The move-out cleaning checklist Nairobi landlords actually use

The move-out cleaning checklist Nairobi landlords actually use

By Faith Njeri · 28 Jul 2026 · Home Care

We do a lot of move-out cleans, and we've noticed that landlords inspect in a predictable order. Knowing that order tells you where to spend your effort.

The six that cost deposits

• Oven interior and hob — the single most common deduction
• Bathroom grout and limescale around taps and showerheads
• Inside kitchen cupboards and wardrobes, not just the fronts
• Window tracks and balcony drains
• Wall marks behind furniture that has stood in one place for years
• The compound or balcony, which tenants almost always forget

Do it in the right order

Top down, wet areas last. Dust and cobwebs come off ceilings and light fittings first, then walls, then surfaces, then floors. If you clean the floor before dusting the ceiling fan, you will clean the floor twice.

Leave the bathroom and kitchen for the end. They need soaking time — limescale remover and oven cleaner both want twenty minutes to work, and that's twenty minutes you can spend elsewhere in the house.

Photograph everything when you finish, timestamped. If a dispute comes up two weeks later, the photographs are the only thing that settles it.