End of Tenancy Cleaning in Singapore: How to Protect Your Deposit

By Scrubbys SG · Updated 18 July 2026

Your security deposit in Singapore is typically one month of rent for an HDB rental, and one to two months for private property. At handover, the state of the unit is one of the most common reasons landlords make deductions, and cleaning is the easiest deduction for them to justify, because it is visible the moment they walk in.

Most tenancy agreements require the unit to be returned in the same condition as at the start of the lease, fair wear and tear excepted. In practice, that means a unit that looks and smells clean at inspection: not just tidied, but cleaned to the standard a landlord would be comfortable showing the next tenant.

What Landlords and Agents Actually Check

• Kitchen: inside the fridge, oven, and microwave, hood and hob grease, sink and counters
• Bathrooms: toilet bowls, basins, taps, shower glass, mirrors, and floor corners
• Carpentry: inside every drawer and wardrobe, not just the surfaces
• Windows: tracks, sills, frames, and glass
• Ceiling fans and aircon exteriors
• Floors, including under where furniture used to be
• Balcony and store room

Notice the pattern: inspections concentrate on the places weekly cleaning skips. A unit can look presentable and still fail on the fridge interior, the window tracks, and the wardrobe drawers.

Before Any Cleaning Happens: Clear the Unit

Whether you clean yourself or hire professionals, the unit needs to be completely cleared of personal belongings and trash first. Cleaners cannot clean around your boxes, and landlords will not inspect around them either. At Scrubbys SG, if items are left behind on cleaning day, a disposal and packing charge applies, and most cleaning companies work the same way.

DIY or Professional?

Doing it yourself is entirely possible if you have a full day, proper degreaser for the kitchen, and the willingness to get inside every drawer and window track. Where tenants usually come unstuck is time: move out week is already packed with logistics, and the clean is the last job standing between you and the handover.

A professional end of tenancy clean in Singapore starts from around $380 for a smaller unit and scales by size. Set against a deposit of one to two months of rent, most tenants treat it as insurance: the clean costs a fraction of what a disputed deposit is worth, and the unit is inspected on the same day while the crew can still fix anything that was missed.

Timing Your Clean

• Book at least 1 week ahead, handover dates cluster around month end and slots are first come first serve
• Schedule the clean after your movers are done, never before
• Arrange your landlord inspection for the same day or the day after the clean
• Take photos of every room once cleaning is done, they are your evidence of handover condition

One Last Distinction: Moving In Instead?

End of tenancy cleaning, end of lease cleaning, and move out cleaning all refer to the same thing, cleaning a unit to landlord inspection standard before handover. If you are on the other side of the move, collecting keys rather than returning them, the equivalent service is a Pre Move In Clean, same checklist and pricing, done while the unit is still empty.