The station that keeps W13 moving
The Elizabeth line did something odd to West Ealing. It made a quiet stretch of the Uxbridge Road feel central. A train from the rebuilt station now reaches Bond Street in under twenty minutes, and that single fact has pulled in renters who would once have looked at Acton or Hammersmith. They come, they stay a year or two, and then they move on. We see the result every week: a steady churn of end-of-tenancy cleans in the streets between the Broadway and Dean Gardens.
Most of those tenants share one worry. The deposit.
You handed over four or five weeks of rent when you signed, the money sits in a protection scheme, and you only get it all back if the flat is returned in the state the inventory recorded at check-in. Cleaning is the single most common reason that money gets docked. It is also the easiest deduction to avoid, because cleaning is the one thing on the check-out report you can actually control. This page is about doing that properly in West Ealing, on the housing stock that is genuinely here, against the licensing rules that genuinely apply, at prices we will state in plain pounds.
Why a West Ealing deposit slips away on the clean
Your deposit is protected by law. Within 30 days of taking it, your landlord or agent has to put it in one of the three government-backed schemes, and they have to tell you which one (the rules are set out on gov.uk). That protection is real and it works. What it does not do is stop a fair cleaning deduction. If the check-in inventory said the oven was clean and the check-out clerk finds baked-on grease, the cost of cleaning that oven comes out of your money, and the scheme will side with the landlord if the evidence is there.
The check-out report is the whole game. A clerk walks the flat with the check-in document and a camera, room by room, and writes down every difference. Cleaning sits in its own column. We have read hundreds of these reports for West Ealing flats, and the same phrases come up again and again: “grease to kitchen units”, “limescale to bath and basin”, “oven heavily soiled”, “carpets require professional clean”, “dust to high surfaces and skirting”. None of those is dramatic. Each one is a line a landlord can charge against.
Here is the part people miss. You do not have to prove the flat is perfect. You have to return it in the same condition it was in at check-in, allowing for fair wear and tear. Shelter and Citizens Advice both make this point, and it matters: a tenant who cleans to the check-in standard has a strong case, and a tenant who does not has almost none. If a deduction does end up disputed, the scheme’s free adjudicator looks at the check-in inventory, the check-out report, and the photos, and decides (gov.uk explains the dispute route). A professional clean with a dated receipt is the strongest single piece of evidence you can put in front of that adjudicator.
The check-out report is the whole game. A clerk walks the flat with the check-in document and a camera, room by room, and writes down every difference.
The law around all this is shifting, too. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 is changing how tenancies end and how disputes get handled, and agents across Ealing are tightening their check-out paperwork as a result. The cleaning standard at the end of a tenancy is not getting any softer. If anything, the reports are getting more detailed.
Timing on the money side trips people up as well. Once you have left and agreed any deductions, the protected deposit should come back within ten days. If you cannot agree, you raise a dispute with the scheme and the adjudicator decides, usually inside a few weeks, on the paperwork alone. There is no hearing and no solicitor needed. The whole thing rests on documents, which is precisely why the check-in inventory, the check-out report and a dated cleaning receipt carry so much weight. Turn up to that process with a professional clean on record and the cleaning column tends to fall your way.
So the question is simple. Do you want to spend your last weekend in the flat on your knees behind the cooker, or hand it to a team that does this every day and stands behind the result? We helped tenants recover £1.2m in deposits that would otherwise have gone on cleaning deductions, and almost none of those people had the time or the kit to do it themselves.
Split villas, mansion blocks and new studios
West Ealing is not one kind of flat. That sounds obvious until you price a clean, because the cleaning job in a 1905 villa conversion off Drayton Green is a completely different beast from the one in a 2021 studio block near the station. We quote on what is actually there, so it helps to know the local stock.
