How to Pass a Savills Checkout Inspection
That moment at the end of the tenancy when the stakes suddenly feel real. The flat you stopped noticing months ago — the scuff by the front door, the faded patch behind where the sofa lived, the limescale ring you kept meaning to tackle — is about to be examined by someone with a clipboard, a camera, and your deposit hanging in the balance.
If you've been renting through Savills, you're probably dealing with a certain type of property. Maybe it's a Victorian terrace in Wandsworth with a garden that quietly went feral. A riverside flat in Battersea with floor-to-ceiling windows that show every fingerprint. A five-bed in Fulham with an Aga you used three times and a utility room you never quite figured out. Savills manages everything from prime central London apartments to country houses in the Home Counties — and their checkout doesn't care how much you loved the flat. It compares the flat against the document that was written on the day you moved in.
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The Savills abort clause — read this first
Savills' own moving-out guidance is explicit: if the property is not ready for checkout, the inventory clerk can abort the appointment — and you will be charged a cancellation fee. The checkout doesn't just go badly. It may not happen at all, requiring a rebooked slot. That means preparation isn't optional — it's the prerequisite. If you're not done when the clerk arrives, you're paying twice.
How the Savills Checkout Actually Works
Four stages — and the timing between them is where most tenant mistakes happen. Savills recommends booking contractors up to a month in advance. Use that timeline.
Independent inventory clerk inspects — on the day you leave
The clerk compares every room against the check-in report and photographs everything. This is not a Savills employee — it's an independent APIP-accredited clerk. You can and should attend. Bring your printed check-in report with pre-existing issues bookmarked. Raise any discrepancy in the room where it appears, before the clerk moves on.
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Savills recommends booking contractors up to a month in advance of checkout. Sequencing matters: repairs before cleaners, cleaners as close to checkout day as possible. A freshly cleaned property that was repaired the same morning will have dust from the repair on every cleaned surface.Hand receipts to the clerk at the checkout appointment
Savills specifically advises tenants to hand all cleaning and repair receipts directly to the inventory clerk — not email them to the branch later, not attach them to a dispute, but hand them over at the time of checkout. This creates an on-the-record acknowledgment that the work was done. If a deduction is later proposed for something with a receipt, its presence in the checkout report is significantly stronger than producing it afterwards.
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If you hired a professional cleaner, get a written receipt that includes the date, the address, and the scope of work. A payment confirmation alone is less useful than a detailed receipt.Checkout report issued — compare it immediately
The checkout report goes to you and your landlord. Read it the day you receive it — line by line, against your check-in report. If anything is described differently from how you believe it was left, write to Savills immediately with specific references. Waiting erodes your position. Acting immediately creates a contemporaneous record.
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Pay particular attention to conditions described as 'worse than check-in'. Each one should be compared against the corresponding check-in description and photograph. If a condition was already noted at check-in, that's your argument — with page reference.Agree, negotiate, or escalate to TDS
For AST tenancies, if deductions can't be agreed, the disputed portion goes to TDS. The undisputed amount is returned immediately. For Non-Housing Act tenancies, the resolution route follows your contractual terms. Either way, the evidence framework is the same: check-in vs checkout, photographs, receipts, and independent quotes for inflated costs.
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Savills is regulated by RICS and a member of ARLA Propertymark. If the agency's conduct during the process fell short of professional standards, those are additional complaint routes — separate from the deposit dispute itself. Savills' designated ombudsman is the Property Redress Scheme (PRS).The Heating Clause Nobody Expects
This is the Savills-specific detail that catches tenants completely off guard — and it's small enough that it tends to be forgotten entirely until it's too late.
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Leave the heating at 16°C on constant
Required for checkouts between October and May — per Savills' own moving-out guidanceAn empty property with no heating in a London winter is a burst pipe waiting to happen. A void period between tenants can last days or weeks — long enough for pipes to freeze in a cold spell. If that happens after you've handed back the keys with the heating switched off, the question of who's responsible gets complicated fast.
Before you close the front door for the last time, set the central heating thermostat to 16°C on a constant setting — not timed, not off, constant. It takes ten seconds. It's documented in Savills' own moving-out checklist. It's the last thing you do before handing back the keys.
AST vs Non-Housing Act Tenancy — Which Applies to You?
