End-of-Tenancy Commercial Cleaning Dublin: Vacate-Day Costs & SLA

Last updated: 4 May 2026 · By Shepherd Nyakudya, Founder, Optus Glean

What governs end-of-tenancy obligations on a commercial lease?

The legal framework for commercial vacate-day obligations in Ireland is fundamentally different from residential:

• Commercial leases are governed by contract law and the specific terms of the lease itself. The Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has no jurisdiction over commercial tenancies. Disputes are resolved through the courts (typically the Circuit Court for moderate-value disputes) or, where the lease provides, through commercial arbitration.
• Residential leases are governed by the Residential Tenancies Acts 2004-2024 with RTB as the tribunal. Different rules; different remedies.

For end-of-tenancy commercial cleaning, the relevant clauses in the lease are:

• Repair covenant: the standard of repair the tenant must maintain throughout the lease.
• Yield-up clause: the standard the premises must be returned in at lease end.
• Dilapidations: the landlord's claim for any disrepair on the premises at lease end.
• Schedule of condition: a baseline document recording the condition at lease start, against which yield-up condition is compared.
• Reinstatement clause: the obligation to remove tenant alterations and restore the premises to original condition.

For general guidance on commercial leases, see Citizens Information and consult a property solicitor for specific dispute scenarios.

What does “clean and tidy condition” mean in practice?

The phrase appears in most commercial leases. Its operational meaning:

• All chattels removed — furniture, equipment, signage, IT cabling, partitioning installed by the tenant.
• All waste removed — bins emptied, no rubbish left in any area.
• Surfaces clean — walls, floors, ceilings, windows.
• Sanitaryware clean — WCs, basins, kitchen sinks.
• Kitchen and tea-station deep clean — appliances cleaned, surfaces degreased, fridge defrosted and emptied.
• Floor finishes presentable — carpets shampooed where heavily used, hard floors mopped and polished.
• Tenant signage and branding removed — including reception logos, vinyl decals, and any reception-area branding.
• Holes from fixings made good — typically a property-management or contractor scope, not a cleaner scope, but the cleaning contractor often coordinates the access.
• Reinstatement works completed — partitioning removed, mezzanine reinstated, doorways re-opened, etc., per the reinstatement clause.

The standard against which this is judged is the schedule of condition (if one exists) or, in its absence, “reasonable wear and tear excepted” principles.

What triggers a dilapidations claim?

A landlord typically issues a Schedule of Dilapidations 6-12 months before lease end (an “interim” schedule) and a final schedule at or shortly after lease end. The most common cleaning-related dilapidations triggers:

1. Carpet damage beyond fair wear: heavy staining, burns, or wear that cleaning will not address — replacement may be claimed.
2. Wall scuffs and damage: from furniture, signage screw fixings, partition removal.
3. Floor damage: from heavy equipment without floor protection, IT-trolley wheels on hardwood, spillages on vinyl.
4. Kitchen residue and damage: grease build-up not removed, tile damage, oven/microwave unusable condition.
5. Toilet damage: tile damage, sealant failure not addressed, ceramic damage.
6. Glazing damage or marking: stickers, vinyl, manifestation tape residue.
7. Reinstatement omissions: partitioning left in place where lease required removal; tenant alterations not reversed.
8. Cabling left in place: under-floor and ceiling-void IT cabling not removed.
9. Inadequate cleaning at vacate: the premises returned dusty, dirty, or with rubbish remaining.

A pre-vacate deep clean addresses items 1-9 (other than item 7 reinstatement which is typically a separate fit-out contractor scope).

What does a vacate-day commercial deep clean include?

Typical scope for a commercial office vacate-day deep clean:

• Floors: all carpets vacuumed and shampooed where applicable; all hard floors mopped, with strip-and-reseal for vinyl or polished concrete; stair and corridor detail.
• Walls and ceilings: dust removal, scuff-mark cleaning, light fitting clean, vent grille clean.
• Glazing: all interior windows cleaned both sides; mirrors detailed; glazed partitions polished; all stickers and tape residue removed.
• Kitchen / tea station: appliance interior and exterior clean (oven, microwave, dishwasher, fridge defrosted and cleaned, kettle descaled); cabinet interiors and exteriors; sink and tap descaled; floor mopped; bins removed.
• Toilets and washrooms: WC pan/seat/cistern; basin and tap descaled; mirror; floor; partition; consumable removal; bin removal.
• Office furniture removal coordination: where tenant has not removed all furniture, coordination with removal contractors.
• Reception and signage area: vinyl decals removed; logo board removed if free-standing; surfaces cleaned.
• Storerooms and back-of-house: floor swept and mopped; surfaces cleaned; rubbish removed.
• Final walk-through with landlord representative: documented sign-off.

