Business · 4 min read · Updated 6 November 2026
End of lease office cleaning: avoiding dilapidations charges
What dilapidations are
Dilapidations are the breaches of a lease's repair, decoration, reinstatement and yield-up obligations at the end of a tenancy. The landlord's surveyor usually prepares a schedule listing what work is needed and what it will cost. In England and Wales, claims generally follow a pre-action protocol, and damages for disrepair are capped at the reduction in the value of the landlord's interest. Even so, many claims are settled at the cost of the listed work, so reducing the list matters.
Cleaning will not fix disrepair or reinstatement items such as removing partitions, but it removes a whole category of easy charges and makes the office look properly cared for when the landlord's surveyor inspects.
What landlords typically look for
| Area | Common dilapidations items linked to cleaning |
|---|---|
| Carpets | Staining, heavy soiling at walkways and around desks |
| Hard floors | Ingrained dirt, adhesive marks, scuffs |
| Walls and doors | Marks, sticky tape and blu-tack residue, scuffed paintwork |
| Kitchens | Grease, limescale and dirty appliances left by the tenant |
| Washrooms | Limescale, stained grout and dirty fittings |
| Ceilings and grilles | Dust on vents, light fittings and ceiling tiles |
| Clearance | Furniture, rubbish and cabling left behind |
Plan the timeline
- Read the lease early, especially the yield-up, decoration and reinstatement clauses
- Ask whether the landlord has served or will serve a schedule of dilapidations
- Book clearance and any reinstatement works first
- Book the end of lease clean after builders and removals have finished
- Book carpet cleaning last so floors are not walked on afterwards
- Leave time to fix anything spotted on a final walk-round
The usual mistake is booking the clean before the removal company and contractors, so the office is dirty again by the time the keys are handed back.
End of lease cleaning checklist
- Remove all rubbish, furniture and equipment you are not leaving by agreement
- High-level dust vents, light diffusers, door frames and tops of partitions
- Remove tape, sticky residue and fixings marks where allowed
- Wash down doors, frames, skirting boards and switches
- Deep clean kitchens, including appliances the landlord owns
- Descale and deep clean washrooms
- Clean internal glass, partitions and window frames
- Hot water extraction clean carpets and treat stains
- Machine clean hard floors
- Take dated photos of every room after the clean
Photos and records
Dated photos and the cleaning invoice are useful evidence if the landlord later claims the office was left dirty. Compare them with any schedule of condition attached to the lease at the start. If the lease limits your obligations to the condition shown in that schedule, you may not have to hand back the office in better condition than you received it.
What it typically costs
A one-off deep clean of a small office of around 100 m² typically costs £200 to £400, and a medium office of around 250 m² around £400 to £800. Carpet extraction cleaning usually adds £2.50 to £4.50 per m². These are typical guide prices; heavy soiling, high-level work and very tight deadlines can increase them. Compare that with a dilapidations schedule, where the landlord's contractor and surveyor fees are usually added to the cleaning cost.
The other side: cleaning your new office
If you are moving rather than closing, the new office needs attention too. Even if the landlord says it has been cleaned, it may have been empty for months, collecting dust in vents and on window sills, or it may have just been refurbished. A move-in clean before furniture arrives is much quicker than cleaning around desks and boxes later.
- Inspect the new office before the lease starts and photograph its condition
- Check whether the landlord has done a professional clean, and what it covered
- Book a move-in clean between any fit-out and furniture delivery
- Flush taps, showers and toilets if the building has been empty
- Clean inside kitchen cupboards and appliances before staff use them
- Set up your regular cleaning contract to start from the first day staff are in
Photos taken at the start of a new lease are just as valuable as the ones taken at the end of the old one. They help show the condition you received the office in, which matters if the new lease includes a schedule of condition.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to professionally clean an office at the end of a lease?
It depends on the lease. Many leases require the premises to be yielded up clean and in repair, and some specifically require carpets to be professionally cleaned. Even where the wording is general, a professional clean is the easiest way to show the obligation has been met and to avoid cleaning items on a dilapidations schedule.
When should an end of lease office clean be done?
After everything else. Removals, clearance, reinstatement works and decorating should all be finished first, then the deep clean, then carpet cleaning. Allow a day or two before the lease end date so any missed items found during a final walk-round can be put right. If possible, invite the landlord's surveyor to that walk-round so any concerns are raised while you can still fix them.
Can a landlord charge for cleaning after I leave?
If the lease requires the premises to be left clean and they are not, the landlord can include cleaning in a dilapidations claim, often with surveyor fees added. Dated photos, a cleaning invoice and the original schedule of condition, if there is one, help you challenge charges that are not justified. It is also worth asking for an itemised breakdown of any cleaning costs claimed.
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