Every week a London flat sits empty between tenancies is a week of rent you do not get back. Most of that time is rarely the work itself. It is the gap between the tenant leaving and someone working out what needs doing, getting quotes, and booking trades one after another. This checklist covers what to look at when a tenant moves out, the jobs that usually come up, and how to plan them so the next tenancy can start sooner.
On move-out day
Before anything is cleaned, painted or repaired, record the condition of the flat as the tenant left it:
- Walk through the check-out inventory against the check-in inventory, room by room
- Take dated photos of every room, and close-ups of any marks, damage or missing items
- Take meter readings for gas, electricity and water
- Collect and count every key and fob
- Note anything that has stopped working: appliances, extractor fans, lights, taps, locks
That record matters if there is a disagreement about the deposit. Deductions are generally for damage beyond fair wear and tear, and if they cannot be agreed with the tenant, the deposit protection scheme’s dispute service decides on the evidence in front of it. Deposit questions sit with you or your letting agent; we do not hold deposits or client money, but we are happy to photograph and itemise what we find so you have a clear record.
The jobs that usually need doing
Most flats need some combination of the following between tenancies:
- Decorating: touching up or repainting walls, ceilings and woodwork, especially in hallways and around light switches and door frames
- Bathroom: replacing tired or mouldy silicone around the bath, shower and basin, regrouting where needed, and fixing dripping taps or a running toilet
- Kitchen: realigning cupboard doors, replacing broken hinges or handles, and checking the extractor and appliances
- Floors: professional carpet cleaning, or replacing carpet that is past cleaning; repairing damaged laminate or boards
- Small repairs: door handles, sticking doors and windows, blinds, curtain rails, loose sockets and switch plates, and blown bulbs
- Final clean: once the work is finished, not before it
Individually these are small jobs. The time goes when each one is booked separately, with a painter waiting on a plumber and a cleaner waiting on both.
Check your certificates and alarms
The gap between tenancies is a good time to look at the dates on your current safety paperwork, so nothing falls due in the first weeks of the new tenancy. For a privately rented flat in England that usually means the annual gas safety check, the electrical installation condition report (EICR), and making sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted where they are required and working on the day the new tenancy starts. If anything is due soon, book it into the empty period rather than working around a new tenant later. Your letting agent or adviser can confirm exactly what applies to your property.
How to keep the empty period short
- Look before the tenant leaves. Where the tenancy allows it and the tenant agrees, a visit during the notice period means the scope can be agreed and priced before move-out day.
- Agree one written scope. A single itemised list of everything that needs doing, room by room, so nothing is discovered halfway through.
- Order materials early. Flooring, replacement appliances and anything made to measure can have lead times longer than the work itself.
- Sequence the trades. Repairs and any plumbing or electrical work first, then decorating, then flooring, then the final clean.
- Use one point of contact. One person coordinating the trades and confirming when the flat is ready for viewings saves days of back and forth.
A refresh, or a bigger refurbishment?
Sometimes a void is the right moment to do more than a refresh: replacing a dated kitchen or bathroom, new flooring throughout, or improving storage and lighting. That takes longer and can need consents, so it is worth deciding early whether the next tenancy is better served by a quick turnaround or by a longer, planned refurbishment. Our article on planning a London flat renovation covers the sequence and the permissions that can apply.
How we handle end-of-tenancy work
We visit the flat, agree the scope with you, and send an itemised written quote. Once you are happy with it, our team carries out the work in the right order and keep you updated through one point of contact until the flat is ready to let. Most jobs are quoted as a fixed price after the site visit; our article on fixed price property maintenance explains when that works and when it does not. For ongoing repairs during a tenancy, see our maintenance and repairs service, and for landlords who would rather hand over the day-to-day, landlord property management sets out what we can take on.
Talk to us about your next changeover
The site visit and the written quote are free and carry no obligation. Request a free quote and tell us where the flat is and when the tenant is moving out. We work across central London, including Westminster, Camden, Islington and Kensington and Chelsea.