Savills manages both AST and NHA (Non-Housing Act) tenancies. The type you signed determines your deposit protection, dispute route, and whether the Tenant Fees Act caps apply. If you're a private individual renting as your main home at under £100k/yr, you're almost certainly on an AST. If you're on a company let, or your rent exceeds £100,000 annually, check your agreement.
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AST
Assured Shorthold Tenancy📑
NHA
Non-Housing Act Tenancy📄 Assured Shorthold Tenancy
Most standard residential tenants — the default for private lettings in England where annual rent is below £100,000 and the property is your main home.5 weeks' rent, capped. 6 weeks if annual rent exceeds £50,000.
TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) — mandatory government-backed protection
Tenant Fees Act applies — no checkout arrangement fees
Statutory TDS adjudication. Free, independent, evidence-based.
Are You Ready for the Clerk? Take the Savills Readiness Check
The clerk can abort if the property isn't ready — and you'll pay the cancellation fee. Answer these 10 questions honestly before checkout day to see your risk level.
Savills Checkout Day Readiness Check
1
Have you read the full check-in inventory — room by room, not just skimmed it?
✓ Yes
✗ No
2
Is all cleaning fully completed — including oven interior, extractor fan, behind appliances, and bathroom grout?
⛔ ABORT RISK if No
✓ Yes
✗ No
3
Are all repairs finished — holes filled, paintwork touched up, any broken fittings replaced?
⛔ ABORT RISK if No
✓ Yes
✗ No
4
Do you have receipts for all cleaning and repair work ready to hand to the clerk?
✓ Yes
✗ No
5
If furnished: is every piece of furniture returned to its check-in inventory position?
✓ Yes
✗ No
6
Is the garden, terrace, or outdoor space returned to the condition documented at check-in?
⛔ ABORT RISK if No
✓ Yes
✗ No
7
If checking out October–May: is the thermostat set to 16°C on constant?
✓ Yes
✗ No
8
Have you taken dated, comprehensive photographs of every room, surface, and appliance after cleaning?
✓ Yes
✗ No
9
Are all personal belongings fully removed — including from storage, loft, shed, and utility room?
⛔ ABORT RISK if No
✓ Yes
✗ No
10
Are all keys ready to return to your Savills office after the checkout?
✓ Yes
✗ No
We clean to checkout standard — with a 72-hour re-clean guarantee
If anything is flagged at your Savills checkout, we return at no cost. Receipts provided for the inventory clerk.
What Savills Tenants Get Caught On
These patterns come from tenant discussions on Trustpilot, allAgents, Reddit and MoneySavingExpert — plus what Savills' own tenant guidance acknowledges as common friction points. Five issues come up repeatedly across Savills' London portfolio.
Tap any card to see what happened and what to do differently.
Cleaning
Very common
Professional clean deductions on properties that were cleaned at check-in
Tenant cleaned thoroughly — or hired a cleaner — but deductions were proposed because the checkout clerk found areas that didn't meet the 'professionally cleaned throughout' standard from the check-in report. The recurring shortfalls: behind the oven, inside the extractor fan housing, the grout between bathroom tiles, and the gap between the hob and the worktop. These are the areas that separate a careful domestic clean from a professional one — and they're exactly where the clerk looks.
Read the check-in report's cleaning description before you do anything. If it says professionally cleaned, that's the required standard — not 'quite clean' or 'looks good'. Keep your professional cleaning receipt and hand it to the clerk at the checkout. Our professional end-of-tenancy cleaning service covers every area the clerk will inspect, backed by a 72-hour re-clean guarantee.
Avoidable — match the check-in standard and produce the receipt
Furnished inventory
Common in furnished lets
Items in wrong rooms, missing fittings, or soft furnishing condition
Inventory discrepancies across furnished Savills properties: cushions redistributed between rooms, lamps relocated, dining chairs that migrated to bedrooms, upholstery with new staining. In a property with high-end furnishings, replacement costs are substantial. And because the inventory has photographs of every item's position, anything that's moved is a recorded discrepancy — not a matter of judgement.
Pull up the check-in inventory photographs and physically walk through the property. Return every item to its documented position. Treat soft furnishing staining with appropriate upholstery cleaner before the checkout, then photograph after treatment. If a stain existed at check-in, it should have been photographed — check the inventory and reference it if relevant.
