---
title: "The move-out checklist landlords actually check"
description: "Inspectors look at the same eight places every time. Here is the list, in the order they walk the flat."
url: "https://homio-astro.pages.dev/blog/move-out-checklist-landlords-check/"
date: "2026-09-22"
author: "Marco D."
---

# The move-out checklist landlords actually check

> Inspectors look at the same eight places every time. Here is the list, in the order they walk the flat.

A move-out inspection is not a white-glove test of the whole flat. It is a walk through the places where dirt hides and where damage shows, with the check-in report in one hand. Inspectors look at the same places every time, in roughly the same order, because those are the places deposits are lost.

We clean a lot of empty homes on the last day of a lease. This is the list our crews work from, in the order an inspector walks.

## The eight places that decide your deposit

- **Inside the oven and on the hob**: the first door most inspectors open.
- **Inside the fridge and freezer**: defrosted, dry, with the door left open.
- **Inside every cabinet and drawer**: crumbs in the corners, rings under bottles.
- **Bathroom limescale**: taps, shower screen, the shower head, and the plughole.
- **Extractor fan and filters**: the cooker hood filter and the bathroom fan cover.
- **Walls**: marks at hand height, by light switches, and along the bed.
- **Skirting boards, door tops, and window sills**: the dust line at eye level and below.
- **Floors and carpets**: under where the furniture stood.

## Start in the kitchen

Grease is the slowest job, so it goes first. An oven that has not been cleaned in a year needs a cleaner left on for at least 30 minutes, and the racks need a soak. Put the racks in the bath with hot water and a degreaser while you work on the rest of the kitchen.

Empty the fridge a day before. A freezer takes three to six hours to defrost, and an inspector will open it. Leave the door propped open after cleaning so it does not smell when it is opened again.

## Bathrooms: limescale is what they see

Soap scum looks like dirt. Limescale looks like neglect, and it is the thing inspectors photograph. Descale the taps, the shower head, and the glass, and leave the descaler on long enough to work: five minutes on chrome, longer on glass with heavy build-up. Clean the plughole and the overflow; they are easy to check and easy to forget.

## Walls are about marks, not paint

Normal wear is not your cost. Scuffs, fingerprints around switches, and the grey line where a sofa touched the wall usually are, unless you remove them. A damp melamine sponge takes most marks off matt paint. Test it on a hidden spot first: on some paints it leaves a shiny patch that is more visible than the mark.

Leave nail holes for the landlord unless your lease asks you to fill them. A badly filled hole is worse than a neat one.

## Floors last, from the back of the home to the door

Vacuum, then wash hard floors, starting in the room furthest from the front door so you never walk over a clean floor. Move the vacuum along skirting boards with the crevice tool. Carpet stains that would not come out during the lease are worth a professional clean; many tenancy agreements ask for one with a receipt.

## Bring the check-in report

The inspector compares the flat with how it was when you moved in, not with a perfect flat. Read the check-in report before you start and photograph each room when you finish, with the date. If the report says the oven was "used" when you moved in, a clean oven is a bonus, not a requirement.

**What our move-out clean covers**

- Oven, hob, and extractor filters degreased
- Fridge and freezer defrosted, washed, and dried
- Inside every cabinet and drawer
- Bathroom limescale on taps, screen, and shower head
- Wall marks at hand height spot-cleaned
- Skirting boards, door tops, and window sills
- Floors vacuumed and washed, back room to front door

If the last week of a lease does not have room for a day of cleaning, our [move-out clean](https://homio-astro.pages.dev/services/move-out-cleaning/) follows this list room by room, and the crew sends photos of each room when they finish.