Cleaning Services
The deep clean that protects your deposit: scope, honest prices, timing around handover, and choosing a provider with a re-clean guarantee.
In the UAE, the last clean of your tenancy can decide whether you get your security deposit back in full. Landlords and property managers expect a rented home to be handed over in the same condition it was received, and a proper move out clean is what gets it there. This guide explains what an end-of-tenancy clean includes, what fair prices look like in 2026, and how to book one that actually protects your deposit.
The short version
A move out clean, also called an end-of-tenancy clean, is a top-to-bottom deep clean of an empty or nearly empty property. Unlike a regular visit that maintains a lived-in home, it aims to return the property to inspection-ready condition. It covers the detailed, behind-and-under work that everyday cleaning skips: inside cupboards and wardrobes, inside the oven and fridge, limescale on taps and glass, skirting boards, air-conditioning vents, and marks on walls and doors. In the language of housekeeping, it is deep surface management rather than routine upkeep.
Most UAE tenancies are registered, in Dubai through the Ejari system, and the tenancy contract typically requires you to return the property in good, clean condition allowing for fair wear and tear. At handover, the landlord or property manager inspects the unit before releasing the security deposit. A professional move out clean, backed by a receipt, is strong evidence that you met that obligation and reduces the chance of deductions for cleaning.
It works both ways. When you move into a new place, a move-in clean gives you a fresh, sanitised start and a documented baseline of the property's condition. Many residents book both around the same changeover.
Tip: keep the paperwork
A standard move out package usually covers all rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, interior windows, cupboards, appliances exteriors and often the oven and fridge interiors. Items frequently quoted as add-ons include:
Because the exact scope varies between companies, get the inclusions in writing so you are not surprised on the day. If the property is only lightly used, a strong deep cleaning may be enough, whereas a heavily lived-in home needs the full move-out treatment.
End-of-tenancy cleaning is priced by property size and condition rather than by the hour, because the goal is a finished result, not a set number of hours. As a rough guide for 2026:
Add-ons such as carpet machines, external windows and AC cleaning increase the total. These figures are indicative: prices vary by property size, condition, location and provider, so always get a written quote. Prime Dubai and Abu Dhabi areas tend to sit higher than Sharjah and the northern emirates.
The difference is scope and intensity. A routine house cleaning service maintains a home you still live in, working around furniture and belongings. A move out clean tackles an empty property and reaches the parts that only become accessible once the furniture is gone. It usually needs a larger team, more time and specialist products for limescale and grease, which is why it costs more. For a fuller explanation of the category, see our guide to move out cleaning.
Sequence matters. Book the clean once your belongings are removed but before the final handover inspection, so the property is presented at its best. Give yourself a buffer of a day or two in case the schedule slips. Demand rises at month-end and around lease renewal season, and working hours shorten during Ramadan, so reserve your slot early rather than assuming next-day availability. Coordinate the date with your landlord's inspection so the clean is fresh when they view it.
Protect yourself with a few checks:
Warning: cheapest is not always safest
It is a full deep clean of an empty property covering all rooms, kitchen and bathrooms, interior windows, cupboards, limescale on taps and glass, skirting boards and AC vents, often with oven and fridge interiors. Carpet machines, external windows and AC deep cleaning are usually add-ons.
As a rough 2026 guide, studios and one-bedroom apartments are a few hundred dirhams up to around AED 900, larger apartments about AED 700 to 1,500, and villas often AED 1,200 and upward. Prices vary by size, condition, location and provider, so always get a written quote.
It strongly helps. Tenancy contracts usually require the property to be returned clean, and a professional clean with a dated receipt and photos is good evidence you met that obligation, reducing the chance of cleaning deductions at the handover inspection.
Book it after your furniture is removed but before the final handover inspection, with a day or two of buffer. Reserve early around month-end and lease-renewal season, and note that working hours shorten during Ramadan, so slots fill faster.
A regular clean maintains a home you still live in and works around your belongings, while a move out clean deep-cleans an empty property and reaches areas only accessible once furniture is gone. It needs more time, a larger team and specialist products, so it costs more.
Yes, where possible. A re-clean guarantee means the company will return and fix any area the landlord flags at inspection, which protects your deposit far more effectively than simply picking the cheapest quote.
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