The window between collecting your keys and moving your belongings in is one of the most useful moments in a tenancy. The property is empty, every surface is accessible, and anything you clean or document now will make the end of your lease significantly easier to navigate. This guide covers where to start.
Why Clean Before You Unpack?
Once furniture is in place and boxes are stacked, cleaning becomes much harder. Getting into corners, behind appliances, inside cupboards, and along skirting boards is straightforward in an empty space and awkward in a furnished one.
More practically, cleaning before you unpack lets you see the property as it actually is. If the previous tenant left the oven in poor condition, or there is mould in a bathroom corner, you want to find this before your belongings are around it.
The Entry Condition Report
Before you start cleaning, walk through the property with your entry condition report and document its actual condition. Your managing agent should have provided this report, and you usually have a set period (often three to seven business days) to complete and return it.
This document is your legal protection. Any damage, marks, staining, or defects you record now cannot be claimed against you at the end of the lease. Anything not recorded will be assumed to have occurred during your tenancy.
How to do this properly:
- Walk through every room with the report and note anything that differs from what is recorded
- Take dated photographs of every room, including close-ups of any existing damage, staining, or marks
- Note the condition of the oven, carpet, tile grout, walls, and windows specifically
- Sign and return the report within the required timeframe, and keep a copy
Tip: Email your completed report and photos to your agent rather than dropping it off in person. An email creates a timestamp and a written record that the document was submitted.
Where to Focus Your Pre-Move Clean
Kitchen
Start with the oven. Even if it looks passable from a distance, open the door and check the interior walls, the base, the racks, and the door glass. Baked-on grease from the previous tenancy is worth addressing before you cook your first meal in the property.
Check inside all cupboards and drawers. Food crumbs, residue, and sometimes insects can be present even in a property that appears clean.
Clean the rangehood filters. Pull them out and check the build-up. Soaking in hot water with a degreaser for 30 minutes will shift most grease deposits.
Wipe down the interior of the fridge if one is included in the tenancy.
Bathrooms
Inspect the grout lines and silicone seals around the shower and bath. If there is existing mould, document it thoroughly in the entry condition report and address it with a bleach-based cleaner before you start using the bathroom daily (ongoing moisture will make it worse quickly).
Check the exhaust fan. If it is dusty or running slowly, clean the cover and report it as a maintenance issue if the fan itself seems inadequate. Good bathroom ventilation is important for preventing mould during the tenancy.
Clean the toilet thoroughly, including under the rim, the base, and behind the cistern.
Bedroom Carpets
Vacuum carpets thoroughly before placing furniture. Run your hand across the surface to check for staining or residue that might not be immediately visible. Document any existing staining in your entry condition report with photos.
If the carpets have an odour or appear to have been poorly cleaned, it is worth noting in the report and requesting professional cleaning as a condition of moving in. This is easier to raise before you sign off on the entry condition than at the end of the lease.
Walls and Skirting Boards
Look along walls at an angle in natural light. Scuffs, marks, and old adhesive from picture hooks show up more clearly in raking light. Document anything significant.
Wipe down skirting boards before furniture covers them. Dust accumulates in this area and it is much easier to address now.
Windows and Blinds
Check window tracks for dust build-up and the condition of any blinds or curtains. Wiping window tracks now also tells you if the window seals and frames are in good condition. Any existing damage to blinds should be noted in your entry condition report.
What to Report as Maintenance
Anything that is genuinely damaged or not functioning correctly should be reported to your agent in writing before or shortly after moving in. Common items to check:
- Light fittings with blown globes
- Exhaust fans that are not functioning or seem inadequate
- Tap washers that drip
- Doors or windows that do not seal properly
- Any mould that appears structural rather than surface-level
Reporting these items protects you. If a dripping tap causes water damage during your tenancy, a record of having reported the issue at the start places responsibility appropriately.
Setting the Tone for the Rest of the Tenancy
A clean start makes the rest of the tenancy easier. If the property is in good order when you move in and you maintain it reasonably throughout, the final clean at the end of the lease becomes a straightforward job rather than a major project.
The entry condition report, properly completed with photographic evidence, is also your strongest protection if a bond dispute arises. The time spent on it at the start of the tenancy is some of the most useful admin you will do as a renter.