Entirely preventable — walk the inventory an hour before the clerk arrives
Garden
Very common in houses
Outdoor space not returned to check-in condition
Check-in noted the garden as 'well-maintained with lawn cut and borders tended.' Checkout found lawn overgrown, borders untended, moss on paving, accumulated leaves in gutters. Savills manages a significant proportion of properties with private outdoor space — Victorian houses in Wandsworth, Clapham, family homes in Wimbledon. Garden condition is in the inventory and held to exactly the same standard as interior rooms. It's the most frequently overlooked area at checkout.
Treat the garden like a room. Mow the lawn, clear the borders, jet-wash paving if the check-in documented it as clean, wash down garden furniture, clear any accumulated leaves or rubbish. For waterfront properties with balconies or terraces, clean the deck or tiles and wipe down any outdoor furniture — river-facing surfaces attract weathering and grime that needs to be addressed before checkout.
Preventable — include outdoor space in your checkout preparation
Walls
Common in prime properties
Paint-specific repairs in premium-decorated properties
TV bracket holes filled with standard white filler and touched up in the wrong shade — visible against the original Farrow & Ball wall. In a standard rental, a small patch might be minor. In a Savills prime central London property where walls are specifically decorated, a mismatched repair on a bespoke-painted wall is a documented issue that requires professional redecoration to resolve properly.
Before filling or painting anything, check the check-in inventory for paint references. Contact your Savills property manager and ask for the paint specification. Farrow & Ball and other premium paints are available to buy in sample pots. Getting the shade right before you paint costs less than professional redecoration after you've left a visible mismatch. If in doubt, don't touch it — an unfilled hole is less expensive than a wrong-shade repair in many checkout outcomes.
Ask before repainting — shade accuracy matters more than speed
Waterfront
Specific to riverside and balcony properties
Balcony and riverside property specifics not addressed
Savills has a dedicated London waterfront lettings team covering the Thames stretch from Richmond to Canary Wharf. Riverside properties come with specific checkout challenges: balcony furniture left weathered and uncleaned, condensation damage on river-facing window frames, water marks and mildew on balcony decking, and exterior surfaces that accumulate grime faster than interior equivalents. Tenants in riverside Battersea and South Bank properties consistently underestimate how much attention the exterior needs.
For any property with a balcony, terrace, or riverside-facing exterior: treat it like an additional room. Clean decking with appropriate product, wipe down all outdoor furniture, descale any hard water marks on exterior glass or railings, and check the condition of window frames and door tracks on river-facing elevations where condensation is heavier. These surfaces are in the inventory and will be checked.
Often missed — exterior surfaces need the same preparation as interior rooms
Your Savills Pre-Checkout Checklist
Six stages — from a month out to the moment you close the door. Includes the heating clause, receipt handover, and outdoor scope. Tick items as you complete them.
Savills Pre-Checkout Checklist
Includes Savills-specific requirements: contractor timing, receipt handover, the heating clause, and outdoor/waterfront scope.📅
One month before checkout
Start here
Download and read the full check-in inventory from your Savills online account — all pages, all photographs
CRITICAL
Book cleaning contractors — Savills recommends up to a month in advance. Availability tightens near month-end
CRITICAL
Book any repair contractors for filling, painting, or fixture work — repairs must be done before cleaners arrive
CRITICAL
Confirm your checkout appointment date with Savills and mark it in your calendar — you should attend in person
Check your tenancy type: AST or NHA? This determines your deposit protection and dispute route
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Repairs — before the cleaners arrive
Do before cleaning
Fill any Rawlplug holes from shelving, TV brackets, or picture hooks — use appropriate filler and sand flush
CRITICAL
Contact Savills for paint specification before touching up any walls — matching the shade matters significantly in premium properties
CRITICAL
Replace any broken fittings: door handles, blind slats, toilet seats, shower rails
Report any pre-existing issues if not already documented — a last-minute maintenance report at least creates a paper trail
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Kitchen — highest deduction risk
High risk
Oven interior: base, ceiling, back wall, door glass (both inner and outer panels), racks, seals — every surface
CRITICAL
Extractor fan: remove filter, soak and clean, reinstall. The housing unit underneath is also inspected
CRITICAL
Behind the fridge and under the dishwasher/washing machine — pull out, clean the floor, wall and side panels
CRITICAL
Aga or range cooker if applicable — these require specialist cleaning products and methods. Do not use standard oven spray
CRITICAL
Inside all cupboards and drawers — wipe every shelf, check for crumbs, sticky residue, forgotten items
