End of Tenancy Cleaning in Hornsey

A ground-floor garden flat in a converted Victorian terrace off Priory Road — a 5-minute walk from Priory Park, 8 minutes from Hornsey station. Two bedrooms, an open-plan kitchen-living room, a bathroom, and a private rear garden accessed through French doors off the kitchen. The couple — a junior architect and a primary school teacher — had lived there for 20 months at £1,800/month. Managed by Castles (Hornsey office on the High Street).

Ground-floor garden flats are the bread and butter of Hornsey letting, and they all start the same way for us: a damp and mould check before we touch a cleaning product. The rear bedroom wall (facing the garden, partially below garden level) had a faint damp patch in the bottom corner — not cleaning-related, a building issue. We photographed it and noted it for Castles. The bathroom silicone around the shower tray had the first signs of grey mould — the bathroom was at the rear of the building with a small frosted window that probably didn't get opened enough. We sprayed anti-mould treatment along the full length of the silicone and left it for 10 minutes while we started in the kitchen.

The kitchen-living room was open-plan with the kitchen along the back wall. A freestanding Bosch oven — we pulled it forward, cleaned the wall behind (a year and a half of grease drips and dust), removed the door glass (inner pane had a light grease film between the layers), and sprayed both cavities with professional degreaser. Left to work for 20 minutes. The hob was a gas 4-burner — each burner cap lifted, degreased individually, the hob surface cleaned around the mounts. Extractor filter removed and soaked in alkaline solution in the sink. Every cupboard opened: shelves wiped, inside of doors wiped, hinges checked (grease on the kitchen side, dust on the living-room side — the open-plan layout means the grease migrates). Worktops were laminate — non-abrasive cream cleaner, no scouring. Fridge-freezer interior cleaned, door seals wiped (clean — no mould, which was lucky for a ground-floor flat).

The French doors to the garden were the transition point. The door tracks had 20 months of garden debris — small stones, dried leaves, soil, and a slug trail (yes, they come in through the tracks at ground level). Crevice vacuum attachment along both tracks, then wiped with a damp cloth. The kitchen floor between the French doors and the hallway — the daily traffic path — was mopped with extra attention. The patio outside the doors was swept: a few potted plants had been moved by the tenant, leaving soil marks on the paving slabs (swept and the marks treated with water and a stiff brush).

Back to the bathroom. The anti-mould spray had been sitting for 10 minutes — we wiped the silicone clean, then started the full descale. Shower tray, taps, and the glass shower screen all treated with phosphoric acid descaler. 10-minute dwell on the screen, then scrubbed with a non-scratch pad. One pass was enough at ~280 ppm. Taps descaled and polished. Toilet cleaned inside the rim (torch check for hidden limescale). Mirror cleaned, tiles wiped, floor mopped behind the toilet and under the pedestal basin.

Two bedrooms — the front bedroom was straightforward: bay window with sash mechanism (tracks vacuumed, glass cleaned both sides), cornicing dusted, sealed fireplace wiped, carpet vacuumed including edges against skirting. The rear bedroom had the damp patch in the corner (photographed, documented). Carpet vacuumed, built-in wardrobe wiped inside (shelves, hanging rail, door interior), skirting boards wiped full length.

Hallway: the flat had its own front door from a shared vestibule. Front door wiped both sides. Hallway floor mopped. Light switches and door handles wiped throughout the property — the small details agents check and tenants forget to mention.

Castles inspected the following day. Their Hornsey office is a 10-minute walk. They focused on the mould treatment (silicone clean, no residual grey), the shower screen (clear), the oven door glass (clean between panes), and the rear bedroom damp patch (noted as building issue, not flagged against the tenant). The French door tracks were specifically checked — clean. The garden patio soil marks — addressed. Passed. Deposit returned within 9 days.