End of Tenancy Cleaning in Stockwell

A second-floor conversion in a Victorian terrace near Stockwell Park — one of the conservation area streets between Brixton Road and Clapham Road, a 4-minute walk from Stockwell station. The tenant had been a Portuguese engineer on a 2-year contract at a construction firm in Nine Elms, commuting via the Victoria line. Let at £1,900/month, managed by Coopers of Stockwell (a local independent on Stockwell Road).

The flat was on the second floor — the top conversion in a three-storey terrace. Narrow shared staircase, equipment carried up two flights. The property had been partly gentrified: stripped pine floorboards in the bedrooms and hallway, a restored Victorian fireplace with geometric tile surround in the front reception room, and a modern galley kitchen at the rear.

The kitchen was the distinctive challenge. The tenant had cooked Portuguese food daily for 2 years — grilled sardines under the oven grill, pastéis de nata in the oven, caldeirada simmering on the hob, and regular frying with olive oil. Olive oil atomises at a lower temperature than ghee or butter, which means the fine grease mist had spread beyond the hob area onto the cupboard fronts, the wall above the worktop (no splashback tiles in this section), and even the ceiling light fitting. The standard extractor hood was undersized for the volume of cooking.

Royal Cleaning applied alkaline degreaser to the ceiling and the wall section above the worktop — one pass was sufficient (olive oil grease is lighter than turmeric-ghee). The cupboard fronts were wiped with degreaser diluted to avoid damaging the paint. The oven — a freestanding Indesit — was dismantled and degreased in 40 minutes. The grill section needed extra attention after 2 years of sardine grilling — fish oil residue is stubborn and has a specific odour. Enzymatic odour neutraliser applied across the kitchen targeting garlic, smoked paprika, and fish compounds.

The bathroom was compact — a shower-over-bath with a plastic curtain (noted for replacement, not a cleaning issue). Moderate limescale at ~270 ppm on the taps and showerhead. No mould — the flat had a window in the bathroom, which is unusual for a top-floor conversion and meant the ventilation was adequate.

Two bedrooms: pine floorboards mopped with specialist wood cleaner, wardrobes wiped inside, sash window tracks vacuumed. The front reception room fireplace tiles cleaned individually. Cornicing dusted.

The shared staircase from ground to second floor: tenant's front door and landing wiped. The staircase carpet was communal (not within the tenant's scope), but we flagged that it needed cleaning to the agent as a building-level issue.

Coopers of Stockwell inspected the following day. They're on Stockwell Road — a 3-minute walk from the property — and they manage a significant number of the conservation area lets. The checkout focused on the kitchen odour (passed — enzymatic treatment had worked), the fireplace tile condition, and the floorboard finish. Royal Cleaning passed. Deposit returned within 10 days.