Utility room if applicable — one of the most frequently overlooked areas in Savills properties with separate utility spaces
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Bathroom — second highest risk
High risk
Tile grout: scrub every line. Use a grout brush — discolouration between tiles is one of the most commonly noted findings
CRITICAL
Silicone sealant: treat mould with appropriate product. Consider replacing if deeply stained
CRITICAL
Shower screen: limescale, soap scum, and water marks on both sides of the glass — compare against check-in photograph
CRITICAL
Taps and showerhead: descale thoroughly — particularly important in Savills' hard-water South and West London areas
Toilet: limescale under the rim, inside the bowl, cistern exterior, and the floor seal at the base of the pan
Extractor fan cover: remove, wash, and refit — grease and dust accumulate and are checked
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Outdoor and waterfront-specific
Often missed
Garden: mow lawn, clear borders, remove accumulated leaves or garden waste, treat moss on paving
CRITICAL
Garden furniture: wipe down or treat all outdoor furniture to the condition documented at check-in
Balcony or terrace: clean deck or tiled surface with appropriate product, remove any weathering or mildew
CRITICAL
River-facing windows and frames: condensation damage and water marks are common on riverside properties — clean frame tracks and check for mould
Gutters and drains: clearing significant leaf build-up is part of the outdoor scope in most Savills house inventories
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Checkout day — before you close the door
Final steps
If October–May: set central heating thermostat to 16°C on CONSTANT before leaving — not off, not timed, constant
CRITICAL
Hand all cleaning and repair receipts directly to the inventory clerk at the checkout appointment
CRITICAL
Take dated, comprehensive photographs of every room, surface, appliance, and outdoor space
CRITICAL
Walk through with the clerk — reference your check-in report page numbers for any pre-existing issues
Remove every belonging: every cupboard, drawer, storage space, loft if accessible, garden shed, garage
CRITICAL
Return all keys to your Savills office in person and get written confirmation — do not post or leave in the property
CRITICAL
Provide a forwarding address to Savills for deposit return
Don't forget the heating. If it's October to May, leave the thermostat set to 16°C constant before handing back the keys. It takes ten seconds. It protects the property during the void period. And if anything goes wrong with the pipes after you leave with the heating off, you don't want that conversation with Savills and the landlord.
If Deductions Are Proposed
Take a breath. Your security deposit can be reclaimed easily if the landlord doesn't prove that they need to pay for cleaning or repairs out of it. Don't accept automatically, don't panic, and don't let the process move faster than your ability to review the evidence.
Compare checkout against check-in — with page references
If an issue was documented at check-in, it is not a valid deduction at checkout. Reference specific pages and item descriptions. This is your most powerful argument and it costs nothing to make — it just requires that you read the check-in report before the checkout.
Submit your photographs immediately
Date-stamped post-cleaning photographs are your evidence. Submit them alongside your written response to any proposed deduction. The TDS adjudicator works from documents only — no site visit. Your photographs are how they see the property.
Challenge inflated costs with independent quotes
Deductions must reflect actual loss at market rates. If a proposed cleaning or repair cost seems disproportionate, get an independent quote. See our London cleaning pricing
Escalate to TDS (AST) or contractual route (NHA)
For ASTs: undisputed amount returned, disputed portion to TDS. Savills is regulated by RICS and a member of ARLA Propertymark. Their designated ombudsman is the Property Redress Scheme (PRS) — a separate complaint route if agency conduct was improper. Deposit return timeline
What can Savills actually deduct? The same rules apply as every London agent — the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and deposit scheme principles set the framework. See our guide on what landlords can legally deduct from your deposit.
Savills Areas — What to Know for Your Borough
Savills operates across prime South West and Central London, with a waterfront lettings team covering Thames-side properties from Richmond to Canary Wharf.
Related Pages
Renting through Savills across London?
We cover Savills' full London patch — from Wandsworth to Chelsea, Richmond to Battersea. Professional end-of-tenancy cleaning in London, backed by a 72-hour re-clean guarantee. We provide receipts — ready for the inventory clerk.
Deni is a seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience in content marketing and vast knowledge in the cleaning business. He specializes in creating engaging content that drives growth and builds brand identity. Passionate about innovation, Deni believes in delivering value through impactful messaging and providing value to readers in a concise and comprehensive manner.
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