Typical cleaning times
A studio or one-bedroom property commonly takes a professional team around three to five hours. A two-bedroom property often takes four to six hours, while a three-bedroom home may need six to eight hours. Larger or heavily used properties can take a full working day.
Those ranges assume the property is empty or nearly empty and has been maintained reasonably well. The number of cleaners changes the elapsed time, but not the total amount of work required.
What makes the clean take longer
Extra bathrooms, furnished rooms, heavy oven grease, limescale, pet hair and inside-appliance cleaning all add time. Carpet extraction, upholstery cleaning, balconies and exterior windows should be scheduled as separate tasks when required.
Access also matters. Restricted parking, long walks from the vehicle, lift bookings and waiting for keys can reduce the useful cleaning window, particularly in central London apartment buildings.
How to plan around checkout
Whenever possible, remove belongings and finish moving before the cleaning team arrives. Book the clean before the inventory inspection, leaving enough time for a final walk-through and photographs.
Tell the cleaner the property size, bathroom count, furnishing level and any known problem areas when requesting a quote. Clear photos make the duration and team size much easier to estimate accurately.
Can it be done the same day?
Often, yes. A prepared flat can usually be cleaned and documented on the same day. For larger homes, carpet extraction or a fixed checkout deadline, booking an earlier start—or the previous day—provides a safer margin.