Getting a home ready: cleaning, painting and interiors

How to plan the work before you move in, in what order, and what to ask for in a quote.

Do the work in the right order

Work that makes dust and mess comes first, and work that must stay clean comes last. A usual order is repairs and any changes to walls, then electrical and plumbing, then ceilings and painting, then flooring, then fitted furniture and wardrobes, and last of all a deep clean and the furnishing.

Painting

• Agree the number of coats, the brand and the finish, and whether the price includes preparing the walls and moving furniture.
• Ask how the area is measured; the same room can be priced very differently by wall area, floor area or per room.
• Allow the paint to dry and the smell to clear before you move in.

Interiors

Ask a designer for a written scope, a schedule, a list of what is and is not in the price, and how changes will be priced. Decide the budget first, with some left over: work in a home nearly always finds something to do that nobody planned.

Cleaning

A deep clean is best done after all the other work and before the furniture comes in. Say which rooms, whether windows, the kitchen and the bathrooms are included, and who brings the equipment.

This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ between states and change over time, so confirm the details that matter to you with a qualified professional or the authority concerned before you act.