Moving Out? Every Service You Might Need Besides Cleaning (and How to Check Who You Hire)

A move-out is rarely just a clean. Between giving notice and handing back the keys, most people also need a van, somewhere for the things they’re not taking, a few small repairs, and sometimes a decorator or gardener. Book them in the wrong order and they undo each other: a clean done before the rubbish is cleared, or a wall painted after the carpets were washed. This guide lists every service you might need when moving out of a rented home in the UK, the order that works, and the checks that tell you whether the person you’re hiring is legitimate.

The order that works

In England, most private tenancies are now periodic and tenants end them by giving two months’ notice. That gives you about eight weeks to organise everything. This is the order we’d recommend, based on what goes wrong when it’s done differently:

When	What to book or do
As soon as you give notice	Book removals or a man and van, and the end of tenancy clean. Both get busy at the end of each month.
4–6 weeks before	Decide what you’re not taking. Sell, donate or book a clearance for the rest.
2–3 weeks before	Arrange any repairs or touch-up decorating your tenancy agreement allows.
Moving day	Removals and clearance. Take meter readings and photos once the rooms are empty.
1–3 days before the inspection	The end of tenancy clean, once the property is empty and all work is finished.
Inspection day	Walk round with the check-in inventory. Return every key.

The rule behind it is simple: anything that creates dust or mess goes before the clean, never after. Our moving out checklist and timeline covers the admin side week by week.

Removals and man and van

For a flat or a few rooms of furniture, a man and van is usually enough; for a full house, a removals firm with a larger vehicle and a team. Whichever you choose:

• Ask what’s included: how many people, whether loading and unloading are included, and how stairs, parking and waiting time are charged.
• Check insurance: public liability insurance, and goods-in-transit cover for your belongings while they’re on the van.
• Get the price in writing, whether it’s hourly or fixed, before the day.
• Book the move before the clean, so the cleaning team can reach every floor, skirting board and corner.

Don’t forget furniture that has to be dismantled to get out of the door, such as wardrobes and bed frames. Many removal teams will do this if you ask when booking.

Clearance and rubbish removal

This is the service people most often expect their cleaner to do. Cleaning teams clean surfaces; they don’t take away furniture, bags of rubbish or old mattresses. In our records, only 8 of 9,915 end of tenancy cleans (0.1%) included any rubbish removal. Anything left in the property also gets in the way of the clean, and inspectors note it on the check-out report.

Clearance has a legal side that catches people out. GOV.UK says that if you give your household waste to someone else, “you must make sure that they’re legally allowed to take it”, and “you could be fined if you give your household waste to someone who is not legally allowed to take it”. If a private business collects your waste, you must check it’s on the register of waste carriers (look for “upper tier”). There are separate registers for each nation:

• England: the Environment Agency’s public register of waste carriers, brokers and dealers.
• Wales: Natural Resources Wales.
• Scotland: SEPA.
• Northern Ireland: DAERA (NIEA).

Ask for a receipt or waste transfer note, and be wary of cash-only collectors who can’t give you a registration number. Unwanted furniture in good condition can often go to a charity collection instead.

Small repairs and handyman jobs

Check your tenancy agreement before fixing anything: some landlords prefer to arrange repairs themselves. Where you’re allowed to, the jobs that make the biggest difference at inspection are small: filling picture-hook holes, refitting a loose handle or curtain pole, replacing a broken blind slat, and re-sealing a blackened bath edge.

Remember that landlords can’t charge for fair wear and tear, such as worn carpet in a hallway after several years. Damage beyond that, such as a burn mark or a broken door, is another matter: it was the second most common reason for deposit claims with the Deposit Protection Service in 2025, at 18.42%. Our guide to what damage tenants are responsible for explains the difference.

Painting and decorating

Redecoration is a growing reason for deposit claims: 10.88% of DPS claims in 2025, up from 7.48% in 2021. It was also part of 31% of Tenancy Deposit Scheme disputes in 2024/25. Scuffs, marks and unapproved colour changes are the usual causes.

