Moving house is stressful, time-consuming, and absolutely exhausting, but you have to resist the urge to rush and get it all over with quickly. This is especially true when it comes to cleaning the house before the landlord inspects it for damage. Of course, some wear and tear is to be expected, especially if you’ve lived in the house for a long time, but it would be a shame, if you missed out on getting your full deposit back just because you missed a few simple repairs.

Invite the landlord over

A month before you move out, arrange a time for the landlord to do an inspection. He will give you a better idea of what you need to put right, and what he would have to do himself before the next tenants move in. Once you have a clear list of things that need fixing, you can take your time to do them properly, and not worry about sorting out things that are not your responsibility.

Removable adhesives

We all like putting up posters and frames to make the house feel like our home, but you can’t leave the walls marked with blue tack stains. Fortunately, these can be easily removed without causing further damage to the walls. First, make sure you’ve collected all the shreds of blue tack from the wall. If they are refusing to budge, use more blue tack to peel them off the walls. Once the wall is clean, sponge a citrus-based stain remover to get rid of the oily stain the adhesive has left behind. Rinse it off the wall with a wet sponge, then wipe the surface with a dry rag. 

To avoid this happening again, use white tack or removable adhesives, that are designed to come off easily without staining the walls.

Deep cleaning

Once the furniture and fragile items are safely packed away in the moving van, it’s time to give the house a thorough end of lease cleaning. Vacuum the corners that were previously covered by sofas, wardrobes, and beds. Dust the cobwebs off the parts of the ceiling you couldn’t reach before. Check for any damage that was hidden by an armchair. Determine which repairs are from natural wear and tear, and which ones should be covered by your landlord. 

If you suspect that you are responsible for most of the damage, set aside some time to do the repairs early on in the moving process. 

Get rid of damp

Whether this is your responsibility or not, it’s good to know how to get rid of damp. Fill a bucket with water and some mild detergent, such as washing up liquid or a soap used for hand-washing clothes. Use a rag dipped in the soapy water to carefully wipe the mold off the wall. Be careful not to brush it, as this can release mold spores. When you've finished, use a dry rag to remove the moisture from the wall. Afterward, put the rags in a plastic bag and throw them away.