The big Edwardian and late-Victorian villas are the backbone of the area. Most have been carved into two, three or four flats, and they bring their own cleaning headaches: tall sash windows with deep reveals, picture rails and high cornicing that collect dust, ornate skirting, and original floors under the carpet. The top-floor flats sit in the old roof space, so you get sloped ceilings and awkward corners no mop reaches easily. Clerks in these conversions almost always check the high surfaces, because that is where the dust hides and where tenants forget to look.
Then there are the mansion blocks, the solid interwar brick ones along the Uxbridge Road and the side roads off it. Bigger rooms, communal stair halls, and kitchens that have usually been refitted at least once. The cleaning is more straightforward than in the villa conversions, but the bathrooms tend to be older and hold limescale harder.
And then the new build. The Green Man Lane estate north of the high street was rebuilt over the last decade, and there are fresh apartment blocks near the station, including a large all-studio scheme that opened recently on a corner that sat empty for years. These flats are easy to clean in principle, flat surfaces and modern fittings, but the inventories are unforgiving. When a flat was handed over brand new, the check-in photos show it brand new, and the clerk expects close to that at the end. There is no “it was already a bit worn” defence in a two-year-old studio.
One more local quirk. A lot of West Ealing flats are let furnished or part-furnished, especially the smaller ones aimed at the commuter market. Furnished lets mean upholstery in the inventory, and upholstery means the sofa gets checked. We will come back to that.
The licence question most W13 landlords get wrong
This one matters more than tenants think, and a lot of West Ealing landlords get it wrong. Ealing runs two separate kinds of property licensing, and they are not the same thing.
The first is a borough-wide additional HMO licence. It started on 1 April 2022 and runs for five years, to 31 March 2027, and it covers the whole of Ealing including West Ealing. If a flat or house is let to three or four people who are not all one household, it is a small HMO and it needs this licence. A lot of the bigger villa conversions in W13 are exactly that: three or four sharers, separate rooms, one front door. Plenty are licensed properly. Some are not, and the landlords who skipped it tend to be the same ones who lean hardest on the cleaning clause at the end, because a contested deposit is a fight they would rather have than a conversation about the licence they never bought. You can check the current rules on the council’s own page for private rented properties in Ealing.
The second kind is selective licensing, which covers ordinary single-household lets. Here is the part that surprises people. West Ealing is not in the selective licensing area. Ealing’s selective scheme covers East Acton, Southall Broadway and Southall Green from April 2022, and a longer list from January 2023 that takes in Acton Central, Dormers Wells, Greenford Broadway, Greenford Green, Hanger Hill, Hobbayne, Lady Margaret, North Greenford, Northolt Mandeville, Northolt West End, Perivale and South Acton. West Ealing’s own wards are not on that list. So a standard one-bed let to a couple in W13 needs no selective licence at all, while the four-sharer house two doors down needs the HMO one.
Why does any of this concern your clean? Because licensing and inventories travel together. A landlord running a licensed HMO has the council looking over their shoulder on standards, and the check-out tends to be stricter and better documented. A landlord who should have a licence and does not is often the one who plays games with the deposit instead. Knowing which camp your landlord is in tells you how hard the check-out is likely to be, and how much a clean with a proper receipt is worth to you.
If you share a converted house in West Ealing, it is worth a thirty-second check on whether the place is licensed. It is public information. And if it should be and is not, a cleaning deduction is the last thing a landlord in that position can comfortably argue about.
What the 57-point clean covers, room by room
Our end-of-tenancy clean works off a 57-point checklist, the same one the local agents have seen on hundreds of jobs. It is built backwards from the check-out report, so the things clerks score are the things we hit first. The clean is not timed. We price by the size of the flat and then stay until every point is done, which is the only sensible way to do a move-out clean, because the flat that needs four hours and the flat that needs eight can be the same size on paper.
The kitchen takes the longest, always. Grease is the number one cleaning deduction in West Ealing flats, and it builds up where you cannot see it: the tops of the wall units, the extractor filter, the splashback behind the hob, the sides of the cooker where it meets the worktop. We degrease all of it, inside and out, including inside every cupboard and drawer. The fridge and freezer get emptied, defrosted and wiped. The sink and taps get descaled. If the oven is in the inventory, and it almost always is, that is a job in its own right, which is why it has its own section below.
