Yes, You Absolutely Can – But It’s Not as Bad as It Sounds
There’s something particularly gut-wrenching about finding a faint red wine mark on the carpet the week before moving out. You scrub it, Google some homemade vinegar remedy, and then panic. Will this tiny blotch mean saying goodbye to that fat deposit you were banking on for the next place? If you’re renting in London—where deposits can rival the GDP of a small village—this is a big deal.
Let’s get the facts straight. Yes, you can lose part of your security deposit over a stain. But the full picture is more forgiving than the scary stories floating around on TikTok or tenants’ forums. Landlords aren’t pocketing your deposit for fun—they’re deducting the cost of fixing something you left behind. And yes, a stain could fall into that category.
But no, you’re not going to lose the entire deposit unless you’ve turned the place into a war zone. If your flat looks like it’s been through Glastonbury and back, sure—expect deductions. Otherwise, it’s usually just the cost of getting something professionally cleaned or repaired. Which leads to an awkward truth: most of us have no clue what we’re actually responsible for when moving out. That’s where things go sideways.
Let’s break it all down. Whether you’re a student in Camden, a young couple in Croydon, or flat-sharing in Hackney, knowing your rights and obligations can mean the difference between a smooth deposit return—or a painful financial slap.
1. Clueless Tenants: The London Epidemic
“Wait, I had to clean the oven too?”
If I had a quid for every renter who thought a quick vacuum and a mopped floor would do the trick, I’d own half of Zone 2. Many tenants, especially those renting for the first time, walk into the end-of-tenancy process with eyes wide shut. We sign our names at the bottom of contracts we barely read. We assume a “reasonable standard of cleanliness” means whatever our mum would approve of.
Here’s the thing: landlords and agents are sticklers. They’ll refer back to the inventory report with CSI-level scrutiny. If a stain on the living room carpet wasn’t there at the start, you’d better believe it’ll be flagged. Grease in the extractor fan? Dust behind the headboard? That’ll go on the bill.
The trouble is, tenants aren’t taught any of this. There’s no “how to end your tenancy without losing your deposit” lesson at school. So people learn the hard way—by forking out for cleaning and repairs they didn’t budget for.
You don’t need to be obsessive. But if you don’t know what the flat looked like when you moved in—and what’s expected when you leave—you’re rolling the dice. And it’s not just about cleaning either. Failing to report mould, broken blinds, or carpet damage early on can land squarely in your lap later.
2. Professional Cleaning: Not Required, But Often the Wisest Choice
Skip it if you like—just don’t cry if you lose money
Let’s bust a popular myth: landlords cannot legally require you to hire professional cleaners. That clause in older tenancy agreements? It’s been unenforceable since 2019, thanks to the Tenant Fees Act. You have the right to clean the property yourself.
But here’s the awkward bit: if you clean it yourself and the landlord isn’t satisfied, they’re allowed to hire professionals—and take the cost out of your deposit.
So yes, it’s your choice. But would I risk it? Not on your life. Unless you’re the type who deep cleans for fun on Sundays, going pro is usually the smarter move. Especially in London, where the definition of “clean” can vary wildly from one borough to the next.
A professional end-of-tenancy clean isn’t just about surface sparkle. They’ll descale taps, scrub limescale off shower screens, and dig grime out from behind the oven. All the things your landlord will notice if they’re missing.
It’s an expense, yes. But if it saves you £250 or more in deductions—and avoids a tedious back-and-forth about cleaning standards—it’s often worth it. Just make sure you keep the receipt. That’s your proof if the landlord tries to deduct cleaning costs anyway.
3. No, You Won’t Lose the Whole Deposit – Just What It Costs to Fix the Problem
Landlords aren’t villains – they just want the flat back as it was
Here’s where we calm the hysteria. You’re not going to lose your entire deposit over a single stain. London landlords may have a reputation, but they’re not cartoon villains rubbing their hands together.
What they will do is charge you for whatever needs putting right. That might be a professional carpet clean, a repaint, or replacing a broken appliance. If a stain on the living room carpet costs £120 to clean, then that’s what comes off. If the fridge needs defrosting and scrubbing, another £80 might follow. Bit by bit, it adds up.
The big problem comes when you leave lots of little things unfinished. It’s the death-by-a-thousand-deductions scenario. You think, “Oh, I’ll just leave that cupboard dusty, no one will notice.” The landlord notices. Or rather, their letting agent does—armed with a clipboard and a laser focus on your mistakes.
The sad part? Most deductions are avoidable. A small bleach patch, a coffee ring on the skirting board, a greasy hob—they’re fixable if caught early. But if you leave them and hope for the best, they turn into cold, hard deductions.
Bottom line: you’re not being robbed. You’re being charged to undo the things you didn’t clean or fix yourself.
4. The Contract Is King – Read It Before You Move Out
Ignorance isn’t just annoying—it’s expensive
The single best advice I can give any London renter? Read your tenancy agreement. Read it like your deposit depends on it—because it does.
Most of us shove it in a drawer after we sign it. Months later, we’re squinting at it while panicking about mould on the bathroom ceiling. That contract isn’t just a formality. It outlines exactly what the landlord expects, what you’re allowed to do, and what happens if you don’t.
Some contracts list specific cleaning requirements. Others expect you to leave the property in “the same state as at the start of the tenancy.” Sounds simple—until you remember you didn’t take proper photos when you moved in. Suddenly, it’s your word against theirs.
Landlords don’t care if you “didn’t realise” something was in the contract. That doesn’t hold up during a dispute. Saying you weren’t aware you needed to clean behind the fridge or remove limescale isn’t going to win you any points. The contract doesn’t care how many hours you spent vacuuming if you ignored the bits that mattered.
Want to avoid nasty surprises? Get your contract out a month before you move. Make a list of everything it mentions. Work through it methodically. If you’re unsure what something means—ask. Or better yet, Google it. It’s far cheaper to spend 10 minutes researching than to argue with your landlord after they’ve hired a cleaner.
Final Thoughts: A Little Effort Saves a Lot of Money
We all hate the stress of moving. By the time your tenancy ends, you’re buried in boxes, exhausted from paperwork, and desperate to be done with the old place. But ignoring the cleaning checklist—or assuming you’ll sort it out the night before—can cost you dearly.
You don’t have to pay for professional cleaning. You just have to leave the flat clean enough that no one feels the need to do it again. But most of us aren’t great judges of what “clean enough” means in this context.
Stains, limescale, greasy cookers, mouldy grout—these are the usual culprits. And the bad news is, landlords will deduct for them. The good news? They’ll only deduct what it costs to clean or repair.
So no, one little stain won’t bankrupt you. But five of them? A filthy oven? Forgotten bathroom grime? That’s where things start to snowball. Treat your deposit like the cash it is—because it’s not the landlord’s money. It’s yours to lose.
A final word to the wise: clean smarter, not harder. Read the contract. Take photos. And if in doubt, pay the pros. It may feel like a faff now, but when that full deposit lands in your bank account, you’ll be glad you did.