What is the typical SLA for vacate-day cleaning?

Vacate-day cleaning is typically scheduled in the final 1-3 days of the lease. For an office:

• Small office (under 100 sqm): typically a 1-day clean with 2-3 operatives.
• Medium office (100-300 sqm): typically a 1-2 day clean with 3-5 operatives.
• Large office (300-1000 sqm): typically a 2-3 day clean with 5-10 operatives.
• Multi-floor office (1000+ sqm): typically a 3-5 day clean phased by floor.

Industrial and warehouse vacates are typically priced by area and condition rather than by visit-day.

How is end-of-tenancy commercial cleaning priced?

Pricing models:

• Per-square-metre fixed: the most transparent. Rate varies with condition and finish quality.
• Day-rate per operative: useful for unpredictable scope or where tenant has not finished removal at quote time.
• Hybrid: per-sqm for the routine clean plus hourly rate for ad-hoc additional work.

Pricing is built bottom-up from ERO-compliant labour costs (operative floor €13.30/hr in 2026), plus consumables, equipment hire (carpet shampoo machines, floor scrubbers), specialist chemistry, and overhead. We do not publish specific euro figures here because they vary materially by area and condition. For a fixed-price quote based on a site visit, request a free survey.

How can a tenant minimise their dilapidations exposure?

1. Get a schedule of condition signed at lease start. The single most important risk-reduction measure. A photographic and written record of the premises condition at lease start, signed by both parties, becomes the benchmark for end-of-lease yield-up. Without one, dilapidations becomes a much harder negotiation.
2. Maintain the premises throughout the lease. Ongoing repair and cleaning prevents accumulation of damage that becomes expensive at vacate.
3. Address the interim Schedule of Dilapidations promptly. The landlord's interim schedule (typically issued 6-12 months before lease end) gives the tenant time to remediate before vacate.
4. Commission a pre-vacate inspection. A property-condition surveyor walks the premises 4-8 weeks before vacate, highlighting any issues that need cleaning, repair, or reinstatement.
5. Plan reinstatement in good time. If the lease requires partitioning, mezzanine, or branding removal, schedule that work 4-6 weeks before vacate.
6. Schedule the deep clean for the final 1-3 days. Cleaning too early leads to dust accumulating again; cleaning too late risks the contractor running out of time.
7. Coordinate the vacate-day walk-through. Have the landlord or agent attend the final walk-through with the cleaning contractor's representative; sign off the cleaning state at the time.
8. Document the vacate condition. Photograph every area at vacate, time-stamped, before keys are returned.

What about retail end-of-tenancy cleaning?

Retail vacates have particular considerations:

• Shopfront and signage removal: vinyl, fascia, and branded fixtures removed; the shopfront returned to a vanilla condition or to the condition specified in the schedule of condition.
• Customer-facing display equipment: shelving, display units, mannequins removed.
• Stockroom deep clean: typically includes pest evidence check.
• Customer toilet: full deep clean.
• Floor finish: retail floors typically take heavy wear; the lease may specify a re-finish at vacate.

What about industrial / warehouse end-of-tenancy?

• Floor: oil residue, paint marking, and tyre marks — specialist degreasing and possible mechanical scrubbing.
• Racking removal coordination — typically a separate contractor; cleaning follows racking removal.
• Office area within the warehouse: cleaned to commercial-office standard.
• Loading bay and external apron: pressure-wash typically required.
• Internal walls: dust and scuff removal where wall finishes were exposed.

Does the cleaning contractor handle reinstatement?

Generally no. Reinstatement (removing tenant alterations such as partitioning, mezzanine, ceiling installations) is typically a fit-out contractor's scope. The cleaning contractor cleans after the reinstatement is complete. For complex vacates, the project sequence is:

1. Tenant removal of furniture, equipment, signage.
2. Fit-out contractor reinstatement: partitioning removal, ceiling repairs, mezzanine reinstatement, painting where required.
3. Cleaning contractor deep clean.
4. Final walk-through with landlord and sign-off.
5. Keys returned.

Internal links

• End-of-tenancy checklist
• End-of-tenancy cleaning cost
• Deep clean vs end-of-tenancy clean
• End-of-tenancy cleaning service
• Vacant property cleaning
• Cleaning services in Dublin