Your deposit is decided at the handover. A room-by-room checklist, the points landlords always inspect, an honest comparison between doing it yourself and hiring a professional, and a timeline that keeps you out of trouble.
Why the handover decides your deposit
At the key handover the landlord or agent walks through the property with you and compares what they see against the inspection report from move-in. Anything not in order is noted and usually charged. That charge comes straight out of your deposit, and landlords rarely apply the rate you would have paid by hiring a cleaner yourself.
The trap is that "clean" at a handover means something different from a normal tidy-up. It is about the places daily routine skips: the tops of kitchen cabinets, washing machine seals, ventilation grilles, the inside of the oven, skirting boards and window frames. That is exactly where an inspector looks first.
The good news: a handover is predictable. The checkpoints are almost identical everywhere, so with a checklist and enough time this is one of the few moving costs you fully control.
What landlords check as standard
Always ask for the move-in inspection report and work through it point by point. Beyond that, these are the fixed focus areas at practically every handover.
- Limescale and soap residue in the shower, basin and on taps.
- Grease on the extractor hood, its filter, the tiled wall behind the hob and the tops of kitchen cabinets.
- The inside of the oven, fridge, freezer and microwave, including the seals.
- Windows on the inside, frames, window sills and sliding door rails.
- Skirting boards, door frames, light switches and sockets.
- Drill holes, wall plugs, screws and glue residue from hooks and mirrors.
- Ventilation grilles, radiators and the space behind them.
- Floors: no stains, no sticky patches, corners and edges included.
- Storage room, balcony, garden or walkway — outdoor space is often forgotten but still counts.
Checklist: kitchen and bathroom
These are the two rooms where most deposit deductions arise, so this is where your time pays off best. Work top to bottom and finish with the floor.
- Kitchen: cabinets inside and out, including the tops and the handles.
- Kitchen: degrease the extractor hood and replace or thoroughly clean the filter.
- Kitchen: degrease the oven, hob, microwave and toaster inside.
- Kitchen: empty, defrost and clean fridge and freezer, then leave the door slightly open.
- Kitchen: worktop, tiled wall, silicone seals and the sink trap.
- Bathroom: remove limescale from taps, shower head, glass and tiles.
- Bathroom: treat grout and silicone seals, tackle any mould.
- Bathroom: the toilet completely — bowl, seat, back, floor edge and the fixing caps.
- Bathroom: open the drains and remove hair and soap residue.
- Bathroom: mirror, mirror cabinet and ventilation grille.
Checklist: living room, bedrooms and general
The remaining rooms go faster, but they create the overall impression the inspector bases their judgement on.
- All cupboards empty, including the meter cupboard and the space under the stairs.
- Fill drill holes, remove wall plugs and touch up as agreed in the tenancy contract.
- Walls free of marks; check behind furniture that stood there for years.
- Windows inside, frames, sills and window fittings.
- Doors, door frames, handles and the tops of the doors.
- Skirting boards, radiators and the pipes behind them.
- Vacuum and mop floors, including corners, edges and the stairs.
- Lights: leave or replace fittings as stated in the contract and dust them.
- Storage room, balcony and garden emptied and swept; leave no waste behind.
- All keys complete, including spares and the letterbox key.
DIY or professional? The sums
End-of-tenancy cleaning is usually priced per square metre. In 2026 that price in Noord-Brabant sits between €2.50 and €4.40 per m². SchoonGeregeld charges €2.75 per m² with a €199 minimum. For a 70 m² apartment that works out at roughly €193, so in practice the €199 minimum; for a 110 m² house it is about €303.
Doing it yourself costs no money but plenty of time, and time is scarce during a moving week. Budget a full day for an apartment and one and a half to two days for a family home, plus degreaser, limescale remover, oven cleaner, scouring pads and possibly carpet cleaner hire. Set those hours against our hourly rate of €31.50 and the gap is smaller than you would expect.
Risk usually decides it. A professional end-of-tenancy clean costs a fixed amount and generally delivers a result that passes inspection; a failed attempt costs you a day off and part of your deposit. If you are torn, take the middle road: clear the place and do the rough work yourself, and have the kitchen, bathroom and windows done professionally.
Watch the VAT rate when comparing quotes. Cleaning work inside a home in the Netherlands is generally taxed at the reduced 9% rate, while exterior work generally falls under 21%. The treatment depends on the situation — ask, or check with the Dutch tax authority.
Timeline: from notice to key handover
Schedule the clean as a separate appointment in your moving plan, not as something you squeeze in at the end.
- Four weeks ahead: request the move-in inspection report and walk the property with it.
- Three weeks ahead: request quotes and book a cleaner; the last days of the month fill up first.
- One week ahead: fill drill holes and arrange repairs, so no new dust or paint appears afterwards.
- Two days ahead: property completely empty, including storage room and balcony.
- One day ahead: the end-of-tenancy clean — always after emptying, never before.
- On the day: photograph every room before the handover and keep the photos with your tenancy file.
Frequently asked questions
What does an end-of-tenancy clean cost?
In Noord-Brabant the 2026 market price sits between €2.50 and €4.40 per square metre. SchoonGeregeld charges €2.75 per m² with a €199 minimum, so small apartments also have a clear fixed price.
Does the property need to be empty before the cleaner arrives?
Yes. An end-of-tenancy clean always happens in an empty property, including storage room and balcony. If belongings are still in place, edges, skirting boards and floors cannot be fully covered.
Will I definitely get my deposit back after a professional clean?
A professional clean covers the cleaning part of the handover. Damage, drill holes, missing keys or outstanding repairs fall outside that and are assessed separately by the landlord.
How long does an end-of-tenancy clean take?
For a 70 to 90 m² apartment we usually plan half a working day to a full day with a team. Larger properties, a heavily soiled oven or a lot of limescale make it longer.
Which VAT rate applies to an end-of-tenancy clean?
Cleaning work inside a home in the Netherlands is generally taxed at the reduced 9% rate; exterior work generally at 21%. The exact treatment depends on the situation, so ask or check with the Dutch tax authority.
Want to work out your own price?
Moving soon? Work out the price of your end-of-tenancy clean based on your square metres, or request a quote with the handover date included — then we reserve a slot in the schedule for you.