Trying to get a deposit back after renting...

clg86

Hey Guys,

Me and my OH moved out of our apartment in manchester on 14th June this year and we put down a £550.00 deposit. We were aware that most of the time, some money is kept from the deposit by the landlord/company who you are renting from for anything they feel needs paying for, chipped plates/cutlery missing/cleaning etc... but I think we are being ripped off!

I received an email on 17th June labelled "move out inspection" and to be honest, there wasn't much on it that we disputed, but there was a "Labour" charge of £25 + VAT. I questioned what this was and they said it was the call out fee for the cleaning company they use to come in after we left the apartment. This DIDN'T included the actual cost of the cleaning, so this would be added on in the next email!

In the original email they sent, they stated it needed a "light clean" as the wall heaters were dusty and the bedroom needed hoovering. Both of which I questioned as we spent 2 days thoroughly cleaning. We left it in a better state than when we moved in 18 months ago!

However, on 30th June and after several emails asking for a reply, I eventualy got one saying the cleaning invoice has come back at £50 +VAT. So plus the £25 +VAT call out fee, the total came to £88.13 for a "light clean"!

I asked for them to email me a copy of the invoice with a break down of exactly what we were paying for as £88.13 seemed a little steep for a "light clean", and they sent me a hand written invoice from a company so called 'can clean will clean', which I cannot find anywhere on the internet, and again, hand written it says, 'light clean £50.00'. I suspect they have written this themselves and if they have, they have cocked up because at the bottom there is a section for them to write how much VAT and they have put a line through it, and the TOTALS says £50.00, so NO vat added on...

There is no call out fee on the invoice and no description of any work other than "light clean".

Sorry to babble on, but we are moving into a new house on Monday that we have bought, so we need this deposit back, and whilst I have agreed on some of the charges, I really don't want to pay £88 for a clean that may not have even taken place!

HELP! and thanks in advance....

clutton_2

how long were you there and which deposit scheme is your deposit with and did you sign an inventory when you moved in ?

clg86

We were there for 19 months in total, we did sign the inventory and i can't remember the name of the deposit scheme, but we have a 5 digit code and the letting agency do and until we both give our numbers in, we don't get our deposit back. I could understand if it was just a landlord being an !!!, but its a big company in Manchester city centre!

clg86

Do I have the right to question this invoice do you think?

g_attrill

I don't think they should be charging VAT if the original invoice didn't have it. If the cleaners charged VAT then the invoice should have their VAT number. There might be some accounting issue regarding passing on the payments if the agency is VAT registered, ie. they need to charge VAT even if the original company didn't, or it might just be their incompetence.

edit: If you are paying the agency then if you get an invoice with VAT added for those then it would be an accounting mistake or a necessity. It would be tricky and highly illegal for them to be siphoning it off and I can't see them bothering.

muskoka

If you have a telephone no, ask a friend/relative to phone the company to give a quote for a 'light clean'.... (Could be elderly relative who just wants her/his place hoovered before he/she goes on holiday?)

vaporate

landlords and estate agents are always ripping ppl off. They are scum, nothing new.

clg86

muskoka wrote: »

If you have a telephone no, ask a friend/relative to phone the company to give a quote for a 'light clean'.... (Could be elderly relative who just wants her/his place hoovered before he/she goes on holiday?)

I can't even find this company on the internet! Can Clean Will Clean seems like a crappy name anyway and the fact that there is no trace of them on the internet makes me wonder if it even exists...

I specifically asked for a breakdown on the invoice so I knew what we were paying for, but all it said was "light clean" which is the phrase Dandara used in their emails to me.

How can I tell them I'm not happy with paying £88 and that I think they are making this company up, without peeing them off?

vaporate

clg86 wrote: »

I can't even find this company on the internet! Can Clean Will Clean seems like a crappy name anyway and the fact that there is no trace of them on the internet makes me wonder if it even exists...

I specifically asked for a breakdown on the invoice so I knew what we were paying for, but all it said was "light clean" which is the phrase Dandara used in their emails to me.

How can I tell them I'm not happy with paying £88 and that I think they are making this company up, without peeing them off?

Considering their trying to take your money I certainly wouldnt worry about peeing them off.

bristol_pilot

Unless it was part of the contract that you signed at the outset, the landlord is not entitled to charge the outgoing tenant for cleaning. The deposit is for DAMAGE, not wear and tear or a general clean. Your only obligation is to leave the place in the state you found it in, which you have done by doing some cleaning yourself. You should make a claim for full return of the deposit against whichever scheme it is in. If you have forgotton which scheme, contact all of them - there are only about three.

The actual level of charges for cleaning are not that unreasonable.

princeofpounds

Register a dispute with your deposit scheme and go to arbitration. That's what it's there for.