End of Tenancy Cleaning in Tufnell Park

We had a split-level on one of the streets off Tufnell Park Road — a quiet, tree-lined turning about 4 minutes from the tube. The flat spanned the upper ground and first floors of an 1860s terrace: two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen on the half-landing, and a living room with a bay window overlooking the street. A couple — both in publishing, no kids — had rented it for 2 years at £2,100/month. David Andrew managing from their Archway office.

Islington permit via RingGo. £4.20. Parked on the next street over.

The living room was the room that made you pause. A deep bay window with three tall sash panels — taller than standard Victorian because these 1860s houses were built with generous proportions. The cornicing was ornate: acanthus-leaf pattern with a secondary egg-and-dart row, similar to what we see in Muswell Hill's Edmondson houses but earlier and slightly more refined. Extension brush, working from the outer edge inward, two passes along the full length. A tiled fireplace — decorative blue-and-white Minton-style tiles with a cast-iron insert and a slate surround. pH-neutral on each tile individually, barely-damp on the iron, the slate wiped with a specialist stone cloth. The floorboards here were waxed rather than sealed — a different product entirely. We used a wax-safe cleaner with a barely-damp cloth mop, working with the grain. Waxed floors cloud if you use the wrong product or too much moisture. Two years of foot traffic had dulled the finish slightly — the wax-safe product restored the sheen without stripping the layer.

The kitchen sat on the half-landing between floors — a compact room, maybe 8ft by 7ft, with a window onto the rear. An AEG integrated oven behind a handleless door. Door off, glass out, cavity sprayed, 20-minute dwell. One pass — the couple cooked regularly but kept on top of things. Induction hob, wiped with a glass-specific product. Extractor: a compact recirculating unit, carbon filter checked and noted as due for replacement (that's a landlord cost, not a tenant one — we documented it). Quartz worktop with pH-neutral. Fridge cleaned. Floor: ceramic tile, mopped.

The bathroom was between the two bedrooms on the upper level. A bath-shower combo with a glass screen. Limescale at ~270 ppm, 2 years. Descaler on the screen, 10-minute dwell, one pass. Taps done individually. Waterline light — a couple without kids produces less bath traffic. Toilet done. Floor mopped. The window had a condensation ridge along the bottom frame — wiped and dried.

Two bedrooms. The master at the front had the same tall sash windows as the living room below — tracks vacuumed, glass cleaned. A built-in wardrobe wiped inside. The second bedroom at the rear was used as a combined bedroom and home office — desk surface wiped, monitor stand cleaned, cable area tidied. Both rooms had the same waxed floorboards — same product, same technique.

The communal hallway: front door wiped both sides, communal landing swept.

David Andrew came the next morning. Their Archway lettings manager — he's done hundreds of these Tufnell Park conversions — walked through with a clipboard. The cornicing was first: he looked up at the acanthus detail from multiple angles. Dust-free. The fireplace tiles: he checked each one and ran a finger along the slate surround. Clean. Waxed floors: he walked the room in his socks — no cloudiness, no tackiness. Bay tracks: finger-tested. Kitchen: oven opened, carbon filter noted (accepted as landlord maintenance). Bathroom screen: checked. Passed.

Deposit back in 7 days. Full return. The couple were moving to a 2-bed in Dartmouth Park — upgrading within the area, same agent.

The waxed floors were the detail on this one. Most conversion flats have sealed floors — polyurethane or lacquer — and our standard specialist wood product handles those. Waxed floors are rarer and more temperamental. Wrong product, wrong moisture level, and the wax clouds or lifts. We carry the wax-safe cleaner specifically for jobs like this. If the cloudiness had been caused by previous incorrect cleaning, that would have been a fair wear and tear issue. Our guide on landlord cleaning charges explains the line on floor finishes.