The bathroom is the second front. West Ealing’s water is hard, so limescale is relentless on taps, shower screens, tiles and the toilet. We take it off with the proper descaler rather than a quick wipe, clean the grout, polish the mirror and chrome, and clear the extractor. A clerk will run water in the basin and check the plughole, so we do too.
Across the rest of the flat the 57 points cover the things that read badly in a report: dust on every high surface, light fittings and lampshades, the tops of doors and frames, skirting boards, switches and sockets, radiators, internal glass, and the inside of the windows. In those villa conversions the high work is half the job. Carpets get hoovered throughout, and where the inventory calls for a professional carpet clean we will tell you, because hoovering alone will not clear a marked carpet and the clerk will know the difference.
What we do not do is pretend a clean fixes damage. A burn in the worktop, a cracked tile, a stain soaked into a carpet: those are condition issues, not cleaning ones, and no honest cleaner will tell you otherwise. We clean to the check-in standard. That is what the deposit decision turns on, and it is what gets people their money. Our first-time pass rate on these cleans is 97%, and on the rare jobs that get queried, the 48-hour re-clean guarantee covers the return visit.
That last number is worth a word. We are on the books of 300+ letting agents across London, several of them with offices on the Broadway and around Ealing more widely, which is the main reason our checklist lines up with what their clerks look for. When the people booking the clean and the people checking it are reading from the same script, the flat passes.
What it costs in West Ealing
We price by the size of the property, not by the hour, and the figure we quote is the figure you pay. No “from”, no surcharge for the cleaner staying late, no inflated weekend rate. West Ealing sits on standard London pricing, so here is the full list.
- Studio flat: £156. The all-studio block near the station and the smaller conversions fall here.
- One-bedroom flat: £207. The commonest move-out we do in W13.
- Two-bedroom flat: £243.
- Three-bedroom: £339, which covers most of the larger villa conversions.
- Four-bedroom: £425, typical for a shared HMO house.
Those prices are for the end-of-tenancy clean itself: the full 57 points, all rooms, supplies and equipment brought by the team. If you would rather book cleaners by the hour for a smaller job, say a part-clean or a top-up before a viewing, that runs at £30 per cleaner per hour. For a move-out, though, the fixed price almost always works out better, because nobody is watching a clock and the team stays until the checklist is finished.
A quick honest note on which option suits you. If your flat was kept reasonably clean through the tenancy and you just need it brought up to inspection standard, the fixed end-of-tenancy price is the one to take. If you have already done the bulk yourself and only want, say, the oven and the bathroom finished off, the hourly rate may cost less. Tell us what state the place is in on the phone and we will say which is cheaper for you. We would rather quote you straight than oversell.
The deposit you are protecting is almost always larger than the clean. A West Ealing one-bed deposit commonly sits well north of £1,000, and a single cleaning deduction can run to a few hundred on the oven and carpets alone. Spending £207 to protect that is not really a close call.
Carpets, ovens and the extras clerks flag most
Three things get flagged on West Ealing check-out reports more than anything else, and all three are worth booking with the main clean rather than leaving to chance.
The oven comes first. A wiped-but-greasy oven is the single most common “still requires cleaning” note we see, because the door glass and the element catch grease that a sponge will not shift. We clean ovens by taking the removable parts out and degreasing them separately, then doing the cavity, the racks and the glass. A single oven clean is £77, a double is £110, and a range cooker is £114. If the oven is the only thing standing between you and a clean report, this on its own is often the cheapest way to protect the deposit.
