A rushed end-of-tenancy clean is the single biggest reason Cape Town tenants lose part of their deposit. Agents in the Northern Suburbs — Milnerton, Table View, Century City, Blouberg — now do detailed handover inspections with a checklist of their own. If you want yours back in full, you need to beat that checklist before they open the door.
Why deposits get docked
Most deductions have nothing to do with damage — they're cleaning related. Built-up oven grease, limescale in showers, dust on top of cupboards, and marks on skirting boards are the most common culprits we see when we're called in to fix a failed inspection before the final walkthrough.
Good to know
The room-by-room checklist
Kitchen:
- Oven, hob and extractor fan degreased inside and out
- Inside of fridge and freezer wiped down and defrosted
- Cupboards emptied and wiped, including tops and inside corners
- Sink, taps and splashback descaled
Bathrooms:
- Shower glass, tiles and grout descaled
- Toilet base, cistern and behind the bowl cleaned
- Extractor fan cover dusted
- Mirrors and cabinets streak-free
Living areas and bedrooms:
- Skirting boards, light switches and door frames wiped
- Windows and sills cleaned inside
- Built-in cupboards emptied, vacuumed and wiped
- Carpets professionally cleaned or hard floors sealed and polished
When to book the clean
Book your end-of-tenancy clean for the day after your furniture leaves, ideally 24–48 hours before the final inspection. This gives enough buffer to fix anything the agent flags without paying for a rushed same-day callout.
Need an end-of-tenancy clean?
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If you'd rather not spend your last weekend in the flat scrubbing an oven, our end-of-tenancy team works from this exact checklist on every job across the Northern Suburbs — so you can hand back the keys with confidence.
