[tptacek]

It is really a thing. You've been super lucky. After my first apartment, we started hiring cleaning services to do a pre-move-out clean, which, in retrospect, was pretty stupid, because the condition of the apartment's got nothing to do with anything.

[rleigh]

It is in most of the UK rental agreements I've had. If they have to hire a cleaning service to clean it up, they recover the cost from your deposit. You're supposed to leave it in the good condition it was when you moved in.

[tptacek]

Sorry, I can't speak to the UK, just the US.