The end of tenancy checklist agents actually use

Clerks check in the same order every time

Inventory clerks work to a template and a clock. On a two-bed flat they've got around forty minutes, so they go straight to the places that historically fail. Get those right and the rest of the report tends to follow.

The order, near enough universally: oven and hob, extractor filter, fridge and freezer seals, kitchen cupboard interiors, shower screen and grout, toilet base and hinges, window tracks, skirtings, tops of doors, light switches.

The six things that cost deposits

• Oven door glass. Between the two panes. Most people clean the inner face and stop. If the door doesn't come apart easily, that's a sign it's never been done.
• Extractor filter. The metal mesh goes in the dishwasher or a soak. A greasy filter is an instant flag — it's dated evidence of how the kitchen was used.
• Fridge seals. The rubber gasket holds black mould in its folds. Pull it gently open and clean inside it.
• Shower screen. Soap film and any light scale bond to the glass. It comes off with the right degreaser and patience, not more scrubbing.
• Window tracks. The runners collect grit and dead flies, and clerks photograph them because they're easy to prove.
• Tops of doors and frames. Nobody dusts above eye level. Clerks run a finger along and note it.

What isn't cleaning

Worth being clear, because it saves an argument: scuffed walls, worn carpet, limescale that's etched into glass, chipped worktops and broken fittings are damage or fair wear, not cleaning. No cleaning company can remove them, and any that promises to is going to disappoint you. Photograph them at check-out and argue them separately.

Timing

Clean after the property is completely empty — loft and shed included if they're on the inventory — and before the check-out appointment, ideally the day before so there's time to fix anything. Book four days ahead in the last week of a month; that's when every tenancy in Birmingham ends at once.