Consider if instead it was:
class RectangularRoom(object):
def __init__(self, width, height):
pass
def cleanTileAtPosition(self, pos):
pass
def isTileCleaned(self, m, n):
pass
and you subclass and forget to tell it how to isTileCleaned() or, perhaps more likely, typo it as isTileCLeaned(). Then in your code, you'll get a None when you call it.
None valid output? Who knows. raise NotImplmentedError forces you to implement it, as it will throw an exception when you try to run it until you do so. This removes a lot of silent errors. It's similar to why a bare except is almost never a good idea: because people make mistakes and this makes sure they aren't swept under the rug.
Note: Using an abstract base class, as other answers have mentioned, is better still, as then the errors are frontloaded and the program won't run until you implement them (with NotImplementedError, it will only throw an exception if actually called).