End of Tenancy Cleaning in Elephant and Castle

A 2-bed on the 12th floor of one of the Elephant Park buildings — part of Lendlease's BTR operation, where the developer manages the let in-house rather than through a traditional agent. The tenant was a product manager at a fintech firm, 14 months at £2,400/month. Moving to a 3-bed in Peckham Rye with his girlfriend. Digital checkout via the Lendlease portal — the inventory was on a tablet, the photos compared against check-in images on screen.

The flat was what you'd expect from a 2020s Lendlease build: open-plan kitchen-living room with floor-to-ceiling windows facing north toward the Shard, two bedrooms (both doubles), two bathrooms (en-suite and main), a utility cupboard with a washer-dryer behind a cabinet door, engineered oak flooring, and a balcony off the living room.

The windows were the main event. Floor-to-ceiling, north-facing, and on the 12th floor there's nothing between you and the weather. Every water splash from the kitchen, every fingermark from leaning against the glass, every smear from cleaning attempts with the wrong product — all of it visible in daylight. We used specialist glass cleaner and a professional squeegee, working pane by pane across both the living room (3 panes plus the balcony door) and both bedrooms (2 panes each). Total window time: about 50 minutes. On a standard flat with normal windows that'd be 15 minutes.

The kitchen was integrated Bosch throughout — built-in oven (40 minutes, 14 months of solo cooking, not heavy), induction hob with a glass surface (cleaned with ceramic hob cleaner — scratches show on these), integrated fridge-freezer (interior wiped, door seals cleaned), and a dishwasher (filter checked, interior edges wiped). Quartz worktops, island unit with a breakfast bar. The extractor was a sleek ceiling-mounted unit — the filter was accessed from underneath by pressing a release catch. Clean for 14 months of light use.

Both bathrooms were modern — walk-in showers with frameless glass panels, wall-hung toilets, and vanity units with soft-close drawers. Limescale at ~270 ppm. The en-suite shower glass had water spots that needed specialist descaler. The main bathroom was straightforward. Chrome polished, mirrors cleaned, floor mopped.

The balcony — north-facing, 12th floor — had accumulated a fine layer of city grime and a few pigeon droppings on the railing. Swept, railing wiped, the glass balustrade cleaned on both sides. The balcony drain was checked (clear).

The engineered oak flooring throughout was mopped with a specialist wood-safe cleaner — no excess water, these floors swell if they get too wet. The utility cupboard was opened, washer-dryer pulled out slightly to clean behind (dust and a sock), and the cabinet door wiped.

Lendlease's on-site team did the checkout the following morning. Two staff members with tablets, comparing every room against the check-in photos. The windows were the main focus — they checked each pane for smears. The induction hob glass was checked for scratches (none). The balcony drain was checked (clear). Approved on the portal by lunchtime. Deposit released within 5 working days.