72 Hours: What Most Companies Won’t Tell You About End of Tenancy Cleaning Guarantee

If you live in London, there’s more than a 50% chance you’re renting your home. This tendency is only growing. And so does the demand for quality end of tenancy cleaning services.

End of tenancy cleaning takes the cleaning part of your moving off your hands. Since cleaning is the reason for most deposit disputes, it’s also the surest way to ensure you get your deposit back. And the best part? End of tenancy cleaning is a guaranteed service.

In this article:

• Why is end of tenancy a guaranteed service?
• How does end of tenancy cleaning guarantee work?
• Complaints from tenants
• Complaints from landlord or real estate/letting agents
• Is there something the end of tenancy guarantee doesn't cover?
• Conclusion

Why is end of tenancy a guaranteed service?

There’s a lot that hinges on the end of tenancy cleaning service. If handled improperly, it can put a monkey’s wrench into the whole moving chain.

Furthermore, it’s one of the main factors that determine whether you get your deposit back or not. And considering deposits can be in the thousands of pounds, that’s no trivial matter. In fact, most deposits make end of tenancy cleaning prices look trivial.

Cleaning is the most often cited reason for parts or even the entire deposit being withheld by landlords. So when you’re hiring a professional cleaning company to do your end of tenancy cleaning for you, you expect results. 

However, while cleaning teams do their job according to professional standards, mistakes do happen. It’s rare (we haven’t had any re-cleans this year) but it does happen. And when thousands of pounds are hanging in the balance, you need a guarantee.

This is why end of tenancy cleaning is a guaranteed service. It gives you the peace of mind that cleanliness won’t be the reason why you don’t get your deposit back.

How does end of tenancy cleaning guarantee work?

End of tenancy cleaning guarantee is pretty simple. You can book your service over the phone or by using our booking form. Every end of tenancy cleaning service comes with a 72-hour guarantee.

Once the team performs the service, you can request a re-clean in the next 72 hours in case of a problem. A re-clean means the team will come back to your property and fix their oversight. This is usually revealed during the landlord’s inspection.

Complaints from tenants

In order to use the guarantee, you need to be specific about what it is you believe hasn’t been cleaned up to standard. For example, “I don’t like how the fridge has been cleaned,” doesn’t really help us understand where the problem lies.

However, “The fridge shelves haven’t been sufficiently cleaned,” is a lot more helpful. And if it’s a valid complaint, we’d send the team back for a re-clean.

I’m saying, “If it’s a valid complaint”, because more often than not, it isn’t. Samyx Cleaning has been on the market for more than six years now. We’ve seen things.

In the past, tenants have tried to pull a fast one on us and try to get their money back by claiming poor service. Their plan is to get a refund from us, get their deposit back from the landlord, and then leg it.

That’s why if we get a client complaint, we ask them to provide proof. We also take before and after photos to make sure there hasn’t been any tampering. This protects us from any attempts at deception.

There was this one time, a client sent us photos from another property in an attempt to get a refund. When we showed her the before and after photos of her service, she stopped messaging us.

Generally speaking, it’s not the tenant’s job to determine whether the service is up to standard or not. This is the landlord’s job. At the very least, the letting or real estate agent’s. Either way, tenant complaints usually aren’t legitimate.

Unless they’re doing the cleaning themselves, the tenant’s job begins and ends with hiring a cleaning company. From there on out, they should notify the landlord and letting agent/real estate agent in writing and carry on with their move, safe in the knowledge cleaning’s been taken care of.

Complaints from landlord or real estate/letting agents

Landlords and real estate/letting agents rarely try to take us for a ride. It’s a waste of their time. They simply perform an inspection and decide whether the place is clean or not according to the standards.

If there’s a problem, they send us a checklist of things we’ve missed. Then we go back and re-clean those items. When the landlord and/or letting agent are satisfied, the customer gets their deposit back. Everyone is happy.

Usually, landlords and agents are happy when there’s a cleaning company involved. They know the cleaning will definitely be up to standard and they won’t have to bother finding someone else to perform it. Unless said cleaning company has tried to undercut the competition, resulting in unsatisfactory service. Reputable companies don’t have that problem. 

That’s why it’s essential that tenants notify their landlord and/or letting agent about hiring a cleaning company. In writing. This changes the conditions and expectations.

Furthermore, it makes it a lot easier for tenants to get their deposit back. Landlords don’t have much of a leg to stand on if the tenant has hired a cleaning company. Even if they have a complaint, the guarantee will cover it.

On the other hand, if the tenant has performed a DIY end of tenancy cleaning, then it’s a lot easier for landlords to find ways to keep a part of the deposit (or even the whole thing). And there’s no end of tenancy cleaning guarantee to help in this instance.

Is there something the end of tenancy guarantee doesn’t cover?

End of tenancy cleaners aren’t miracle workers. Clients sometimes expect the impossible, so it’s important to discuss a few things the guarantee doesn’t cover.

• Cleaning walls – wall cleaning usually leads to damage. And damage means the client doesn’t get their deposit back. So we don’t do it.
• Cleaning the ceiling – same principle. While we do remove cobwebs, we can’t clean the ceiling. Those stains or spots usually fall under repairs, not cleaning.
• Damage – we cannot “clean damage away”. So this one is a non-starter.
• Windows on the outside – the end of tenancy cleaning service includes windows cleaning only on the inside.
• Carpet and upholstery – carpet and upholstery cleaning are separate services. They’re not covered by the end of tenancy cleaning guarantee by default. However, if you book them alongside end of tenancy cleaning (as a package deal), then they’re also covered in the guarantee.
• Rust – we don’t remove, clean, or cover rust in the guarantee.
• Silicone tile joints – those usually get replaced, not cleaned.
• Discolouration – discolouration happens in time. There’s nothing we can do about it.
• Normal wear and tear – some wear and tear are to be expected.

These are the main things that aren’t included in the guarantee. Of course, most companies won’t tell you that in advance. When you’re hiring a cleaning company, always make sure you ask about the conditions around the guarantee. 

Conclusion

End of tenancy cleaning gives you peace of mind. It’s a guaranteed service that ensures you will get your deposit back (unless you’ve damaged the property).

The guarantee works in cases where you have legitimate complaints. It helps eases your move and protects you from the expensive disaster it can easily devolve into.

Author: Atanas Dzhingarov

Hi, I’m Atanas - brand consultant and writer. I’m helping Samyx Cleaning create the best cleaning company blog on the Internet. Join us on our journey and learn how to live a cleaner, healthier, happier life in the process.