Carpets come second, and this is where the villa conversions catch people out. Bedrooms with original boards under a fitted carpet, a living room that has taken two years of foot traffic, a hallway that everyone walks through in shoes: clerks routinely write “carpets require professional cleaning”. We use hot-water extraction, which lifts dirt a domestic vacuum cannot reach. Professional carpet cleaning is £36 per bedroom, £43 for a living room, or £115 for a whole two-bed flat done together, which is the better deal if more than one room needs it.
Upholstery is the third, and it only matters if your let is furnished, which a good share of the smaller W13 flats are. If the inventory lists a sofa and armchairs, the clerk checks them, and a marked or smelling sofa is a deduction like any other. We clean upholstery by the same hot-water-extraction method, and it is worth adding if the furniture is on the check-in list. We can quote it alongside the carpets when you call.
There is a local reason the bathrooms and kettles in W13 scale up so fast. West London sits on hard water drawn off the chalk, and West Ealing is firmly in that band, so taps, shower screens and toilets fur over quicker here than they would in a soft-water town. A clerk who has worked the area knows to look for it, and a wipe with an ordinary spray will not shift a year of it. We carry the proper descaler for exactly this, because it is the single most predictable bathroom note on a W13 report.
Windows are the quiet one. The inside of the glass is part of the standard clean. The outside is not always reachable, especially upstairs in the conversions, and where it is in the inventory we can bring water-fed poles to do the exterior properly. Mention it when you book so the right kit is on the van.
If your move involves shifting furniture or boxes as well as cleaning, it is worth knowing we also handle the lifting; some tenants pair the clean with a small removals job to keep the whole move under one roof. Most do not need it. It is there if you do.
Booking, timing and the Broadway parking problem
Booking is a phone call. Ring 0333 555 2076 and the team will talk through what the clean includes, answer anything you are unsure about, work out a fixed quote on the size of your flat, and put the visit in the diary. You can also email [email protected] if you would rather set it out in writing. We work seven days a week, including weekends and bank holidays, which matters in W13 because so many tenancies end on a Saturday and the keys go back on the Monday.
Timing is the thing to get right. Book the clean for the day after your furniture leaves and the day before the check-out, with the flat empty. We need the place clear of belongings, with the electricity on and the hot water running, because you cannot descale a bathroom or clean an oven without either. An empty flat also lets the team get to the skirting, the cupboard interiors and the corners that a part-furnished flat hides.
Now the parking, which around the Broadway is the worst part of the job. West Ealing sits in a controlled parking zone, and the bays along the Uxbridge Road and the residential streets off it are tight and metered through the day. Tell us where you are and whether there is a permit or a loading spot, and we will sort the van out; we cover the cost of parking and build it into the quote rather than springing it on you. For the flats right by the station it is sometimes easier for the team to come on the train, given how well connected the place is now. The buses help too, with the E3, E8, 207, 427, 483 and 607 all running through.
After the clean, you get a record of the work that you can hand to the agent or put in front of the deposit scheme if it ever comes to that. If the inventory clerk does challenge anything we have done, the 48-hour re-clean guarantee means we return and put it right free of charge, within 48 hours of the flag. That is the whole point of using a firm that does this daily rather than a one-off cleaner who is gone by the time the report lands.
West Ealing is well stocked with other parts of the borough we cover too. If your move is taking you a little further out, we run the same service in Ealing, over in Hanwell on the far side of the Brent, and down in Northfields. Same checklist, same guarantee, same pricing.
Words your check-out report will use
Check-out reports and tenancy paperwork are full of terms that only ever turn up when you are moving. Here are the ones that decide whether you keep your deposit.
- Check-in inventory
- The document, with photos, recording the flat’s condition and cleanliness on the day you moved in. It is the benchmark everything at the end is measured against, so dig out your copy before the check-out.
- Check-out report
- The clerk’s room-by-room comparison at the end of the tenancy. Cleaning sits in its own column, and each note in it is a potential deduction from your deposit.
- Fair wear and tear
- The normal ageing a landlord cannot charge you for. A faded carpet is wear and tear; a dirty one is a cleaning matter. The distinction is where most disputes are won or lost.
