Best End-of-Tenancy Cleaning Guide for Office Spaces [2025]

One of the common things that landlords and commercial building managers expect from businesses is end-of-tenancy cleaning when they move out of the office. Like home end-of-tenancy cleaning when you move out, landlords state it in office rental contracts for businesses. Almost all businesses outsource cleaning when they move out or ask their current office cleaning contractor to do the job. However, smaller businesses with 3 to 5 employees prefer to do it themselves to cut cleaning costs.

In this article, we’ve provided a full office end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist.

Why Businesses Should Do End-of-Tenancy Cleaning When They Move Out of an Office

There are several reasons why businesses should deep clean the office when they want to move out. The most important reason is the terms of the rental contract. End-of-tenancy cleaning is usually stated in the rental contract and failing to comply with it may result in a deduction from the deposit.

Office End-of-Tenancy Cleaning Checklist

Also, when businesses first move to a new office, the landlord makes sure the office is clean and pristine either by asking the previous tenant to clean it or hiring a commercial cleaning company to take care of it.

Therefore, it is expected for businesses to clean the office and prepare it for the next tenant when they are moving out.

End-of-Tenancy Cleaning Guide for Offices

In case you are managing a small business or a new startup with less than 5 employees, you can do the end-of-tenancy cleaning with the help of other employees. While it might be a difficult and time-consuming job to do, it helps the business to save money on cleaning.

This checklist will help you with end-of-tenancy cleaning and how to clean the office thoroughly to secure your deposit.

#1 Repaint if Necessary

Repairing the entire office is rarely one of the landlord’s requests when you want to move out. However, if you’ve been in the office for many years, it is necessary to have the office painted. Therefore, before starting cleaning, ask the landlord if you need repainting. If so, hire a professional to take care of it.

#2 Do Regular Office Cleaning

Deep cleaning and end-of-tenancy start with regular cleaning. This includes vacuuming carpets, mopping floors, dusting furniture, cleaning the kitchen & toilet, removing clutter and emptying bins.

Start regular cleaning first before end-of-tenancy cleaning to reach a better result at the end. You can use our office cleaning checklist for regular cleaning.

Read More: How to Reduce Office Waste Output?

#3 Deep Clean Toilets & Washrooms

Deep cleaning office toilets and washrooms is a necessary step in end-of-tenancy cleaning. It includes cleaning and mopping floors, descaling and cleaning limescale from the toilet and sink. Next, you should disinfect the toilet from top to bottom to ensure everything is sanitised and hygienic for the next tenant.

#4 Deep Clean Office Kitchen

Thoroughly cleaning the office kitchen or the office kitchenette is another item on the end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist. You should mop floors, deep clean the cupboard and clean countertops. Kitchens are often prone to black mould, so make sure to clean them thoroughly as well if there’s any.

Many office kitchens have appliances like refrigerators and dishwashers. In that case, you should empty and clean them as well. If you happen to damage any of these appliances during your stay, you should ask a handyman to come and repair them.

#5 Clean & Polish Taps, Faucets and Sinks

Deep cleaning includes thoroughly cleaning and wiping toilet and kitchen taps and faucets, removing watermarks and polishing sinks. Washrooms have lots of hard-to-reach areas so make sure you have the proper cleaning equipment to clean and sanitise them.

#6 Clean & Sanitise Hallway, Lift and Staircase

Cleaning hallways and stairways leading to your office is, therefore, your responsibility. Make sure to mop the floors, clean and sanitise stair handlebars and dust doorsteps. If the office has a private lift, give the lift a deep clean as well, especially the lift button panels.

#7 Clean The Entrance & Reception Area

Large office spaces often have private entrances, waiting areas and reception areas with reception desks and maybe a sofa and a few chairs. In this case, not only should you clean and mop the area but also dust and clean the desk and other furniture in the process of end-of-tenancy cleaning before you move out.

#8 Clean Office Floor & Carpets

Modern offices often have soft floors and carpets. If office carpets are showing signs of discolouration or smell weird, you should hire professional carpet cleaners to take care of them and restore their original looks. This is usually required if you’ve been in the office for several years.

Also, in case of a long-term stay in an office, you may need to have the hard floors maintained and scrubbed by expert floor scrubbing contractors to restore the original shine and glamour.

#9 Clean Soft Upholstery

Similar to carpet cleaning, you may need to have soft upholstery in furnished offices cleaned. This not only restores the original colour of the upholstery but also secures your deposits as the landlord can point to any issue with the end-of-tenancy cleaning quality.

#10 Clean & Dust Curtains, Blinds and Wall Fixtures

Window curtains, blinds and wall and light fixtures on some of the hidden spots dust accumulates over time. It is crucial to dust and clean them properly before you move out. If the office has fabric and soft curtains, check for any sign of discolouration.

If curtains are significantly darker compared to when you moved in, you should have them washed and cleaned. Many cleaning contractors offer professional cleaning for disassembly, washing and installing office curtains since the job requires skills and expertise.

#11 Clean The Inside of Windows

Lastly, clean windows from the inside as well as windowsills and window frames. In most cases, cleaning the windows from the outside is the building manager’s responsibility. This is because most offices are in highrise buildings and skyscrapers and windows are out of reach with conventional cleaning equipment.

Conclusion

End-of-tenancy cleaning is one of the terms in many office rental contracts. Tenants are required to have the office deeply and thoroughly cleaned when they want to move out so the office space is ready for the next tenant to settle in immediately. Many businesses tend to outsource end-of-tenancy cleaning to professional cleaning companies or their daily office cleaning contractor. However, those who prefer to clean the office themselves need a proper cleaning plan. This article provided a proper end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist for businesses that want to move out and should clean the office for the next tenant.

The information provided by this article can help you plan your end-of-tenancy cleaning and save money by deep cleaning the office yourself.

End-of-Tenancy Deep Cleaning Checklist for Office & Workspace