5 ways to clean and restore your rental property at the end of a tenancy

When a tenancy ends, you need to be sure that the property is in a good state of repair and is clean and tidy. Not only is this necessary to allow the existing tenant's deposit to be released, but it's also needed so you can get the property ready for the next set of viewings.

Although there may be times where not a lot needs doing, there will also be occasions when lots of time and effort is necessary to get the place back to the way it was.

Many landlords have agents that will do end of tenancy checks for them, but if you are doing it yourself, it's worth putting together a checklist so you know nothing has been missed.

Here are 5 ways to clean and restore your rental property at the end of a tenancy.

Windows

You might be surprised at how much better a property looks when the windows are clean, so it's always worth having this done when a tenant vacates. Many tenants won’t bother cleaning them during their tenancy or paying a window cleaner, so it's worth giving them a good clean. It will help to let in natural light and make the property look bright and airy.

Clean the oven

Ovens are one of the main things that tenants tend to leave in a bad state, so if you need something extra powerful to get rid of food and grease, caustic soda can work miracles. It can be extremely harmful if it goes near the skin, so make sure you wear protective clothing before using it.

According to JennyChem.com, a UK-based cleaning solutions supplier, caustic soda is also great for unblocking drains, so it might be worth buying in bulk, particularly if you have several properties that you clean and maintain regularly.

Remove rubbish

Although most people are good tenants and will leave the property looking pretty tidy – others are not so great. Many will even leave piles of rubbish and belongings lying around, so you may need to arm yourself with some bin bags and spend some time clearing the place out. It's a good idea to wear gloves when clearing trash as you never know what you might come across.

Decorate

As well as cleaning, there may be times at the end of a tenancy when it becomes apparent that decorating is necessary. A new coat of paint shouldn't take too long and could help you achieve higher rent levels, so if the property is looking a little tired and could use a freshening up, it makes sense to do so.

Replace flooring

It's also worth considering whether new flooring is needed. A home with threadbare carpets or ripped linoleum won’t attract the same levels of interest, so although it may be costly, it could be worth replacing them.

If you intend to go down this route, go for hard-wearing, easy to clean flooring that will last. Spending money on a rental property is sometimes necessary, but you want to make sure you are getting your money’s worth.