Cleaning your flat before handover to the landlord: how to keep your deposit

Before handing a flat back to the landlord, clean it so that it matches the condition in which you received it, apart from normal wear and tear. Clean the appliances inside, the bathroom including limescale and grout, the windows, floors and the insides of cupboards. Photograph the condition and record it in the handover protocol. The landlord may offset against the deposit only what you owe them under the tenancy.

What the law says about returning the flat and the deposit

The following overview is general information, not legal advice. Always read your tenancy agreement and consult a professional in any disputed situation.

• Condition of the flat: under § 2293 of the Civil Code, the tenant returns the flat in the condition in which they received it, disregarding normal wear and tear from ordinary use and defects that the landlord is to remedy.
• Moment of handover: under § 2292, the flat is handed over when the landlord receives the keys and nothing prevents them from accessing the flat. If you do not hand the flat over on the day the tenancy ends, the landlord is entitled under § 2295 to compensation equal to the agreed rent until the flat is actually handed over.
• Deposit: under § 2254, the deposit, together with any contractual penalty, must not exceed three times the monthly rent. When the tenancy ends, the landlord returns it and offsets anything the tenant may owe under the tenancy. The tenant is entitled to interest on the deposit at no less than the statutory rate.
• Maintenance during the tenancy: under § 2257, the tenant carries out and pays for routine maintenance and minor repairs related to the use of the flat.

What counts as routine maintenance is defined by Government Regulation No. 308/2015 Sb.: it covers maintaining and cleaning the flat including its fittings and equipment, in particular painting, repairing plaster, wallpapering, cleaning floors and floor coverings, wall tiles and blocked drains up to the vertical pipework.

Normal wear and tear, or a mess?

The law does not expect a flat to look brand new after years of living in it. A slightly worn floor or faded paintwork corresponds to ordinary use. Grease in the oven, limescale on taps or dust behind furniture, however, are not wear and tear – they are dirt that cleaning can remove.

According to the regulation, painting is routine maintenance borne by the tenant. Whether you have to repaint when leaving, however, depends on the condition of the walls when you took over, on what counts as normal wear and tear for them, and on the terms of the contract. Agree this with the landlord in advance and have the agreement confirmed in writing, for example by e-mail.

What landlords usually check at handover

Landlords most often look where dirt accumulates unnoticed and where it is easy to show in a photo. When cleaning, therefore, concentrate on these places:

• Kitchen: the oven including trays and the door glass, hob, extractor hood and its filter, fridge and freezer, dishwasher including the filter, sink and tap, the insides of cupboards.
• Bathroom and toilet: limescale on taps and the shower screen, grout and silicone, drains, mirrors, the toilet including the rim and base.
• Windows: glass on both sides, frames, grooves, window sills, blinds.
• Walls and doors: marks around switches and handles, fingerprints on doors, marks left by furniture.
• Floors: corners, skirting boards, the space under radiators and behind doors.
• Furnishings: everything listed in the move-in protocol, and the number of keys.

Cleaning procedure before handover

1. Move out completely. Clean only once the flat is empty, otherwise you will wash the same places twice.
2. Start with the oven. A product for baked-on grease needs time, so apply it first and leave it to work according to the label. You will find a detailed procedure in the article how to clean an oven.
3. Work from top to bottom. Cobwebs, light fittings, the tops of cupboards, then worktops and tiles, and finally the floors.
4. Bathroom. Limescale, grout and silicone. For dark stains in the grout, follow the article how to clean bathroom grout; if it is mould on a wall, follow the guide how to remove mould from a wall.
5. Windows and window sills. Allow plenty of time for them; with large windows, this is one of the most laborious parts.
6. Floors last. Vacuum including corners and skirting boards, then mop from the furthest point towards the door.
7. Check against the protocol. Go through the flat with the move-in protocol in hand and compare it room by room.

Always read the label on cleaning products, ventilate and wear gloves. Do not mix products containing chlorine with acids or ammonia, and test every new product first in a hidden spot, especially on stone, wood and glossy surfaces.

Common mistakes

• Cleaning in a rush after the removal firm leaves. There is then no time left for the oven, windows and bathroom, and these are checked first.
• Forgotten interiors. Empty drawers, fridge shelves, the dishwasher filter and the extractor hood filter are visible as soon as they are opened.
• Aggressive products on delicate surfaces. An abrasive sponge or acidic cleaner can scratch a hob or etch stone; the damage is then worse than the dirt.
• A switched-off, closed fridge. After a few days, it develops a smell. Leave it slightly open after washing it out.
• Items in the cellar and on the balcony. These areas are often part of the tenancy too, and the landlord takes them over together with the flat.

Photographs and the handover protocol

If you made a record describing the flat when you moved in, it is the most valuable document you have. The general provision on tenancy in § 2225 of the Civil Code states that such a record is taken into account when the item is returned. When leaving, proceed in the same way:

• photograph each room as a whole and then the details (inside the oven, fridge, bathroom, windows, floors)
• take the photos only after cleaning, just before handover, and store them somewhere other than your phone
• record the meter readings, the number of keys and chips, and the condition of each room in the protocol
• if the landlord raises objections, have them recorded specifically, not in general terms such as “the flat is dirty”
• sign the protocol only once you agree with its content, and take a copy

If you disagree with the landlord, a specific record and photos from both handovers will make further discussions easier. How to proceed in a possible dispute over the deposit is a matter for a legal advice service, not for a cleaning checklist.

How much time to set aside for cleaning

Cleaning an empty flat before handover is more demanding than regular weekly cleaning, because it includes the insides of appliances, windows and the areas behind furniture. Plan for it as a separate day, not as an hour of work after the removal firm has left. If you are moving out and handing over the flat on the same day, the moving cleaning checklist with a timetable will help.

If you still have access to the flat for a few days after moving out, spread the work out: the kitchen and bathroom on the first day, the windows on the second, and the floors and the check against the protocol on the third. You will then do each part properly, and nothing is left for the last hour before the landlord arrives.

If you do not have time to clean, you can order it as cleaning when moving with a date before you hand over the keys. Even then, prepare the handover protocol and photographs yourself.