End of Tenancy Cleaning in Highbury

A Victorian mid-terrace on Highbury Hill — a 2-minute walk from Highbury Fields, a 5-minute walk from Highbury & Islington station (Victoria line, Overground, National Rail), and about 800 metres from the Emirates. The couple — both barristers — had rented for 2.5 years at £3,200/month with a golden retriever called Monty. They were buying a flat in Canonbury. Managed by Hotblack Desiato (Highbury office, in the area since 1979).

First thing at booking: we checked the Arsenal fixture list. The job was scheduled for a Thursday — no midweek match that week, safe to proceed. A Saturday would have been a problem because Arsenal were at home and the temporary restrictions would have covered Highbury Hill.

Monty had been a good dog but he was still a dog. The hallway had original Victorian encaustic tiles in a geometric pattern — a few of them had fine claw scratches where Monty had scrabbled for grip on the tiles after walks on the Fields. The scratches were permanent (you can't polish out scratches on encaustic tile), so we documented them with photos. The mud situation was more manageable — dried mud in the door mat area and along the hallway-to-kitchen corridor, cleaned with a stiff brush and then mopped. Dog hair was the third element: the front reception room had a carpet and Monty had clearly had his spot by the bay window. Vacuumed thoroughly including under the edges of the carpet where hair collects against the skirting.

The kitchen was in a modern rear extension — full-width, bifold doors to the garden, a Rangemaster range cooker, and composite worktops. The Rangemaster took 65 minutes — 2.5 years of proper cooking by two people who clearly enjoyed their food. The bifold door tracks had the usual garden debris plus golden retriever hair. The dog's water bowl had left a ring mark on the kitchen floor tiles where it had sat for 2.5 years — mopped but a faint outline remained (documented as long-term contact mark, not a cleaning issue).

Three bedrooms and a family bathroom upstairs. The master overlooked the rear garden with original sash windows. Cornicing throughout, sealed decorative fireplaces in the two front bedrooms. Limescale moderate at ~270 ppm. The bath had a separate shower attachment and the showerhead had significant scale buildup — descaled with specialist product. Pine floorboards mopped, sash tracks vacuumed.

The rear garden — 40ft — was within the tenancy scope for basic maintenance. Patio swept (covered in leaves and a scattering of dog toys). The garden gate latch needed tightening — noted for the landlord, not our job.

Hotblack Desiato inspected the next day. They've been in Highbury since 1979 — they know every house on the Hill and they know what dog tenancies look like. The encaustic tile claw scratches were accepted as fair wear without hesitation (they'd seen worse). The water bowl ring was accepted. They focused on the Rangemaster cavities, the carpet dog hair by the bay window (all removed), and the cornicing dust (cleared). Passed. Deposit returned within 8 days.