End-of-Tenancy Decorating in London: What Landlords Need to Know
A practical guide to end-of-tenancy redecoration for London landlords — what the deposit adjudication process expects, what needs repainting, and how to get a property back on the market quickly.
The deposit adjudication context
When a tenancy ends and the landlord makes a deduction from the deposit for redecoration, the adjudicator (at the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, MyDeposits, or DPS) applies a specific set of criteria. Understanding these criteria is essential for landlords — because claiming for work that the adjudicator will not uphold wastes time and money, and failing to claim for legitimate damage leaves the landlord out of pocket.
The key principle applied by all three TDS schemes is fair wear and tear. Normal deterioration of a property through reasonable use — slight scuffing on walls from furniture, minor marks on skirtings from cleaning equipment, slight yellowing of paintwork over time — is not a tenant's liability. Damage beyond normal wear and tear — large holes in walls, significant staining, deliberate damage to paintwork — is.
The practical implication: A property repainted to a good standard at the start of a two-year tenancy cannot be claimed for in full at the end. Adjudicators apply a depreciation model — typically expecting a painted finish to last five to seven years for walls and three to five years for woodwork. If your walls were painted three years ago and show normal use, a claim for full redecoration will be reduced proportionally.
What this means for landlord strategy: do not rely on deposit deductions to fund routine redecoration. Budget for it as a planned maintenance cost.
What actually needs repainting at end of tenancy
A realistic assessment at end of tenancy typically finds:
Usually redecorating: Kitchen walls (cooking vapour, grease, cleaning product contact), bathroom walls (moisture, cleaning products, mould if ventilation has been inadequate), entrance hall and stairwell (high traffic, scuffing), areas where tenant has used adhesive picture hooks or mounted shelves.
Often repainting: Main bedroom and living room walls if tenancy has been two or more years, woodwork in kitchens and bathrooms, front door if external condition has deteriorated.
Rarely needing full repaint: Spare bedrooms used occasionally, upper landing areas, areas the tenant documented as already damaged at check-in.
Scope and specification for a void redecoration
A standard void redecoration of a three-bedroom Victorian terrace in London — returned in normal condition after a two-year tenancy — typically involves:
- Hall, stairs, and landing: full repaint walls and ceiling, woodwork refreshed
- Living room: two-coat refresh of walls (spot-fill and sand, no full prep required if paint is sound), woodwork touched in
- Kitchen: full repaint of walls, ceiling, and woodwork — kitchen surfaces degrade faster than living areas
- Bathroom: full repaint including ceiling, check and re-caulk bath/shower junctions
- Bedrooms (three): condition-dependent — typically a two-coat refresh of walls, woodwork touched in
This scope, completed by a two-person team working efficiently, typically takes five to six working days with materials. Product specification: Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt on walls, Dulux Trade Quick Dry Satinwood on woodwork, Dulux Trade Diamond Eggshell in kitchen and bathroom.
Getting the property back on the market
The priority at end of tenancy is speed — every day the property is empty is a day of lost rental income. We offer fixed-price void redecoration quotes with committed completion dates. For properties in inner London, we can typically start within three to five working days of instruction and complete a standard void within a week of starting.
Fixed-price quotes mean no surprises on the invoice. We assess the property, agree the scope, and provide a written quotation before starting — what we quote is what we charge.
Photography and documentation
On all void redecorations, we provide before-and-after photographs of each room as standard, supplied with the invoice. These support any deposit deduction claim: they document the condition at handover and the completed state of the redecoration, which is exactly what TDS adjudicators require to process a claim.
For end-of-tenancy and void period redecorations in London, contact us here or request a free quote. We work across inner London and cover most of the major lettings areas in SW, W, and NW London.