England · Deposit deductions

Can my landlord charge for oven cleaning? (England)

Only if the oven is dirtier than when you moved in. Ovens are one of the few places where photos really carry weight with deposit adjudicators, so photograph it inside at move-in and move-out.

Short answer

Chargeable if it's less clean than at check-in. You can't be made to use a specialist cleaning company.

What decides it

The oven's condition in the check-in report versus the check-out report.

Photos

TDS says photos are of little value for cleaning claims, except for single items such as ovens.

Amount

Must be reasonable and itemised. Adjudicators cut charges that look too high.

How deposit adjudicators decide

• They look for evidence that the oven was less clean at the end than at the start, not just a clause saying it must be "professionally cleaned".
• If the check-in report doesn't mention the oven's cleanliness, they won't assume it was clean.
• Wear and tear isn't relevant to cleaning. A worn-out element or a cracked door seal from normal use is a different matter: that's wear, not dirt.
• Invoices should be itemised. Charges with call-out fees and no breakdown that look too high for the job are usually reduced.

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a landlord can't require you to pay a specialist oven-cleaning company. You can clean it yourself.

The photos that count

• Open the oven at move-in: photograph the inside, racks, door glass and hob, close up.
• Do the same after you clean it at move-out, in the same light.
• If the oven was greasy when you arrived, get that written into the check-in report.

A letter you can send

Copy this, fill in the brackets and send it by email so you have a dated record.

Dear [name],

You have proposed deducting [amount] for cleaning the oven at [address].

I can only be charged if the oven was less clean at the end of the tenancy than at the start. My photos from [move-in date] show the oven's condition when I arrived [describe: grease on the door glass, burnt residue...], and my photos from [move-out date] show it after I cleaned it.

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, I can't be required to pay for a specialist cleaning service.

Please return the deposit in full, or send the check-in and check-out entries for the oven and an itemised invoice.

Kind regards,
[name]

If your landlord won't move

Your deposit must be in a government-approved scheme (DPS, mydeposits or TDS), and each one has a free dispute service. An adjudicator decides on the written evidence from both sides. The deposit stays yours until the landlord proves the deduction. See the England and Wales guide for the deadlines and how to start a dispute.

Other common deductions in England

• End-of-tenancy cleaning
• Carpet cleaning
• Repainting
• Nail holes and Blu-tack

Also useful: wear and tear or damage? · deposit deadline calculator · move-in photo checklist

Sources: TDS: how we approach cleaning disputes · Tenant Fees Act 2019, section 1 · Tenant Fees Act 2019: guidance for landlords and agents (professional cleaning). General information, not legal advice.