End of Tenancy Cleaning in Angel

A first-floor conversion in a Georgian terrace near Duncan Terrace — one of those quiet streets between Upper Street and the Regent's Canal where you forget you're five minutes from Angel tube. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a reception room, and a kitchen at the back looking out toward the canal. A couple — she was a barrister, he worked in tech — 2 years at £2,900/month. Cluttons managing from their Islington office.

Meter on a side street off Upper Street. £4 an hour. Kit carried up one flight — wide Georgian staircase, original timber handrail.

The communal entrance had the encaustic tiles. Geometric pattern, black and cream, laid when the house was built in the 1820s. Swept and pH-neutral mopped. You don't use anything else on these — the pattern is in the cement, not on it, and abrasive takes the surface off.

Reception room. About 18ft by 14ft, ceilings at 3 metres. A marble fireplace — white with grey veining, a simple Georgian surround with reeded pilasters. pH-neutral on every surface, soft cloth in the reed channels. The marble had a slight wax bloom from furniture polish overspray — wiped with a barely damp cloth and it came right off.

Two tall sash windows with working shutters. Each shutter panel wiped both sides — six panels per window, twelve panels total. Glass cleaned per pane. Tracks vacuumed. The original timber floor was wide-board, waxed. Specialist product. Radiator cleaned behind. Skirting wiped.

Kitchen. At the back, about 10ft by 8ft, with a window toward the canal — you could see the towpath and the narrowboats. Freestanding Smeg range cooker, gas. Pulled it forward. 2 years behind — moderate grease, a couple who cooked well but not excessively. Two passes on the wall behind. Both ovens sprayed, 20 minutes. One pass each. Hob done, five burners. Extractor hood filter soaked. Stone worktop — pH-neutral. Fridge-freezer cleaned. Floor: quarry tile, pH-neutral mop.

Bathroom. Refitted — walk-in shower with a frameless glass panel, wall-hung basin, wall-hung toilet. ~265 ppm, 2 years. Panel: one pass. Chrome: polished. No mould. 20 minutes.

Two bedrooms. Both with timber floors, both with fitted wardrobes. The front bedroom had the Georgian proportions — tall ceiling, sash window, picture rail. The rear bedroom was smaller, quieter, overlooking gardens. Both straightforward.

Communal staircase. Stairs swept. Landing window cleaned.

4 hours. The encaustic tiles, the marble, the shutters, and the Smeg are where the time goes. Everything else is standard.

Cluttons came the next morning. Their N1 lettings manager handles Angel, Canonbury, and Barnsbury — Georgian conversions all week. Reception: marble reeds finger-tested, wax bloom noted as gone. Shutters per panel checked. Floor walked. Kitchen: Smeg both ovens opened, stone inspected. Encaustic tiles: noted clean. Bathroom: panel angled. About 12 minutes. Passed.

Deposit back in 7 days. Full return. The couple were buying a house in Barnsbury — first purchase, same borough, bigger garden.

Angel Georgian conversions are the most architecturally consistent stock in our Islington coverage. Every flat has the same elements — the ceilings, the cornicing, the marble, the shutters, the encaustic entrance — and each one needs the same care. The canal view from the kitchen and the encaustic tiles in the entrance are the details that make Angel feel like a village despite being Zone 1. Our guide on deposit dispute evidence covers how we document Georgian period surfaces.