End of Tenancy Cleaning in Neasden

1930s semi on Tanfield Avenue — the kind of street that makes up most of Neasden: houses on both sides, driveways, pitched roofs, pebbledash fronts, a tree every 30 metres. Three bedrooms, bathroom, lounge, extended kitchen-diner, and a 60ft garden with a shed. Family — two children at a local primary, dad worked shifts at the Jubilee Line depot — 3 years at £1,750. Hoopers managing.

Van on the driveway. No restrictions. You could see the Mandir's shikhars above the rooftops from the front step.

Hallway. About 10ft deep. Parquet floor — original herringbone oak blocks, dulled by 3 years of school shoes. Swept then specialist product. The blocks were solid — no lifting, no gaps. Artex ceiling above: dusted only. We don't touch Artex. It's documented in the photos and we move on. Radiator cover: wiped.

Lounge. Front room, about 14ft by 12ft. Carpet vacuumed. Bay window — original 1930s frame, secondary glazing fitted inside. Cleaned per pane, both layers. Artex ceiling: dusted. Fireplace: tiled surround — brown and cream 1930s tiles, gas fire behind a decorative brass-effect screen. Tiles: damp cloth. Screen: polished. 8 minutes.

Kitchen-diner. Extended at the rear, about 15ft by 12ft. Standard family kitchen — not a spice kitchen. The family cooked well — curries once or twice a week, but also pasta, roasts, and the children's school lunches. Freestanding cooker, Hotpoint, gas, double oven. Pull it forward. Wall: moderate grease, one pass. Main oven: two passes — 3 years of Sunday roasts. Top oven: one pass. Gas hob: four burners, each lifted. Extractor: wall-mounted, filter soaked. Worktop: laminate, cleaned. Fridge-freezer: American-style, large. Dishwasher: wiped. Floor: vinyl, degreased. Patio door to garden: tracks cleaned.

30 minutes on this kitchen. Standard family — the twice-weekly curry adds a faint turmeric note to the grouting near the hob but it's not the deep-set staining you get in a daily-cooking spice kitchen. One pass with the grout brush was enough.

Upstairs. Bathroom. Bath-shower combo, white suite, partly tiled walls. ~265 ppm, 3 years, family of four. Waterline: two passes — long tenancy at moderate-heavy water. Taps done. Toilet done. Grouting: inspected, one area near the shower head retouched. Floor: vinyl, mopped. 22 minutes.

Three bedrooms. All carpet. Front: bay window matching downstairs, secondary glazing. Children's rooms: sticker residue on the wardrobe door — removed. Poster tack on the wall — removed, touch-up noted. Small bedroom: straightforward.

Garden. 60ft, mostly lawn. Back door from the kitchen-diner: tracks done. Shed: not part of the let, door left closed. Side passage: swept.

4 hours. Two people. The parquet hallway, the extended kitchen, and the heavy-water bathroom are where the time goes. The Artex is documented and left alone. This is a 1930s semi that did exactly what it was built to do — house a family — for three years.

Hoopers come next morning. Their NW10 person handles the Tanfield roads, the Neasden Lane stock, and the edges near the A406. Kitchen: Hotpoint opened, laminate checked. Parquet: inspected — blocks solid, no lifting. Artex: documented in our photos, noted. Waterline: gone. Grouting: checked. Stickers: removed. Poster tack: noted as minor. Shed: not inspected (not part of let). 7 minutes. Passed.

Deposit back in 7 days. Full return. Family moving to a 4-bed extended semi in Kingsbury — more space, still Jubilee Line, still close enough to walk to the Mandir on Sunday mornings.

Neasden doesn't make headlines. It makes homes. The semis have Artex ceilings and parquet hallways and kitchens that feed families. We clean them, we document the Artex, and the deposit comes back. Our guide on deposit dispute evidence covers 1930s family homes and Artex documentation.