End of Tenancy Cleaning in Twickenham

We had a 3-bed Edwardian terrace just off the Green — one of those streets where you can hear the stadium tannoy on match days if the wind's right. The family had three years in at £2,400 a month, two children at St Stephen's, and they were moving to a bigger place in Teddington. Chase Buchanan managing. We checked the RFU calendar before confirming — no fixture that week.

Richmond visitor permit sorted via RingGo. £4. Parked two doors down.

I always work front to back in a house like this. Hallway tiles first — Edwardian geometric, cream and terracotta. These were in solid condition. pH-neutral mop, no issues. The front door had a stained glass panel — a simple geometric pattern, not floral — which I cleaned with a soft cloth. The letterbox was polished brass, tarnished at the edges. Metal polish on the brass, buffed dry.

The through-lounge was classic TW1. Bay window at the front, a fireplace in each section — the front one with green Art Nouveau tiles and a carved wooden mantel, the rear one sealed with a painted surround. My colleague started on the bay window (two sash panels, tracks vacuumed, glass cleaned) while I did the front fireplace. pH-neutral on each tile individually, barely-damp cloth on the iron insert, surround polished. Cornicing along both sections — deep moulding, the kind where dust sits in every crevice. Extension brush, methodical pass along the full length. The timber floors had been sanded and lacquered — mopped with specialist product.

Kitchen was a rear extension with French doors to a 30ft garden. Neff integrated oven — door off, glass out, cavity sprayed, 20-minute dwell. One pass was enough — three years from a family that cooked regularly but kept on top of things. The hob was induction, flush into a stone worktop. Glass-specific cleaner on the ceramic, pH-neutral on the stone. Extractor: flush-ceiling, filter panel out and soaked. Fridge-freezer: integrated, cleaned including gasket fold-back. The French-door threshold was the outdoor connection — three years of garden debris, some from the mature lime tree in the garden, some blown from the Green. Crevice vacuum in both track channels, damp cloth until the finger-test was satisfied.

Upstairs. The bathroom had a freestanding bath — a cast-iron roll-top, feet and all. These are beautiful to look at and awkward to clean behind. The gap between the bath and the wall collects dust, hair, and the occasional lost bath toy. I cleaned inside the bath (waterline light at ~250 ppm, one pass), then around it — underneath with the extension attachment, behind with a long-reach cloth. The shower was a separate walk-in with a glass door. Descaled, squeegeed. Taps done. Toilet done. Floor mopped.

Three bedrooms. The master had a bay window and built-in wardrobes. My colleague cleaned the glass and tracks while I wiped the wardrobe interiors. The children's room had sticker residue on one wardrobe door and a pencil mark on the skirting — both resolved. The third bedroom (study use) was straightforward.

Chase Buchanan sent their Twickenham lettings manager the following morning. She knew the house — had managed it for the full tenancy. Hallway tiles: clean. Brass letterbox: polished (she actually checked). Stained glass: intact. Bay window tracks: finger-tested. Both fireplaces: tiles clean, mantels polished. Freestanding bath: she looked behind it with her phone torch. French-door tracks: finger-tested both channels. Oven: opened and torched. Kids' marks: resolved. Passed.

Deposit confirmed in 7 days. Full return. The house went back on the market at £2,600 — the Richmond market has moved since they signed their lease.

The freestanding bath was the detail on this job. Most people clean the inside and forget the behind. The agents in Twickenham don't forget. If the bath surround or the floorboard wear had been disputed, our documentation would have been the tenant's evidence — see our guide on deposit dispute evidence for how that works.