On Prospect Row the check-out clerk goes to the windows before anything else. Those terraces went up between 1685 and 1759, the window boxes at the north end sit flush with the brickwork rather than recessed behind it, and the grit that settles in them shows up under a torch in a way it never does in daylight.
That is the sort of detail that decides a deposit here. So this is what we do: end of tenancy cleaning across Chatham Central and Brompton since 2014, at a fixed price by bedroom count, with a 48-hour re-clean guarantee measured against the check-out report itself. Ring 0333 555 2076 for a price in about three minutes.
Last updated July 2026. We cover ME4 4 and ME4 5 in full, which takes in the Brompton grid around ME4 4UQ, Chatham town centre, the streets below the Lines and the Dockyard side. This page sits inside the county directory at End of Tenancy Cleaning Kent.
The document that decides it was written before you moved in
End of tenancy cleaning
from £176
For a studio, fixed by property size, agreed before we start.
Get your price0333 555 2076 · 8am to 7pm
Start with the mechanism, because it is the whole game and almost nobody explains it.
- On the day you moved in, a clerk walked the property and wrote down the condition of every surface, usually with photographs, usually with the word “clean” against the kitchen and bathroom. That was true at the time, because the place had just been done professionally.
- At check-out a clerk walks it again and reads the two documents side by side.
- Anything materially worse than the check-in line, past fair wear and tear, is chargeable.
You are marked against a professional clean. A bank holiday and a bottle of spray rarely gets there.
- What is at stake
- ONS puts the average Medway private rent at £1,238 in May 2026, up 3.3% on the £1,199 a year before, and deposits move with rents.
- Where the clerk looks first
- The usual cleaning deductions: the oven, hard-water marks on the bathroom chrome, the gaps behind the appliances and the carpets.
Here is the part that annoys me. Most tenants only run that arithmetic after failing the first check-out, and the first round is the cheap one to win.
Brompton was built for dockyard workers, and it still cleans like one
Brompton is not a village that grew. It was laid out, deliberately, on the demesne land of the old Westcourt manor, to house the civilian dockyard workforce Chatham could not accommodate.
- By 1708
- All the principal roads bar Manor Street and Mansion Row were set out, and then the plan froze.
- From 1755
- The Chatham Lines went up on the eastern side.
- 1757
- Kitchener Barracks followed.
- 1804 to 1806
- Brompton Barracks arrived north of the village.
Hemmed in by the military, the village could not spread. So it densified instead.
What that left behind
That history is not decoration. It is why the stock here behaves the way it does:
- tight two-storey terraces with steeply pitched roofs, decorative cornices and baroque door cases at the north end of Prospect Row
- three-storey houses behind parapets further south
- flat-fronted red brick with gauged lintels along Mansion Row
- eighteenth and nineteenth century housing down Garden Street, where numbers 22 and 24 date from 1703 and 1745
- Chatham Central’s own layer: Victorian terraced rows behind the High Street and flats above the shops
Two properties, one ward, completely different jobs. A flat above a High Street shopfront is a hard-surface clean you move through quickly.
A listed terrace on Mansion Row is hours of hand work on joinery, panelled reveals, deep skirting profiles and window boxes that hold more dust than a whole modern flat does. Same checklist. Very different day.
Brompton is not a village that grew. It was laid out.
What a Grade II listing changes about the way we work
Brompton Lines was designated a conservation area by Gillingham Borough Council in 1982, and Medway has carried that duty since. Inside it the listing is specific rather than vague heritage atmosphere.
- Grade II
- Prospect Row 1 to 20. Mansion Row 1 to 15. So are 6, 22 and 24 Garden Street, and 18 High Street.
- The oldest
- Number 1 Prospect Row, now the King George V, is reckoned the oldest building in Brompton at around 1685.
One correction worth making, because we hear it repeated locally: the Brompton village terraces are Grade II, not Grade I. That matters more to your builder than to your deposit, but it is the sort of thing people get wrong and then panic about.
Method, not standard
What listing changes is method, not standard. The clerk still wants the same result. We just cannot get there the same way.
- Original joinery meets nothing abrasive.
- Lime plaster and old brick do not get soaked.
- The flush-fitting sash boxes at the north end of Prospect Row are hand-wiped, never sprayed, because that glazing putty is old and lifts if you flood it.