Only repaint with your landlord’s agreement, and match the original colour exactly. Many marks come off with cleaning rather than paint, and a bad patch of new paint can look worse than the scuff it covers. If you do decorate, book it at least a few days before the clean so the paint has dried and the dust has settled.

The end of tenancy clean

Cleaning is the most common reason for deposit claims: 29.38% of DPS claims in 2025, the fifth year running it has come top. It was part of 54% of TDS disputes. An end of tenancy clean covers every room top to bottom: inside cupboards and appliances, limescale in the kitchen and bathroom, skirting, doors, switches and interior windows, to the standard in your check-in inventory.

From our 9,915 end of tenancy cleans since January 2023:

• About half included professional carpet cleaning, often because the tenancy agreement asks for it.
• 16.3% added exterior windows, and 3.3% added key collection from the letting agent.
• In the 12 months to October 2026, the typical clean cost £284, extras included, with prices starting at £115 for a studio.

See our room-by-room checklist for exactly what’s covered, or end of tenancy cleaning for prices and booking.

Gardens, patios and outside space

If the tenancy includes a garden, it’s usually your job to hand it back in the condition recorded at check-in, allowing for the season. Gardening featured in 14% of TDS disputes in 2024/25. Mowing, weeding and clearing garden waste are the common jobs; remember that garden waste is household waste, so the same carrier rules apply.

Patios, paths and balconies can be pressure washed. It’s a small share of move-outs, 62 of our end of tenancy cleans added it, but it makes a visible difference where moss and algae have built up.

Keys, meters and admin

• Keys: return every key, fob and permit listed in the inventory. If you’ve moved before the inspection, many cleaning companies can collect keys from the agent; we offer it as a £20 extra.
• Meters: take dated photos of gas, electricity and water meter readings on the day you leave, and give them to your suppliers.
• Council tax, broadband and TV licence: tell each one your move date.
• Post: set up a mail redirection with Royal Mail so nothing goes to the old address.
• Safety checks: gas and electrical safety checks are the landlord’s responsibility, not the tenant’s.

How to check anyone you hire

Whoever you book, the same checks take a few minutes and filter out most problems:

1. Look the business up on Companies House if it’s a limited company. It’s free, and shows the registered address, date of incorporation, current and past directors, and any insolvency information.
2. Ask for proof of public liability insurance, and check the cover amount and expiry date. £1M is a common level for home services.
3. Check the licence the job needs: a waste carrier registration for clearance, Gas Safe registration for any gas work, and goods-in-transit cover for removals.
4. Read reviews from verified customers, and check they’re recent and mention the service you’re booking.
5. Get the price and what’s included in writing, including any extras for parking, stairs or waiting time.
6. Know how and when you’ll pay. Be cautious of large cash payments upfront.

Getting several quotes in one go

Booking four or five services separately takes time. One option is a quotes marketplace, where you describe the job once and local businesses send you prices. HelloPros is a new UK marketplace of this kind: its moving-out form lets you post a removal, an end of tenancy clean, a clearance and furniture dismantling together, and each part gets its own quotes. It’s free for customers to post a job, it asks clearance pros for a waste carrier licence before they can bid, and you can choose whether to pay the pro directly or through the platform. HelloPros launched in November 2026, so it doesn’t yet have many reviews. Use the checks above on any business you choose there, as you would anywhere else.

Disclosure: Tenancy.Cleaning has a commercial partnership with HelloPros, and we’re listed there as a cleaning company.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: GOV.UK, Dispose of household waste; GOV.UK, Public register for environmental information; GOV.UK, Get information about a company; DPS claim reasons 2021–2025, via Letting Agent Today; TDS Statistical Briefing 2024/25, via the NRLA. Job figures are from our own records, January 2023 to October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.