Tenancy agreement help - RE professional cleaning.

sc85

dancingfairy wrote: »

Unless she has photos/video evidence or even providing cleaning receipts may be enough to convince a dispute resolution service of the standard of cleanliness - however as long as the property is returned in a good, clean condition I would hope that the dispute resolution service is fair and sees through an dodgy landlord.
Make sure you take pictures of everything when leaving in case she does turn funny and try and get her to do a checkout with you at the time of exit as she may try and claim that it was dirty a week or 2 after you moved out - if you can get her to sign something on the day then that will help, also if she does pick up any minor things if you have a duster and a cloth you can quickly sort any little niggles she may have.
df

She is coming to us to inspect the property upon exit so will definitely get her to sign! And thanks for the duster and cloth tip lol!!

BitterAndTwisted

One course of action might be to do all the cleaning you think is required and invite the landlady round to do an inspection a few days before you vacate. That way, if there's anything that she's unhappy about you still have time to rectify them

Pupnik

sc85 wrote: »

Just as I thought. My uncle has a cleaning company and can clean the carpets for us etc and can have it all cleaned if needs be - ~I just begrudge paying out for what I dont have to!

Any way your uncle could just issue with a receipt for a ghost transaction? :A

Mankysteve

sc85 wrote: »

Just as I thought. My uncle has a cleaning company and can clean the carpets for us etc and can have it all cleaned if needs be - ~I just begrudge paying out for what I dont have to!

Clean it your self and call in a favour from your uncle for a fake receipt.

sc85

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

One course of action might be to do all the cleaning you think is required and invite the landlady round to do an inspection a few days before you vacate. That way, if there's anything that she's unhappy about you still have time to rectify them

Sounds like a good idea. She doesnt live locally tho so I'm not sure she'd go for that.

sc85

Mankysteve wrote: »

Clean it your self and call in a favour from your uncle for a fake receipt.

Yea, was thinking this! Definitely seems like the wisest idea!

jjlandlord

dancingfairy wrote: »

2) is probably an uneforceable term - it would be reasonable to expect something to be cleaned if it was dirty but to have to give receipts.

This clause and reasonable and was freely agreed. It is enforceable.
If you agree to have items professionally cleaned, it does make sense that you should provide receipts as proof, doesn't it.

2)"To pay for the professional cleaning or washing of such carpets, curtains, upholstery and loose covers, counterpanes, blankets and linen which shall have been soiled, including items stored during the tenancy and which at the termination of the tenancy may require to be washed and/or cleaned. To provide to the landlord or the landlords agent receipts for such"

The key in that clause is the part I emphasised.

prudryden

Normally, you can get away with cleaning to a professional standard, if you have the right tools. A professional cleaner will normally give you a guarantee that they will come back if it doesn't pass inspection so they try to do a good job the first time. Get a lot of quotes if you go down that route.

Because the contract states "Pay for a professional cleaning ....... and doesn't tie it to the condition of the property initially, the LL may request that the arbitrators uphold the contract as it is. Personally, without a check-in inventory, I think they will be on your side. But you still will have to wait for the funds until it is decided. Perhaps you can negotiate. That generally works for everyone -

jjlandlord

prudryden wrote: »

Because the contract states "Pay for a professional cleaning ....... and doesn't tie it to the condition of the property initially

It does tie to the condition as it states that only items "which shall have been soiled" should be profesionnally cleaned.

prudryden

jjlandlord wrote: »

It does tie to the condition as it states that only items "which shall have been soiled" should be profesionnally cleaned.

I noticed that as well, so I looked for the phrase "during the term" which is normally included at the end of that section. I didn't see it. I haven't seen a lot of different letting contracts, but the ones I have used in the past have all included that phrase. I wonder if the LL left that out on purpose. I doubt it however as you would have to be too clever and it may not work anyway.