- The later recessed boxes at the south end are more forgiving, but we treat both alike rather than let a cleaner guess.
- Hearths and cast-iron grates get a soft brush and dry work.
There is a second-order effect people miss. An inventory on a listed terrace names the original features individually, one line each: the door case, the cornice, the boards, the grate. Every named line gets checked, which is why the clean runs longer than the bedroom count says it should.
Kent chalk water, and the fittings it ruins fastest
The supply here comes off the North Kent chalk, and it is hard. That single fact loses more deposits in ME4 than anything except the oven.
Calcium sets on these, and once it has bonded to chrome a cloth is decorative:
- the shower head
- the screen runner
- the base of every tap
- the kettle element
- the rubber of the washing machine drawer
The clerk knows this. They run a thumbnail down the tap. They look at the screen edge-on into the light. They pull the shower head close to their face.
How we descale
Descaling is a dwell job, not a scrubbing job.
- Wet the deposit.
- Leave it long enough to break.
- Rinse properly.
- Polish the chrome back.
Rushing that is how limescale comes off ninety percent and fails on the last ten, which is the ten the torch finds. Older Brompton bathrooms add a wrinkle: original fittings will not take the brute-force products a new build shrugs off, so the dwell gets longer and gentler instead.
Grout
Grout is the companion problem, and it decides more ME4 check-outs than carpets do. We scrub it back as far as honest effort goes.
Where it is past saving after a long tenancy we photograph it before we start, dated, so nobody bills you for a stain that was already grey in the check-in pictures. That photograph has ended more disputes than any argument ever has.
Descaling is a dwell job, not a scrubbing job.
The 57 things we go through, room by room
Every booking here runs to a 57-point agent-approved checklist, built over a decade of local check-outs and tuned to what Medway clerks write down. The full list comes with the job. Here is the shape of it.
The kitchen
The kitchen is where most of it is won. The oven, added to the clean from £31, is worked rather than wiped: racks out to soak, door glass split apart where the design allows so the brown film between the panels comes out, then the interior, fan, element and seals by hand.
That film between the panes is the most-flagged oven fault we see in Chatham. Then the rest of the room:
- Hob rings, burners and knobs come off and get washed
- The extractor degreased inside and out
- Every cupboard inside and out, including the awkward deep corners in the older Brompton kitchens where the units were fitted around a wall that is not square
- Appliances pulled out so the gaps behind and under them get done, then put back
- The washing machine drum, the drawer out and scrubbed, and the door seal, which is the first thing a lot of clerks open
- Sink, taps and plughole descaled
- Tiles and grout scrubbed
- Floor last, after the dust has settled
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are the other place it goes wrong, and the order there is fixed:
- Descale first, everything else after.
- Toilet inside, under the rim, base, cistern, hinges and behind the pedestal.
- Shower screen both sides, tracks and the sealant bead.
- Bath, taps, the underside of the taps, and the plughole.
- Mirrors and cabinets, and behind them where they stand off the wall.
- Floor into the corners and under the basin.
The rooms
- Inside every wardrobe, drawer and built-in cupboard
- Skirting, architraves, doors both sides, handles and finger plates
- Light fittings, switches and the ceiling roses that hold decades of dust in a Brompton terrace
- Window sills, reveals and frames inside, with the sash work done slowly and by hand on the listed stock
- Radiators behind, under and on top, and the cast-iron ones take three times as long as a modern panel
- Walls spot-wiped, with a realistic line drawn, because nail holes are a decorator’s bill and not something you can scrub out
- Hard floors washed with the product the material actually wants, which for an original tiled hall is not what it wants for engineered board
- Carpets vacuumed both directions, with full shampoo priced as an add-on
Then a final walk with a torch, and photographs of every room, before and after. That photo set is yours, and it is the part most DIY check-outs do not have when the agent pushes back.
Article 4, licensing, and what Medway has actually settled
First, the thing people get wrong constantly. Medway Council is a unitary authority. Housing, planning and licensing for Chatham and Brompton sit with Medway, not Kent County Council, whatever the county heading on this directory suggests. If you are ringing anyone about a rental here, you are ringing Medway.
Two separate things are going on, and they get muddled into one.
- Article 4: in force
- The Article 4 direction is done and in force: in seven wards, Chatham Central and Brompton among them, turning a family home into a small house in multiple occupation now needs planning permission rather than happening under permitted development.
