End of Tenancy Checklist: Everything to Do Before You Hand Back the Keys
Moving out of a rented home in the UK is not one job, it is about ninety small ones, and most of them have a deadline attached. Miss the notice date and you pay for an extra month. Skip the oven and you lose part of your deposit. Forget to photograph an empty room and you have nothing to argue with when the check-out report lands.
This end of tenancy checklist is the running order we see on real move-outs across London and Manchester, and it has been rewritten for the rules that changed on 1 May 2026. Work through it from the top, or jump to the stage you are at. Your ticks are saved on this device, so an accidental refresh will not lose your progress.
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The End of Tenancy Checklist, as a printable PDF
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What changed on 1 May 2026
The Renters’ Rights Act made almost every tenancy in England periodic, and tenant notice went from one month to two, timed to expire on the last day of a rental period. Section 21 no-fault evictions are gone.
That is why this checklist starts ten weeks out rather than four. Most end of tenancy checklists still say one month, because they were written before the change, and planning around the old rule puts you a month behind before you begin.
One more thing if you share the place: notice from one tenant ends the tenancy for everybody, so agree the date with your housemates before anyone sends anything.
The end of tenancy checklist
Nine stages, in the order they actually need doing. Tick them off as you go.
1. Ten to eight weeks before: notice and paperwork
Since 1 May 2026 almost every tenancy in England is periodic and needs two months' notice. Everything else waits on this.
2. Six weeks before: money, bookings and people
Every line here costs more the later you leave it, and the good dates go first.
3. Three to two weeks before: empty the property
An empty property cleans faster, photographs better and gives the check-out inspector far less to write down.
If the new place is not ready, or it is smaller than this one, tenancy gap storage covers the space between the two dates. Stackt can collect, pack, store and return your belongings, with an online inventory so you can request any single item back. The property stays clear for the final clean, with less clutter and less risk of damage on moving day.
4. Two weeks before: repairs and making good
Fair wear and tear is your right. Damage you caused is your bill. Some repairs are not yours at all.
5. Two to one weeks before: address, utilities and admin
The small admin that turns into three months of chasing letters to an address you no longer live at.
6. The final clean: your end of tenancy cleaning checklist
After the property is empty and before the check-out inspection. The oven, the extractor filter and the carpets are where the money goes.
Worth knowing: since the Tenant Fees Act 2019 a landlord cannot require you to pay for professional cleaning as a condition of the tenancy. The property only has to come back as clean as it was at check-in, allowing for fair wear and tear. Plenty of tenants still book a professional end of tenancy clean because it is faster than doing it themselves and it produces an invoice you can show if the standard is questioned.
7. Check-out day
One hour of evidence can protect your entire deposit.
8. After you leave: getting your deposit back
Ask early, ask in writing, and use the free dispute service if the numbers do not add up.
9. Your own tasks
Every tenancy has a few things this list could not know about. The printable version leaves ten blank lines for them.
Fair wear and tear or damage? What a landlord can and cannot deduct
Deposit deductions are argued in the gap between normal use and actual damage. Adjudicators also apportion for how long you lived there and how old the item was, so a five year old carpet is not replaced at new value because of one mark. Cleanliness sits outside this: limescale, grease and mould are a cleaning standard question, not fair wear and tear.
| Usually fair wear and tear | Usually a deduction |
|---|---|
| Faded paint and light scuffing on high traffic walls | Burns, tears, stains, pet damage and smoke smell |
| Worn carpet in doorways, hallways and on stairs | Holes left by shelves, TV brackets and heavy fixings |
| Furniture indentations left in the carpet pile | A colour change nobody approved in writing |
| Minor loosening caused by ordinary use and age | Grease in the oven, limescale and a blocked extractor filter |
| Minor fading caused by sunlight | Rubbish, furniture or bin bags left behind |
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Where storage fits into a move-out
Two situations account for most of the storage bookings we take from tenants. The first is a gap between tenancies, when the new place is not available on the day the old one ends. The second is downsizing, when the next flat simply will not take everything from this one.
In both cases the useful move is the same: get the contents out early, before the clean and before the check-out. It makes the clean cheaper, it makes the empty-property photographs clean and unarguable, and it takes the pressure off moving day itself.
Stackt can collect, pack, store and return your belongings across London and Manchester. You keep an online inventory, so you can request any single item back without visiting a warehouse. See storage with collection and delivery, tenancy gap storage, packing, end of tenancy cleaning and disposal, or work out what you need with the storage calculator.
Summary
An end of tenancy is won or lost on three things: giving notice correctly, emptying the property before you clean it, and photographing everything before you hand back the keys. Under the rules that came in on 1 May 2026 the first of those now starts two months out, so the earlier you start working through this checklist the less of it lands on the last weekend.
Download the PDF, print it, and work backwards from your move-out date.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do I have to give to end my tenancy?
Since 1 May 2026, most tenants in England end a periodic tenancy by giving at least two months’ written notice, timed to expire on the last day of a rental period. Notice can be given by letter, email or text, as long as it is in writing and you keep proof of sending. Your landlord’s agreement is only needed if you want to leave earlier or give shorter notice. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Do I have to pay for professional end of tenancy cleaning?
No. Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord cannot require professional cleaning as a term of the tenancy. You have to return the property as clean as it was at check-in, allowing for fair wear and tear. If it was professionally cleaned before you moved in, that is the standard you are being measured against, which is why many tenants book a professional clean anyway.
Should I repair damage myself before I move out?
Only what is genuinely yours and genuinely small. The landlord is responsible for the structure, plumbing, electrics, heating and sanitary fittings. You are responsible for damage you or your guests caused. Report anything on the landlord’s side in writing rather than fixing it, because a visibly amateur repair can cost you more at check-out than the original fault would have.
How long does a landlord have to return my deposit?
Once you have both agreed how much is being returned, the deposit should be back with you within ten days. If you cannot agree, the money stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is resolved.
What can a landlord deduct from my deposit?
Unpaid rent and bills, damage beyond fair wear and tear, missing items from the inventory, cleaning needed to bring the property back to its check-in standard, and the cost of removing anything you left behind. Deductions have to be evidenced, and they are judged against the check-in report and the other evidence both sides submit.
What counts as fair wear and tear?
The deterioration you would expect from normal use over the length of the tenancy, taking into account how many people lived there and how old the item was. Faded paint and worn carpet in a hallway are wear and tear. A burn, a tear or a stain is damage. Cleanliness is separate: limescale, grease and mould are judged against the cleaning standard at check-in, not treated as wear and tear.
What if my landlord will not return my deposit?
Raise a dispute through the scheme holding your deposit. Adjudication is free, it is decided on the evidence both sides submit, and the deposit stays protected while it runs. This is where your check-in report, check-out report and dated photographs earn their keep.
Where do I put my furniture between tenancies?
If your dates do not line up, storage with collection and delivery is usually simpler and cheaper than hiring a van and a self storage unit separately. Stackt collects, stores and redelivers, so you never visit a warehouse. See tenancy gap storage for how it works.
Written for tenancies in England and current at the time of publication. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For free personal advice, contact Shelter or Citizens Advice.