Moving out of flat - landlord requiring professional clean

furrypolka

Hi all

We are moving into a new flat next month and have given notice on our current apartment. I received a message from the current agents on my phone a couple of days ago stating that the landlord has requested that we employ a professional flat cleaning company to clean the flat and to provide receipts to prove this.

We have hamsters so we agreed shortly after moving in to have the room they live in professionally cleaned when we move out. They stay in the spare room and we do not allow them to roam free neither do we use the hamster running balls. We always handle them in the room and observe them at all times, we keep the cages very clean and they live in tank style cages to avoid mess. The room is very clean already and does not smell, but we did agree to have this room cleaned so no problem there.

However we did not agree to clean the entire flat neither do I see why we should as the animals do not use the rest of the flat, and the flat was not professionally cleaned upon our moving in (the inventory lists many fixtures and fittings as dusty and grubby).

Am I right to state that we will only be having this single room professionally cleaned and will go over the rest of the apartment ourselves (it is in good condition anyway apart from the en suite...)

which brings me on to question two...

The en suite in the bedroom is showing signs of condensation on the paintwork. This appears to be coming through in places that have previously been painted over, and the inventory also mentions mildew stains and condensation marks on curtains etc.

We have mentioned this to the landlord before and he was insistent that it was a lifestyle issue.

I have never had issues with condensation in any previous home. I have a £300 dehumidifier which I run regularly, and I keep all trickle vents open and heat the apartment as needed. I have the extractor fan running every time we shower.

The main trouble we have in the en suite is that there is no window in the bathroom and there is no window in the bedroom - there are patio doors, but we are ground floor and there is absolutely no way that we can keep these open when we are not actually in the bedroom. There is also no communal clothes drying area in these flats and the only place we have to dry clothes is the bedroom (the bedroom is a lot larger than all other rooms).

Can we be blamed for the condensation marks given the rather strange design of the flat and the complete inability to properly air the room?!

silvercar

If you are persistently drying clothes in the bedroom then that will be at least partly to blame for the condensation/ damp problems. So your lifestyle is contributing.

furrypolka

We have nowhere else to dry the clothes however! We tumble dry everything that we possibly can but there are some clothes which would be ruined by tumble drying, so they are on a clothes airer in the bedroom which is the only room big enough to put up the airer.

gordonbennet

Very much in your favour are the comments about the cleanliness on the inventory. You cannot be expected to return the place in a cleaner condition than you took it, but it should be the same level of cleanliness. If they try to deduct from the deposit, you should consider disputing it with the deposit protection scheme that you are (hopefully!) covered by.

However as a landlord I must say that exiting tenants often forget exactly how clean a place was when I first let to them. I ask them to clean to professional standards - as it was when they moved in - and I list what is expected. More often than not they agree to the full professional 'end of tenancy' clean. In your case it's worth being very thorough and making it as least as good as stated on the inventory.

As to the condensation, as long as you have kept the place aired as much as is physically possible, the landlord cannot complain. It might be worth taking a photo of your dehumidifier in situ as that will surely add huge weight to your case.

furrypolka

I'm considering a professional clean anyway to save me a job as I do enough cleaning at work! Sure I will have enough on my plate moving everything without faffing about dusting and washing everything, and it will keep everyone happy then I guess.

I will photograph the dehumidifier as you suggested, thank you, and the general room set up - the stupid layouts (patio doors in ground floor bedroom among others) is the main reason we are moving, especially since someone tried the doors while we were in bed recently...

dibblersan

you might be surprised by how quickly a professional can clean if presented with an empty flat - if you can make the apointment for the day after you've moved all your boxes (or if you must and are not going far then the day of is possible) and just let them go.

when ever i've moved (1 bed flats) it's never taken more than an hour and a half - though that doesn't include cookers as most seem not to want to clean the inside of the oven so i just foam it, or shampooing the carpets as this has never been needed for me.

landlords have always been pleased and i've never had to pay more than £15 (normally expect 10 or 12) an hour.

reciepts for this would also help in any disputes.

tbs624

It's obviously fair that if you have agreed to a specific standard of cleaning regarding pets at the property that you keep to that.However, LL can only ask you to return the property in the same condition as when let, save for FW&T. You can only be asked to clean "to a professional standard" and then only if that's how the property was passed to you at the start of the tenancy.

There are properietary mildew/mould removal sprays that can probably improve the paintwork ( google Dettol, LG and there is one sold by screwfix) It doesn't matter than a bathroom(en suite or othwerise) does not have a window so long as it has an extractor fan which meets Building Regs requirements.

Whether you decide to clean the property yourself or pay for someone else to do it, take *plenty* of good clear photos after the cleaning has been done. Tops of doorframes, shelves etc, down the lav bowl and inside shower/bath, imside any white goods belonging to the LL and so on.

Should you need to challenge any deductions these will help you, as will the comments on that inventory.

Good luck with your move.

princeofpounds

Re the cleaning, the lanlord can only require it in the original condition minus fair wear and tear, as suggested previously. Anything else should be disputed through arbitration and you will win (as long as you have good evidence).

As for the mould - ah the old 'lifestyle' issue. It's technically true that most condensation issues are caused by lifestyle. Really unreasonable things like breathing and maintaining basic personal hygiene or actually washing clothes. Frankly much of the time in my opinion it is due to poorly designed properties, but this is a debate that surfaces frequently. Best you can do is treat it, notify the landlord in writing about it and take evidence of all the steps you are taking to combat it (purchase of dehumidifier, ventilation etc).

The way landlords behave when it comes to this always puts me in mind of someone giving you a spoon and asking you to dig over a huge garden... it's technically possible to meet the required standard, but only by putting yourself through unreasonable constraints.

Then they just slap a coat of thick gloss pain over the mould and look forward to billing the next tenant...

LudaMusser

We moved out of our apartment last month, we had been renting there for two years. When I told the EA that I was giving notice they emailed me a form and it stated that the landlord had the right to ask for the apartment to be professionally cleaned if they wanted.
This is something that was not mentioned when I moved into the apartment and was not on the tenancy agreement. They did`nt ask for it to be professionally cleaned but if they had I would`nt have made a claim against my deposit as it was not mentioned beforehand or on the paperwork.
I think the idea of a quick lick of paint over certain walls is a good call, just make sure you air the place afterwards. I took photos before I left of every single room and all of the items as it was furnished incase they tried it on.
I was suprised that we did`nt get deductions for a rip on the setee and the TV stand had a piece of the laminate wood damaged. I guess they could be argued as wear and tear though.
My apartment took a good two days to clean, it was a nightmare. All of the rooms had laminate flooring and the dust was horrendous, it was from day one. I contacted a couple of cleaners, they either did`nt get back to me or were booked up.