An end of tenancy cleaning checklist Ireland renters can follow needs to cover every room a landlord or letting agent will look at during the check-out inspection: kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, floors, windows, skirting boards and any marks left on walls or doors. Work through the property room by room rather than tidying as you pack, since that is how most check-out inspections happen and it stops you missing a spot that later gets flagged. The aim is not a showroom finish. It is returning the property to roughly the condition you moved into, allowing for normal wear and tear.
End of tenancy cleaning checklist Ireland: where to start
Pull out the original inventory or check-in report if you kept one, and use it as your reference point rather than relying on memory. If you never had one, photos from move-in day or even old messages to the landlord can help. Clean from the top of each room down, so dust from light fittings and shelves lands on surfaces and floors you have not cleaned yet, and finish with floors last in every room. Pack rooms in a sensible order, ideally leaving one room fully empty and cleaned before you start on the next, so the finished rooms stay that way while you move boxes through the rest of the flat or house.
Kitchen
The kitchen is where check-out inspections tend to focus, because grease and food residue build up gradually and are easy to overlook day to day.
- Clean inside and outside the oven, including the racks, door glass and seal.
- Degrease the hob, the extractor fan filter and the splashback behind it.
- Empty and wipe down the fridge and freezer, leaving the doors slightly open once switched off.
- Wipe out cupboards and drawers, including crumbs in the cutlery tray.
- Descale the kettle and clean the microwave inside and out.
- Clean the sink, taps and any visible limescale, and take the bin bag with you.
Bathroom
Bathrooms show wear quickly through limescale and mould, both of which a landlord is entitled to expect removed before you leave, since they are usually preventable with regular cleaning rather than unavoidable ageing.
- Scrub grout and sealant around the bath, shower and sink, and treat any mould with a suitable bathroom cleaner.
- Remove limescale from the showerhead, taps and shower screen or curtain.
- Clean the toilet inside and out, including the base and behind it.
- Wipe cabinet interiors, mirrors and any extractor fan cover.
- Wash the bath mat or shower curtain, or replace it if it is worn out.
Bedrooms, living areas and general checklist
Once the kitchen and bathroom are done, work through the rest of the property in a fixed order so nothing gets skipped.
- Vacuum and mop all floors, including under furniture you can safely move.
- Wipe skirting boards, window sills, door frames and light switches throughout.
- Clean the insides of wardrobes and any built-in storage.
- Wash or dust curtains and blinds, and clean interior window glass.
- Wipe down radiators, including the tops, where dust collects unseen.
- Deal with any carpet stains you caused, and hoover carpets and rugs last.
- Take rubbish and recycling out, and check sheds, attics or gardens you used.
Cleaning, deposits and normal wear and tear
In Ireland, a landlord can deduct from a deposit for an unhygienic or unsafe condition left behind, but not for ordinary ageing that happens from living in a property over time. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) describes normal wear and tear as the everyday deterioration a home experiences no matter how carefully a tenant treats it, which is different from neglect or damage. Faded paint or slightly worn carpet in a hallway is generally wear and tear. Grease left in an oven, mould that was never addressed, or rubbish left behind are not, and a landlord can reasonably expect those cleaned or ask for evidenced costs to cover them.
If a deduction seems unfair, ask the landlord or agent exactly what it covers and how the amount was calculated before agreeing to it. Threshold, the national housing charity, and the RTB both offer free guidance if a dispute cannot be resolved directly, and the RTB runs a formal dispute resolution service for deposit disagreements that cannot be settled between the two parties.
When to book a professional clean
A thorough DIY clean is enough for most short tenancies if you have the time and the property was reasonably well kept. It is worth booking a professional end of tenancy clean when the oven, carpets or bathroom have not had a deep clean in a long time, when you are moving out on a tight schedule with packing and a move happening the same week, or when the tenancy agreement specifically requires a receipted professional clean. In those cases, an independent cleaner who does end of tenancy work regularly can usually get through the property faster and to a more consistent standard than a rushed DIY session.
For task-specific detail, see how to clean an oven before end of tenancy, how to deep clean a kitchen step by step, how to deep clean a bathroom without harsh chemicals, and how to get your rental deposit back in Ireland.