dispute.1 Most tenants and landlords agree. When they do not, the outcome is decided by evidence, not by who feels more strongly.
Who this is for: tenants moving out and landlords checking a property back in, in Oxford and across England.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Your tenancy agreement and your deposit scheme have the final word.
The rules, briefly
- The deposit must be protected. In England it goes into one of three government-backed schemes: the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The landlord or agent must do this within 30 days of receiving it.2
- It must come back promptly. The landlord must return the deposit within 10 days of both of you agreeing how much you will get back.2
- Disagreements have a free route. Each scheme offers a free dispute resolution service. Using it is optional and both sides must agree to it. Both are asked for evidence, and the decision is final. There may be a time limit to raise a dispute, so contact the scheme early.3
Most private tenancies in England have been assured periodic tenancies since 1 May 2026, when they replaced assured shorthold tenancies. Deposits on those tenancies still have to be protected in the same way.2
The standard is the check-in report
A tenant is not asked to hand back a showroom. The question is whether the property is in the condition recorded when the tenancy started, allowing for fair wear and tear. The DPS describes fair wear and tear as reasonable use of the premises and the ordinary operation of natural forces.4
The reverse also holds. A claim should not leave the landlord better off than at the start. The DPS calls this betterment, and gives a direct example: claiming the full cost of a professional end-of-tenancy clean when there were already cleaning defects at the start of the tenancy.4
So the most important cleaning document is not written at the end. It is the check-in report written at the beginning.
What evidence carries weight
The DPS guidance points to the same three things again and again:4
- Check-in and check-out reports that describe the same rooms in the same order, so the two can be compared line by line.
- Date-stamped photographs, especially where a report was not compiled independently.
- Itemised costs. An invoice that says what was done, room by room, is stronger than a single figure.
A claim, or a defence, built on memory is the weakest of all.
Places that are easy to miss
From our own end-of-tenancy work, these are the places that most often fall short when a property is cleaned in a hurry on the last day:
- Inside the oven, the grill pan and the extractor filter.
- Inside the fridge and freezer, including the seals. Defrost the freezer the day before.
- Limescale on taps, shower screens and around the base of the toilet.
- Tops of doors, skirting boards, light switches and sockets.
- Inside kitchen cupboards and drawers, once they are empty.
- Window tracks and sills.
- Behind and under anything that moves.
If you are the tenant
- Find your check-in report now, before you start cleaning, and clean to it.
- Photograph every room when you finish, in the same order as the report. Keep the original files, which hold the date.
- If you use a cleaning company, keep the invoice and any sign-off they give you.
- Ask to attend the check-out inspection if you can.
- If you disagree with a deduction, say so in writing and ask your scheme about its dispute service.
If you are the landlord
- Start every tenancy with a detailed check-in report and photographs, and have the tenant sign it.
- Set out the expected standard in writing before move-out. Unclear expectations cause more disputes than dirty ovens.
- At check-out, record the same rooms in the same order as at check-in.
- Claim only for what the comparison shows, and support it with itemised costs.
Questions people ask
Does a tenant have to pay for a professional clean?
The test schemes apply is the condition recorded at the start of the tenancy, allowing for fair wear and tear. If the property was not professionally clean when the tenancy began, charging the full cost of a professional clean at the end can be betterment. Check your tenancy agreement, and if you are unsure, ask your deposit scheme.
How long does a landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 10 days of both of you agreeing how much will be returned, according to GOV.UK.
End of tenancy cleans, evidenced.
A fixed price in writing, a signed sign-off sheet and photos the same day.
Sources
- The Deposit Protection Service, "Cleaning main cause of tenancy deposit deductions for a fifth year running", 11 June 2026. depositprotection.com
- GOV.UK, "Tenancy deposit protection". gov.uk
- GOV.UK, "Tenancy deposit protection: disputes and problems". gov.uk
- The Deposit Protection Service, "What makes a reasonable deposit claim?" depositprotection.com
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