End of Tenancy Cleaning in Hampton Wick

We had a mid-terrace Victorian cottage on Park Road — the kind of property where you step out the front door and the deer in Bushy Park are grazing 30 metres away. Two bedrooms upstairs, bathroom, two reception rooms downstairs (front as dining room, rear as sitting room with the log burner), and a galley kitchen leading to a small rear garden. A couple — she worked at Hampton Court Palace, he commuted to Waterloo — 18 months at £1,850. Estate and Agent managing from their Hampton Wick office.

Van on the street outside. Free. Park Road is unrestricted.

Sitting room first. About 13ft by 11ft. The log burner — a cast-iron stove in a brick-lined alcove. Ash in the grate, fine soot dust on the brick. Ash scooped and bagged. Brick wiped with a damp cloth. The hearth was slate — a faint heat ring where the stove base sits. Permanent. Noted and photographed. The floor was rustic timber — wide boards, uneven, waxed. Specialist product, working with the grain. One sash window to the rear, original timber frame. Cleaned per pane.

Front dining room. About 12ft by 10ft. Period-style fireplace — tiled surround, cast-iron insert. Wiped. Rustic timber floor continuing from the back room. Same product. One sash window to the front, looking across Park Road at the park gates. You could see the Chestnut Avenue through the trees.

Kitchen. Galley, about 9ft by 6ft. Compact. Freestanding cooker, Hotpoint, gas. Pull it forward — not far, the wall is close. 18 months, a couple who cooked at home most nights. Moderate grease. Wall behind: one pass. Oven sprayed, 15 minutes. One pass. Hob done, four burners. No extractor hood — a vent in the window. Ceiling needed wiping. Fridge cleaned. Cupboards wiped. Floor: quarry tile, pH-neutral mop.

Bathroom. Upstairs. Refitted — walk-in shower, pedestal basin, toilet. Compact. ~265 ppm, 18 months. One pass on everything. No mould — the bathroom had a window facing the rear garden. 15 minutes.

Two bedrooms. Both with timber floors, both with sloping ceilings where the roof comes down at the eaves. Front bedroom: sash window overlooking Bushy Park. Rear bedroom: smaller, window to the garden. Both straightforward.

Rear garden. Small — maybe 20ft. Back door threshold: leaf debris from the park (the deer don't come this side of the road, but the leaves do). Cleared.

3 hours 30 minutes. Two people. The log burner, the timber, and the compact kitchen are where the time goes. Everything else is a small cottage done properly.

Estate and Agent came the next morning. Their Hampton Wick person — small office, maybe 50 properties on the books, knows every cottage on Park Road. Sitting room: log burner area checked, hearth ring noted as permanent. Dining room: fireplace tiles checked. Kitchen: oven opened, ceiling noted. Bathroom: shower clear. Floors: walked. 10 minutes. Passed.

Deposit back in 8 days. Full return. The couple were buying a 3-bed in Teddington — first purchase, more space, same train line to Waterloo.

Hampton Wick cottages are the smallest period properties we clean in Richmond borough. The rooms are compact, the ceilings slope, and the deer are across the road. We clean each surface with the right product and we document what's building character and what's tenant use. Our guide on deposit dispute evidence covers conservation-area cottages and period surfaces.