- Licensing: a proposal
- Licensing is still out for decision. Medway consulted on a selective scheme and an additional HMO scheme covering this ward, the consultation closed on 4 June 2026, and final proposals went to Cabinet in summer 2026. Until a scheme is made, it is a proposal.
I spell that out because the difference matters if someone quotes a licence condition at you. One is law in your ward today. The other is a document waiting on a vote.
The national change
The third piece is national. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 went live on 1 May 2026:
- Section 21 is abolished.
- Existing assured shorthold tenancies have converted to periodic tenancies.
- A tenant can give notice at any point in the year rather than waiting for a fixed term to expire.
Read the cleaning implications carefully, because there are none. The obligation at the end of a tenancy is what it was in April.
What changed is timing, and timing bites: move-outs across Medway are less clustered and less predictable now, which sounds like it should ease the month-end scramble and in practice just makes it harder to see coming.
HMO rooms and shares
One practical note if you are leaving an HMO room or a share on the Brompton grid. The landlord has standing to raise the condition of shared parts, so these get walked separately from your room:
- stairs
- hallway
- shared kitchen
- shared bathroom
We price common parts as standard rooms. You are not paying twice.
What it costs, and the sum nobody does until the report lands
These are full prices with kit, products and travel inside Medway included.
| Property | Typical duration | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Studio above the High Street | 3-4 hours, 1 cleaner | From £176 |
| 1-bed flat, Chatham Central | 4-5 hours, 2 cleaners | From £227 |
| 2-bed Brompton two-up-two-down | 5-7 hours, 2 cleaners | From £263 |
| 3-bed terrace, listed rows included | 7-9 hours, 2 cleaners | From £359 |
| 4-bed house or four-share HMO | 8-10 hours, 2-3 cleaners | From £445 |
| Part job or top-up | By arrangement | £30 per cleaner, per hour |
| Carpet shampoo add-on | Same visit | £29 a bedroom, £36 a living room, £94 for two bedrooms and a living room |
| Oven on its own, if it is all the agent flagged | 1.5-2 hours | £97 single, £130 double, £163 range 90cm |
Stairs and upper floors cost nothing extra. The table assumes a property in normal lived-in shape. These cost more, and we say so on the phone rather than on the invoice:
- a long tenancy with heavy wear
- a pet household
- a listed terrace nobody has deep-cleaned since the last tenant
Now run it the way the deposit makes you. A two-bed at £263 against a deposit north of £1,400 is not really a decision, it is arithmetic. It only feels like a decision because the £263 is due this week while the deposit feels like money you already have.
Every booking carries a 48-hour re-clean guarantee: if the agent or clerk flags a cleaning issue inside 48 hours, we come back and redo it free, as long as:
- you tell us inside that window
- nobody has moved in
Across our books we work with 300+ letting agents, and that work has helped tenants recover £1.2m in deposits that would otherwise have gone on cleaning deductions.
Booking it, and the Brompton parking problem
The booking itself is short. Access on the Brompton grid is the part that needs a plan.
Three jobs get muddled here, and booking the wrong one wastes money.
- End of tenancy clean
- Built to pass an inventory and get a deposit back, judged against the letting agent benchmark, done with the property empty, with the 57-point agent-approved checklist and the 48-hour re-clean guarantee on it, at a fixed price by bedroom count.
- Deep clean
- A one-off reset of a home you are keeping. Same top-to-bottom coverage, no inventory to satisfy, no agent guarantee, and it can be done around your furniture. Booked as a team job from £206, which is two cleaners for at least three hours with the kit included.
- Regular domestic clean
- Ongoing maintenance on a rota, the same cleaner kept on the home, from £23 an hour weekly or £24 fortnightly. Nothing to do with deposits.
- Check-in inventory report
- Not a clean at all. It is the clerk’s document from day one, and it is the benchmark all of the above gets measured against, which is why we clean to it rather than to a general idea of tidy.
The steps
- Ring 0333 555 2076 with the postcode, the bedroom count, the check-out date and anything you already know is a problem, and mention whatever the check-in report called clean or new.
- We quote on the call and book you in, ideally the day before check-out so there is a buffer. Give us 3 to 5 days’ notice mid-month, longer for month end.
- The property wants to be empty when we arrive.
- We photograph every room before and after, and you get an itemised invoice for the deposit file.
