Sparkling Services provides end-of-tenancy cleaning and post-clearance cleaning in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia. Cooker hood and oven degreased, bathroom descaled, windows, doors and floors cleaned: your home is ready for the check-out inspection or key handover. The site visit is free usually within 48 hours, or we quote from photos, always at a fixed price.
Why end-of-tenancy cleaning matters in Belgium
In Belgium, tenants must return the property in the condition described in the move-in inventory, apart from normal wear and tear. A poorly cleaned home is one of the most common reasons landlords hold back part of the rental deposit. Wear is expected; dirt is not.
A greasy cooker hood, a burnt-on oven, limescale on the shower screen or marks on the doors are classic comments at the check-out inspection, known locally as the état des lieux de sortie or plaatsbeschrijving bij uittrede. Those costs are discussed when the deposit, usually held in a blocked bank account in the tenant's name, is due to be released, and any dispute delays the refund.
A professional clean before you leave avoids that. It is also useful when:
- a house has just been cleared and needs to be ready for sale or handed back to the heirs;
- a landlord wants the property spotless before the next tenant moves in;
- a parent moves into a care home and the flat must go back to the landlord;
- you are an expat leaving Belgium and will not be around on inspection day.
What our end-of-tenancy clean includes
Our end-of-tenancy clean covers everything a landlord checks: kitchen, bathroom, joinery, reachable windows, floors and storage, from the inside of drawers to the skirting boards. The team brings its own equipment and professional products.
Kitchen
- cooker hood, filters, worktops and splashback degreased;
- oven, hob and microwave cleaned inside and out;
- empty cupboards washed inside and out, fridge cleaned (please defrost the freezer beforehand if needed).
Bathroom and toilet
- taps, shower, glass screen and bath descaled;
- grout, tiles, washbasin, mirror and toilet cleaned and disinfected.
Every room
- inside windows, frames and sills, and outside panes where safely reachable;
- doors, handles, switches, radiators and skirting boards;
- floors vacuumed and mopped, cobwebs removed;
- balcony or terrace swept, cellar and garage left empty and clean.
Not included: painting, filling holes, repairs or treating structural damp. Those are renovation jobs rather than cleaning.
What landlords check at the check-out inspection
At the check-out inspection, the landlord or an independent expert goes through the move-in report room by room: anything that was clean when you arrived must be clean when you leave. Knowing the usual checkpoints means nothing gets missed.
The items most often flagged
- Cooker hood and filters: built-up grease is almost always noted.
- The oven: burnt-on residue counts as a lack of maintenance.
- Limescale: dull taps, shower heads and screens, a real issue given how hard tap water is in much of Belgium.
- Inside cupboards and drawers: crumbs, stains, leftover tape.
- Window frames and sills: black dust and condensation marks.
- Radiators and skirting boards: dust between the fins, scuffs from furniture.
- Outbuildings and extras: a forgotten cellar, attic, garage or letterbox still full of things.
The inspection separates dirt, which is the tenant's responsibility, from normal wear, such as paint that has faded slightly over several years. Damage, like a scorch mark on the worktop, is a separate matter that no amount of cleaning will remove.
Practical tip: keep water and electricity connected until after the clean and the inspection, as meter readings are often taken then.
Clearance and cleaning in one go
The most efficient approach is to have one company clear and clean: Sparkling Services empties the property and cleans it straight afterwards, with one quote and one schedule. No days lost between two contractors, and no finger-pointing over who should have done what.
A clearance always leaves traces: dust behind wardrobes, marks on the floor where furniture stood, cobwebs in corners nobody could reach for years. That is why cleaning only starts once the property is completely empty.
Typical situations
- Probate and estates: a parent's house is cleared, cleaned and handed to the notary or estate agent for sale.
- Rented flat after a death: the heirs must return it empty and clean to the landlord.
- Moving abroad: you leave before the inspection, we clear whatever remains and clean.
- Between tenants: the landlord wants the property ready for viewings.
Reusable items from the clearance are put to good use or donated to social-economy organisations (for example Les Petits Riens, Oxfam or the Kringwinkel network), depending on what they accept; everything else is sorted and recycled through suitable channels (recycling parks, sorting centres). Their value is deducted from the clearance price: it can make the clearance free, or we pay you the difference.
How the cleaning works
Ideally, book the clean one or two days before your check-out inspection, once the property is completely empty. That leaves time if anything needs a second look.
1. Assessment
We usually visit within 48 hours or work from photos: floor area, number of rooms, the state of the kitchen and bathroom, number of windows.
2. Fixed quote
You receive a fixed price and a date. If a clearance is needed too, it appears on the same quote.
3. The clean
The team works top to bottom and from the back of the property towards the front door: ceilings and cobwebs, cupboards, windows and frames, kitchen, bathroom, and floors last.
4. Final check and keys
We walk through every room. If you are away, you receive photos and we drop the keys with the letting agent, building manager or landlord, as agreed.
You do not have to be there: you can hand us the keys before you fly out, which suits expats in particular.
How much does end-of-tenancy cleaning cost?
The price mainly depends on floor area, the number of bathrooms and the state of the kitchen, and Sparkling Services sets a fixed amount after a visit or from photos. No surprises afterwards: for private clients, 21% VAT is included in the price quoted.
What affects the quote:
- living area and number of rooms;
- number of bathrooms and toilets;
- how dirty it is: baked-on grease, old limescale, nicotine staining;
- number and size of windows, including any conservatory;
- extra spaces such as a cellar, garage or terrace;
- timing, for example cleaning the day before the inspection;
- combining it with a clearance, often better value than two separate jobs.
When cleaning follows a clearance, the clearance and the cleaning appear as separate lines on the same free, no-obligation quote; the value of reusable items is deducted from the clearance part. You can see exactly what each part of the job costs.
Practical points in Belgium: regions, keys and parking
Since Belgium's sixth state reform, each region sets its own residential lease rules, but the core principle is the same everywhere: the property must be returned in line with the move-in inventory. Details such as notice periods, the deposit or the role of an inspection expert differ between Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia; your lease and the move-in report remain the documents that count.
Keys and access
We can collect the keys from you, the letting agent or the building manager and return them to the same place after the clean. In an apartment block, let the building manager know if the lift needs protecting while the last pieces of furniture are removed.
Parking
For a cleaning-only job, a van is enough and a parking reservation is rarely needed. If a clearance comes first, Sparkling Services applies to the municipality for kerb space for the lorry a few days in advance.
Meters and appliances
Switch off the fridge the day before and leave the door open, and do not cut off water or electricity before the inspection: without hot water, proper cleaning is impossible.
Why choose Sparkling Services for your move-out?
Because we know what landlords and inspection experts look for, and we can handle both the clearance and the cleaning.
- One point of contact to clear, clean and return the keys.
- A fixed price, agreed before we start.
- Equipment and products included, suited to limescale and grease.
- Service in English, French and Dutch, ideal for expats and international landlords.
- Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia, in cities and villages alike.
No company can guarantee the outcome of a check-out inspection, because wear and any damage are also taken into account. But a genuinely clean home takes away the landlord's most common reason for keeping part of your deposit.
