End of Tenancy Cleaning in Finchley

A 1930s semi on a quiet road near Woodside Park Northern Line — about 6 minutes from the station, within Moss Hall Primary catchment. Three beds upstairs, a bathroom, a through-lounge, separate kitchen with serving hatch, downstairs WC, driveway, and a 45ft garden. Family of five — three kids — had been there 5 years at £2,100/month. Managed by Martyn Gerrard (est. 1964, the biggest independent in North London).

Van on the driveway. Free residential street.

The hallway had strip parquet — not herringbone like the Hendon Shirehall houses, but horizontal oak strips laid end-to-end. Five years of daily traffic from a family of five. The finish had a visible path from the front door to the kitchen. Mopped with specialist wood product, gentle pressure. The traffic path lightened but a faint shadow remained — that's 5 years of wear into sealed wood. Photographed it.

Kitchen. Separate rear room, serving hatch. A Zanussi freestanding cooker, 5 years. The worst oven we'd seen in weeks. The lower cavity had a carbon layer on the back wall that needed paste degreaser left for 30 minutes, not the usual 20. Then scraped with a plastic tool before wiping. Two passes. The upper oven was moderate. Gas hob, five burners, caps off. Serving hatch: greasy kitchen side, dusty lounge side. Extractor — properly clogged, soaked. Fridge gasket had mould — rubber folded back, cleaned inside. Floor degreased: the vinyl shifted from a muddy brown to a warm cream.

Through-lounge. Bay window at the front — wooden casement, three panes. Tracks vacuumed. A tiled fireplace in the front section — cream tiles, wooden surround. pH-neutral on tiles, surround polished. The Artex textured ceiling was the main event. Five years of three children, cooking steam drifting through the serving hatch, and the general dust that settles into the ridges. We dry-brushed both sections with a soft extension brush, working along the ridges. A grease shadow near the hatch and a faint grey tide line where the walls met the ceiling in the dining section — both dry-brushed as far as possible, photographed.

Upstairs. Bathroom — bath-shower combo with a plastic curtain rail (no glass screen on this one). Limescale at ~275 ppm, 5 years, family of five. The bath waterline was heavy — needed three passes with the descaler cloth to shift it completely. Shower head descaled. Taps done. Toilet under the rim. Floor mopped. Downstairs WC: straightforward.

Three bedrooms. Master: bay window cleaned, wardrobe wiped inside. The two kids' rooms shared a double room that had been partitioned with a freestanding bookcase — both sections cleaned, the bookcase surface wiped. The third bedroom (smallest, used by the eldest) had Blu-Tack marks on two walls (removed) and a small paint chip from a poster hook (photographed — that's a touch-up).

Martyn Gerrard came the next morning. Their senior negotiator — 20+ years doing Finchley checkouts — walked through with a clipboard and a torch. Parquet hallway: finish maintained, traffic shadow noted and accepted as wear. Oven: both cavities opened, back wall torched — clean. Artex ceiling: grease shadow accepted, tide line accepted as between-tenancy repaint. Waterline: gone after three passes. Bay tracks: finger-tested. Kids' marks: resolved, paint chip photographed and accepted. Passed.

Deposit back in 10 days. No deductions. The family were moving to a 4-bed in Whetstone — staying in North London, still on the Northern Line. That's the Finchley family pattern.

If the Artex or parquet had been disputed, our photos would cover it. Artex absorbs smoke and steam — that's the material's nature. Parquet wears where feet walk. Both are fair wear and tear. Our guide on landlord cleaning charges explains the line.