Access and parking
One honest warning about access, because it catches people out. The Brompton grid was laid out for a workforce that walked to the dockyard gate:
- narrow streets
- no drives on the listed terraces
- no off-street parking
- ground that rises steeply towards the Lines
Getting a van and full kit to a door on Mansion Row is a plan, not an assumption. Tell us the arrangement when you book, and whether it is a key safe or an agent drop-off.
Questions we get asked
How much does end of tenancy cleaning cost in Chatham Central or Brompton?
Studio £176, one-bed £227, two-bed £263, three-bed £359, four-bed £445. Part jobs and top-ups run at £30 per hour per cleaner. Carpet shampoo and oven work are priced on top, and we quote them on the call rather than after the job.
Do you clean the listed terraces on Prospect Row, Mansion Row and Garden Street?
Yes, and they are a good part of our week. Prospect Row 1 to 20 and Mansion Row 1 to 15 are Grade II listed, as are 6, 22 and 24 Garden Street. Nothing abrasive goes near original joinery, brick or plaster, and window boxes are hand-wiped rather than sprayed, because old putty lifts if you soak it.
Which council do I deal with, Medway or Kent County Council?
Medway. It is a unitary authority, so housing, licensing and planning here all sit with Medway rather than Kent County Council. The county heading on this directory is geography, not administration.
Is my Brompton landlord licensed?
Possibly not yet. Medway consulted on a selective scheme and an additional HMO scheme covering this ward, the consultation closed on 4 June 2026, and final proposals went to Cabinet in summer 2026. The Article 4 direction is a separate thing and is already in force. Check the council’s licensing page for today’s position.
Does the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 change what I have to clean?
No. From 1 May 2026 Section 21 is abolished and assured shorthold tenancies have converted to periodic ones. The cleaning obligation is unchanged. What changed is timing: Medway move-outs are less predictable now, so book earlier than you used to.
Why is limescale such a problem here?
The supply comes off the North Kent chalk, so it is hard water. Calcium sets on shower heads, screen runners, tap bases and the washing machine drawer, and a cloth does nothing once it has bonded. Clerks here check for it first. We soak and dwell rather than scrub, then polish the chrome back.
How long does the clean take?
A Brompton two-up-two-down runs five to seven hours with two cleaners. A three-bed listed terrace with an original hall floor takes seven to nine. Period stock is slower than its bedroom count suggests, because the detail is hand work.
Do you guarantee I get my deposit back?
We cannot, and anyone who says otherwise is selling you something. The inventory covers lines we never touch: paintwork, wear and tear, the landlord’s furniture. We guarantee the cleaning side. If the clerk flags a cleaning issue within 48 hours, we come back and put it right free, provided nobody has moved in.
What happens if the landlord still disputes the clean?
It goes to your deposit scheme’s adjudicator: the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, mydeposits or the Deposit Protection Service. Our dated photo set, itemised invoice and re-clean record are all admissible, and a tenant with a full paper trail rarely loses that argument.
Do I need to be there, and does the flat need to be empty?
You do not need to be there. Most Brompton clients leave a key with the agent or use a key safe, and we email the photo report when we finish. Empty is a different matter: furniture blocks access and the clerk sees where we could not reach. One item left behind is workable. A room of boxes is not.
Can you park on Mansion Row?
Rarely, and that is the honest answer. The grid was laid out before 1708 for people who walked to the dockyard, the streets are narrow, and the listed terraces have no drives. Carrying kit in from Wood Street is routine for us, but it adds time we would rather plan for. Tell us the arrangement when you book.
Are you insured, and who are you?
Monster Cleaning Ltd, trading since 2014, with public liability cover in place. Certificate on request. Email office@monstercleaning.com if you want it before you book.
Get a price
Booking takes three steps
- Your postcode and the property. The form gives the price.
- A date that suits you. Seven days a week.
- We confirm it with you by phone or WhatsApp.
0333 555 2076 · 8am to 7pm
Call 0333 555 2076 and we price it in about three minutes. Have these to hand:
- postcode
- size
- check-out date
- known problem areas
That is the lot. Out of hours, email office@monstercleaning.com and someone rings you back first thing.
A couple of photos of the kitchen and bathroom sharpen the quote, and on a listed terrace a shot of the windows and the hall floor helps most. If your check-out is tomorrow, ring anyway.