Move-Out Cleaning Checklist

Leave the place spotless and protect your deposit. Work room by room through ready-made end-of-tenancy cleaning tasks, with the deposit-critical jobs landlords actually inspect flagged so nothing gets missed.

Tasks completed
0 / 45 done
Deposit-critical
0 / 18
18 deposit-critical tasks left
Deposit-critical tasks are the high-scrutiny jobs landlords inspect first.

Kitchen

0 / 8 done

Bathroom

0 / 7 done

Bedrooms

0 / 6 done

Living Areas

0 / 6 done

Floors & Carpets

0 / 5 done

Walls, Doors & Windows

0 / 6 done

Final Checks & Handover

0 / 7 done

About Move-Out Cleaning Checklist

The Move-Out Cleaning Checklist is a free, browser-based tool that helps renters and homeowners leave a property genuinely clean — the kind of clean that gets a deposit back in full or hands a buyer a spotless home. Rather than guessing what "professionally clean" means, you work through ready-made end-of-tenancy tasks grouped by area: kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms, living areas, floors and carpets, walls and windows, and a final handover checklist. Tick each task off and a progress bar shows exactly how close you are to done.

Its standout feature is deposit-critical flagging. The jobs landlords and letting agents check first — oven interiors, limescale, carpet stains, wall marks, meter readings, and dated move-out photos — are flagged with a shield, and a dedicated counter tracks how many of these high-stakes tasks remain. You can flag or unflag any task yourself with the shield button, and switch on Show deposit-critical only to focus on the jobs most likely to cost you money. Everything saves automatically to your browser's local storage — no account, no sign-up, nothing sent to a server. Use Download PDF to print a clean walk-through sheet for handover day, and pair this with the Moving Checklist for the wider move and the Home Inventory Checklist to document what's yours.

How to Use Move-Out Cleaning Checklist

  1. Name the property and set your move-out date — the header counts down the days so you can pace the work.
  2. Read your tenancy agreement and check-in inventory first. Add any property-specific tasks (a particular appliance, an outbuilding) using the "Add a task" field.
  3. Flag the jobs your landlord cares about as deposit-critical with the shield button, and unflag any that don't apply to your place.
  4. Work top to bottom and one room at a time. Clean from high surfaces down to the floor so dust falls onto areas you haven't done yet.
  5. Tick off each task as you finish it and watch both the overall progress bar and the deposit-critical counter climb.
  6. Switch on "Show deposit-critical only" near the end to double-check the high-scrutiny jobs are all complete before the inspection.
  7. On handover day, take dated photos of every room, record final meter readings, and use Download PDF to walk the property with a printed sheet.
  8. Export your checklist to back it up or carry it to another device, and keep the photos and PDF as evidence in case of a deposit dispute.

Tip: book any professional carpet or oven cleaning a few days before handover, not on the morning itself — it leaves room to fix anything that's missed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are "deposit-critical" tasks?

They're the cleaning jobs landlords and letting agents inspect most closely — the ones most likely to trigger a deduction if missed. Think oven interiors, limescale on taps and showers, carpet stains, marks on walls, mould in bathrooms, emptied bins, and proof items like final meter readings and dated photos. This tool flags them with a shield and counts them separately. You can flag or unflag any task yourself to match what your specific landlord checks.

Will this guarantee I get my full deposit back?

No tool can guarantee that — deductions also cover damage, missing items, and unpaid rent, which cleaning won't fix. But a property returned at the same standard of cleanliness as your check-in inventory removes the single most common reason for deductions. Cleaning to this checklist, taking dated photos, and comparing against your move-in report gives you the strongest position if there's a dispute.

Do I have to hire a professional cleaner?

Usually not. Most modern tenancy agreements can't force you to pay for professional cleaning — they only require the property to be returned as clean as it was at the start. Check your specific agreement. If your check-in inventory says the property was professionally cleaned, you'll need to match that standard, which is where a pro can help with ovens and carpets.

Why should I take photos and meter readings?

Dated photos of every clean room are your evidence if a landlord later claims the property was dirty. Final meter readings for gas, electricity and water stop you being billed for the next tenant's usage. Both are quick, free, and frequently decide deposit disputes — which is why they're flagged as deposit-critical in the Final Checks section.

Can I add my own tasks or remove ones that don't apply?

Yes. Use the "Add a task" field at the bottom of any room to add property-specific jobs, and hover a task to reveal the trash icon to remove anything that doesn't apply — a balcony, a wood burner, a garage. Your changes save automatically.

Is my data private?

Yes. Your plan, tasks, and flags are stored only in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded to any server and there's no account. Clearing your browser data removes the saved checklist, so keep a JSON export or the PDF if it matters.

Does it work offline?

Once the page has loaded, your checklist lives in local storage and works offline — useful when you're cleaning an empty flat with patchy signal. Open it on the same device where you saved it; your data only moves between devices if you Export and Import it.