End of Tenancy Cleaning: What Finnish Landlords Check
End of tenancy cleaning is a mandatory condition in most Finnish rental agreements. Skip it — and your landlord will deduct cleaning costs from your deposit. The term is often confused with move-out cleaning: an end clean covers the flat you are leaving.
What Finnish landlords inspect
Kitchen. Stove and oven — inside, not just wiped from outside. Grease in the oven base is a common note. Extractor fan and filters. Fridge — inside and out. Cupboards — inside.
Bathroom. Tiles — especially corners. Mold on silicone seals is a separate check. Toilet — under the rim.
Floors. Under the sofa and under the bed — yes, they check there too.
Windows. Inside. Sometimes outside on lower floors.
Balcony. Floor, railing, walls.
What is most often missed
From experience, four areas almost always get skipped:
1. Top of the fridge and cupboards — dust accumulates for years 2. Inside the oven — especially the bottom tray 3. Bathroom corner seals 4. Ventilation grilles — filled with dust
DIY or hire a professional?
If the apartment is small and you have been a tidy tenant — do it yourself. Allow 3-4 hours and go through the checklist systematically.
If the apartment is large, or you have lived there for a long time, or you don't have time — hire a professional. The cost is lower than losing your deposit or having a dispute with your landlord.
Prices by flat size are worked out in a separate article.
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Frequently asked questions
What does an end-of-tenancy clean include?▾
Kitchen: hob and oven inside, extractor fan and filters, fridge inside and out, cupboards inside. Bathroom: tiles especially in the corners and behind the toilet, silicone seals, the toilet under the rim. Floors including under furniture, windows from inside, and the balcony floor, railing and walls.
What is most often missed?▾
Four places: the top of the fridge and cupboards, the oven interior and especially the bottom tray, the corner seals in the bathroom, and the ventilation grilles. The grilles unscrew and wash, but few people know it.
Is an end-of-tenancy clean mandatory?▾
It is a condition in most Finnish rental agreements. Skip it and the landlord deducts the cleaning cost from the deposit. Read the clause: some landlords require a receipt from a company, for others cleaning it yourself is enough.
In what order should the clean be done?▾
The oven first, because the cleaner needs time to work, then the bathroom, then the cupboards and the floors last. In a small flat kept tidy that takes 3-4 hours.
When is it worth hiring a professional?▾
When the flat is large, has been lived in a long time, or there is no time. Three hours of professional cleaning costs less than a lost deposit, and a professional knows the points a landlord checks first.
Need a hand?
Tell us the job, the address and when suits you — we reply within the hour with an estimate.
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