Get three quotes for the same two-bedroom flat and it’s entirely possible to see numbers ranging from £140 to £350. That’s not one company ripping you off and another being generous. In most cases it’s three companies pricing three genuinely different scopes of work, and the headline figure alone tells you almost nothing until you know what’s actually included.
This is one of the more frustrating parts of booking any cleaning service, since the natural instinct is to compare on price first and details second. With end of tenancy cleaning specifically, that instinct works against you, because the whole point of the service is to protect a deposit that’s usually worth far more than the difference between a cheap quote and a properly inclusive one.
The scope problem
The biggest reason quotes diverge is that “end of tenancy cleaning” isn’t a single, standardised service with an agreed definition across the industry. Some companies build oven cleaning, appliance interiors, and internal windows into their base price as standard. Others treat every one of those as a separate add-on, which makes their headline number look more competitive right up until the extras get added back in.
A £140 quote that excludes oven cleaning, appliance interiors and carpets isn’t actually cheaper than a £220 quote that includes all three, once you’ve paid for the missing pieces separately. The only way to compare fairly is to ask for a full, itemised breakdown of exactly what’s covered before comparing the bottom-line figure.
Fixed price versus estimate
Some companies quote a fixed price once they understand your property’s size and condition, and that price doesn’t change on the day regardless of what the cleaners find. Others give a rough estimate over the phone that’s explicitly subject to revision once the team arrives and assesses the actual state of the property.
Both approaches can be legitimate, but they carry different risks. A fixed quote protects you from a surprise bill, provided the information you gave when booking was accurate. An estimate-based quote might start lower but leaves room for the final price to climb, particularly if the property turns out to be in worse condition than described, or if the company simply uses “condition assessment” as a way to push the price up after you’re already committed to using them.
If a quote seems unusually low compared to typical market rates, roughly £150 to £270 for a one-bedroom property and £220 to £340 for a two-bedroom in most of the UK, it’s worth asking directly whether that figure is fixed or provisional, and what specifically could change it.
Common hidden costs to ask about upfront
Carpet cleaning. This is very often priced entirely separately from the base end of tenancy clean, typically £40 to £80 per room for proper hot-water extraction. If your tenancy agreement requires professional carpet cleaning, or your carpets clearly need it, factor this in from the start rather than being surprised when it’s quoted as an extra.
Oven and appliance cleaning. A genuinely deep oven clean, inside the door, racks, and the grill pan, takes real time and is one of the most commonly excluded items in a cheaper base price. Confirm specifically whether it’s included, not just whether “appliances” are mentioned in general terms.
Access and parking charges. Some companies pass on parking costs, congestion charge fees, or a call-out charge for properties outside their usual coverage area, and these aren’t always mentioned until the invoice arrives.
Weekend or short-notice bookings. A clean booked for the same day, or scheduled for a weekend, sometimes carries a premium that isn’t reflected in a company’s standard advertised pricing.
Re-clean policy. This isn’t a hidden cost exactly, but its absence can become one. If a letting agent flags an issue after the clean and there’s no free re-clean guarantee, you may end up paying for a second visit, or for someone else entirely, to fix what should have been covered the first time.
Questions worth asking before you book
A short list of direct questions tends to expose the difference between a genuinely competitive quote and one that just looks that way on paper:
- Is oven cleaning, including racks and the grill pan, included as standard?
- Are appliance interiors, including the fridge, freezer and washing machine, included?
- Is carpet cleaning included, and if not, what would it cost as an add-on?
- Is this a fixed price, or can it change once the team arrives?
- Is there a re-clean guarantee if a landlord or letting agent isn’t satisfied?
- Are cleaning materials and equipment included in the price, or charged separately?
Any reputable company should be able to answer all of these clearly and immediately. Vague or evasive answers to straightforward questions like these are a reasonable signal to look elsewhere, regardless of how attractive the headline number looks.
Why the cheapest quote isn’t always the best value
The real comparison isn’t “which quote is lowest,” it’s “which quote gets me through my check-out inspection without a deposit deduction, for the least total cost including anything I’d have to pay separately.” A company that includes everything relevant to your specific property in one fixed price, with a re-clean guarantee behind it, is often better value than a lower headline figure that turns into several separate charges once you actually book the work.
Given that cleaning-related deductions remain one of the most common reasons deposits get disputed, the cost of a rebooked clean, or a contested deduction that takes weeks to resolve through a deposit protection scheme, tends to outweigh whatever was saved by choosing the cheapest option on the phone. When you’re comparing end of tenancy cleaning prices, the itemised scope of the job matters more than the number at the top of the quote, and it’s worth taking the extra five minutes to confirm exactly what you’re paying for before you commit to anyone.
