No. In England, a landlord or letting agent cannot require you to pay for professional cleaning as a condition of your tenancy. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 banned that charge, and a clause demanding a receipt from an approved cleaning company is not enforceable.
What has not changed is the standard you have to meet. You still have to return the property as clean as it was when you moved in, allowing for fair wear and tear. If it is dirtier, your landlord can propose a reasonable deduction from your deposit to put it right. How you achieve the standard is entirely your choice.
That distinction, between the method and the outcome, is the whole of it. Landlords cannot dictate the method. They can hold you to the outcome.
In one line
You do not have to hire anyone. You do have to hand the property back as clean as you got it, and the check-in inventory decides what that means.
What the Tenant Fees Act 2019 actually did
Before 1 June 2019, it was routine for tenancy agreements in England to include a professional cleaning clause. Tenants were required to pay a company from an approved list and produce the invoice, regardless of what state the property was actually in. Some tenants paid for professional cleaning of a flat they had already cleaned to a higher standard themselves.
The Act made most such payments prohibited. Landlords and agents in England can only require a limited set of permitted payments:
- Rent
- A tenancy deposit, capped at five weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000
- A holding deposit, capped at one week's rent
- Payments to change or assign a tenancy, capped at £50 unless higher costs are demonstrated
- Payments on early termination, capped at the landlord's actual loss
- Utilities, communication services, TV licence and council tax
- Default fees in narrow circumstances, such as a lost key or late rent, capped at reasonable costs
A blanket professional cleaning requirement is not on that list. Including one in an agreement does not make it enforceable, and attempting to enforce it can expose the landlord or agent to a financial penalty from the local authority, starting at up to £5,000 for a first breach.
Transitional arrangements
The Act applied to new tenancies from 1 June 2019. For agreements signed before that date, transitional provisions ran until 1 June 2020, after which prohibited terms in older agreements stopped being binding. So if you signed in 2018 and are still in the property, a professional cleaning clause is no longer enforceable.
Outside England
Wales has broadly similar provisions under the Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019.
Scotland has long prohibited premiums beyond rent and a capped deposit under the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984, so professional cleaning charges as a tenancy condition were already restricted.
Northern Ireland has its own framework under the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022.
Check the position where the property actually is, since the detail differs.
What you are still on the hook for
The Act dealt with fees charged as a condition of the tenancy. It did not touch the underlying obligation in almost every assured shorthold tenancy: return the property in the condition you received it, fair wear and tear excepted.
So if the check-in inventory records a clean oven and you leave a dirty one, the landlord can claim from the deposit for the cost of cleaning that oven. That is not a prohibited fee. It is a deposit deduction for a breach of the tenancy, and deposit schemes adjudicate those on evidence.
This is exactly why cleaning remains the biggest single cause of deposit claims. Deposit Protection Service data reported in 2026 puts it at 29.38% of all claims, the top cause for five years running.
The wording that catches people out
Some tenancy agreements now say the property must be returned "in a professionally cleaned condition" rather than requiring you to buy a professional service. These are genuinely different things, and the distinction matters.
- "You must have the property professionally cleaned and provide a receipt." This is a prohibited requirement in England. Not enforceable.
- "The property must be returned in the same condition and standard of cleanliness as at the commencement of the tenancy." This is a standard, and it is enforceable.
- "The property must be returned professionally clean." This sits in between. It describes an outcome rather than requiring a purchase, and in practice it is usually interpreted as a standard rather than an instruction to hire someone. You can meet it yourself if your cleaning is good enough.
If a clause is ambiguous, ask the landlord or agent in writing what they say it requires. Their answer is useful either way.
Fair wear and tear
The phrase that decides most borderline cases. It means deterioration from normal use over the tenancy length, taking into account the number of occupants.
| Situation | Usually wear and tear | Usually cleaning or damage |
|---|---|---|
| Carpet flattened in traffic areas after 3 years | Yes | |
| Carpet with visible stains | Yes | |
| Grout slightly greyed over time | Yes | |
| Grout with soap scum and mould | Yes | |
| Oven with light discolouration | Yes | |
| Oven with baked-on carbon deposits | Yes | |
| Limescale on a tap after 4 years in a hard water area | Arguable | Arguable |
| Scuffs on a wall at handle height | Yes | |
| Crayon on a wall | Yes | |
| Curtains faded by sunlight | Yes |
Longer tenancies attract more allowance. A four year tenancy is not judged like a six month one, and a landlord claiming the full cost of a new carpet at the end of its expected life will usually see the award reduced to reflect its remaining life.
What to do if you are asked to pay a cleaning fee
1. Ask for the clause in writing and read what it actually says. Distinguish between a requirement to purchase a service and a standard to be met.
2. Identify what kind of payment it is. A payment demanded as a condition of the tenancy is prohibited in England. A proposed deduction from your deposit for a specific shortfall is not.
3. If it is a prohibited fee, say so plainly and in writing. Reference the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Most agents back down immediately, because they know the position and because enforcement action is unattractive to them.
4. If it is a deposit deduction, ask for the evidence: the check-in inventory, the check-out report, and dated photographs of the specific items claimed for, plus an itemised invoice for the remedial work.
5. Negotiate on specifics. Concede the genuine items and reject the rest, item by item. Partial agreement is credible and tends to get the remainder looked at seriously.
6. Use the scheme's free dispute resolution if you cannot agree. It costs tenants nothing, it is decided on documents, and the landlord carries the burden of proof.
7. Report a prohibited fee to your local authority's trading standards team if an agent persists. They enforce the Act.
So should you hire someone anyway?
Often yes, but as a decision rather than an obligation.
The case for doing it yourself: you save £180 to £420, and for a small, well-maintained flat you can reach the standard with a weekend and the right products. If your check-in inventory was thorough and you photograph your work, you are well protected.
The case for hiring: a two bedroom flat is 10 to 14 hours for one person, and the oven alone can absorb two of them. More importantly, a reputable company includes a re-clean guarantee if the agent flags something, commonly 48 to 72 hours. In a dispute over several hundred pounds, that guarantee is worth more than the labour.
Either way, photograph the result. Evidence protects you far more reliably than a receipt does, and a receipt without photographs proves only that you spent money.
Frequently asked questions
My agreement has a professional cleaning clause. Is the whole agreement void? No. An unenforceable clause does not invalidate the rest of the tenancy. The clause simply cannot be relied upon.
Can the landlord insist on a specific company? No. Requiring you to use a named contractor and pay for it is precisely what the Act prohibits in England.
Can they deduct for cleaning even if I paid a professional? Yes, if the work was not to the required standard. What is judged is the state of the property, not the money spent. This is why an itemised checklist matters more than an invoice.
Does this apply to student accommodation? Assured shorthold tenancies are covered. Purpose-built student accommodation is often let on a licence rather than a tenancy, and the position can differ, so check your specific agreement.
What about carpet cleaning where I had a pet? A requirement for professional carpet cleaning relating specifically to keeping a pet is generally treated differently from a blanket cleaning clause, and is more likely to be enforceable as a condition attached to the pet permission. Budget for it from the start.
Can my landlord charge me for their own time cleaning? They can claim reasonable costs for putting right a breach. A claim for the landlord's own labour needs to be reasonable and evidenced, and adjudicators scrutinise these carefully.
What if I am in a joint tenancy? Joint tenants are usually jointly liable, so one housemate's dirty room can reduce everyone's deposit. Worth agreeing a shared approach before anyone moves out.