- Additional HMO licence
- Ealing’s borough-wide licence for houses let to three or four people from more than one household, running to 31 March 2027. Many West Ealing villa conversions need one.
- Selective licence
- A separate licence for single-household lets, required only in named Ealing wards. West Ealing is not in the selective area, so an ordinary W13 flat does not need it.
- Deposit protection scheme
- The government-backed scheme your money sits in. It offers a free adjudication service if you and the landlord cannot agree on deductions.
West Ealing end of tenancy questions
How much is an end of tenancy clean in West Ealing?
It depends on the size of the flat. A studio is £156, a one-bed £207, a two-bed £243, a three-bed £339 and a four-bed £425. The price is fixed and includes the full 57-point clean, all rooms, supplies and equipment, with no extra for weekends.
Do you guarantee the flat will pass the check-out inspection?
We clean to the check-in standard and our first-time pass rate is 97%. If the inventory clerk or agent challenges our work, the 48-hour re-clean guarantee means we return and put it right free of charge within 48 hours of the flag.
Will a professional clean actually get my deposit back?
It protects the cleaning part of your deposit, which is the most common deduction. A dated cleaning receipt is strong evidence if a landlord tries to charge for cleaning, and the deposit scheme’s adjudicator weighs it heavily. It does not cover damage or wear, which are judged separately.
Is my West Ealing flat covered by Ealing’s selective licensing?
No. West Ealing is not in Ealing’s selective licensing area, which covers wards such as East Acton, Southall Broadway, Southall Green and a January 2023 list including Acton Central, Greenford Broadway and Perivale. A standard single-household W13 let does not need a selective licence.
My landlord rents the house to four sharers. Does it need a licence?
Most likely yes. A house let to three or four people from more than one household is a small HMO, and Ealing’s borough-wide additional HMO licence applies until 31 March 2027. You can confirm the current rules on the council’s private rented properties page.
How long does the clean take?
It varies with the size and state of the flat, from around three or four hours for a clean studio to a full day for a neglected four-bed. The clean is not timed, so the team stays until all 57 points are done rather than leaving when a clock runs out.
Do I need to be there during the clean?
No. Many tenants drop the keys with us or the agent and collect them after. We just need the flat empty, with the electricity on and the hot water running, so we can clean the oven and descale the bathroom.
Should the flat be empty before you arrive?
Yes, ideally. An empty flat lets us reach skirting, cupboard interiors, behind appliances and the corners that furniture hides. Book the clean for after the removal van has gone and before the check-out appointment.
Is the oven included or is it extra?
A deep oven clean is a separate service because it is a job in its own right: £77 for a single oven, £110 for a double, £114 for a range. Ovens are the most common cleaning deduction, so we recommend adding it to the move-out clean.
Do you clean carpets and sofas as well?
Yes, by hot-water extraction. Carpet cleaning is £36 per bedroom, £43 for a living room, or £115 for a whole two-bed flat. Upholstery is quoted alongside if your let is furnished and the sofa is on the inventory.
Can you clean the outside of the windows?
The inside of the windows is part of the standard clean. We can do the exterior with water-fed poles where it is in the inventory and reachable, which matters for the upper flats in the villa conversions. Mention it when you book so the kit is on the van.
Do you work weekends and bank holidays?
Yes, seven days a week including bank holidays. That helps in West Ealing, where a lot of tenancies end on a Saturday with the keys due back on the Monday.
What about parking around the Broadway?
West Ealing is a controlled parking zone and the bays are tight, so tell us where you are and whether there is a permit or loading spot. We cover the parking cost and build it into the quote. For flats by the station the team can come by train or bus instead.
How do I book a West Ealing end of tenancy clean?
Call 0333 555 2076 or email [email protected]. We confirm what is included, give you a fixed quote on the size of your flat, and book the visit. We are based at 255 Upper Richmond Road West, SW14 8QS, and have served West Ealing since 2014.