'Professional Cleaning'

Ninjawombat

Hello all,

My old letting agent has sent back my deposit (or what's left of it) and has charged me over £320 for professional 'deep' cleaning.

I spent two days cleaning the place before I left and took photos after I finished as evidence if I ever needed it...

My tenancy agreement stated that the property should be returned in 'immaculate' condition but didn't say anything about having it professionally cleaned. I did the best I could with my own elbow grease and cleaning products and I personally thought it looked (and smelled) better than when I moved in.

My questions are: Do I have any chance of getting some money back or am I stuffed? Are they allowed to just deduct the money from my deposit having never shown me any quotes, advised how much it might be or sought my approval? What was the point of me spending two days cleaning when it seems like it would never be enough?!

Also, what is a dilapidations statement? I've also been charged for that and haven't seen anything resembling one!
I'm in scotland by the way.

Thanks!

BitterAndTwisted

What proof do they have that you left the property in a different state of cleanliness that it was at the start of your tenancy?

Ninjawombat

They spoke to me about a couple of things that would need done, i.e a mark on the wood floor, the inside of the oven (I had already cleaned it but there was white residue left from the product) and the skirting boards. They also said that the bathroom would need cleaned, which I refuted because it really was immaculate when I left! Again, I have pictures to prove this.

I'm not sure what proof they have. I didn't ask.

It really feels like no matter how hard I worked on it, it wouldn't have been enough.

BitterAndTwisted

If they're relying on a check-out inventory/dilapidations statement this would only be proof if there was a check-in one with your signature on it. That is the proof you should asking the agent for IN WRITING.

Ninjawombat

Well, there was an inventory done when I moved in which I signed. That covered items in the house and described the condition of the paint, carpets, floors etc. It didn't say anything about the flat being cleaned professionally, or that anything had been cleaned prior to my move in.

Anyway, they have requested the cleaners to 'deep clean' the entire place, so I'm not sure how having an inventory matters?

What is a dilapidations statement? Should I be allowed to see a copy of it??

celyn90

In my understanding, a dilapidations statement is a list of things you have damaged that are not covered by fair wear and tear - things like cup rings on wooden furniture, spill marks on carpets and stains on matresses would come under that umbrella for example; stuff that would lower the intrinsic value of the item but is not a mark that could be expected because of age or normal usage.

Ask for a fully itemised copy of it - each item should be listed along with the damage. Any charges should be proportionate to the age of the item too.

RichyRich

When did you move in?

More recent tenancies have to have their deposits lodged with a tenancy deposit protection scheme which should include a dispute resolution service.

zappahey

RichyRich wrote: »

When did you move in?

More recent tenancies have to have their deposits lodged with a tenancy deposit protection scheme which should include a dispute resolution service.

I don't think that's yet true in Scotland.

Ninjawombat

Yep, we don't have a deposit protection scheme in Scotland.

casper_g

Ninjawombat wrote: »

Well, there was an inventory done when I moved in which I signed. That covered items in the house and described the condition of the paint, carpets, floors etc. It didn't say anything about the flat being cleaned professionally, or that anything had been cleaned prior to my move in.

Anyway, they have requested the cleaners to 'deep clean' the entire place, so I'm not sure how having an inventory matters?

What is a dilapidations statement? Should I be allowed to see a copy of it??

When you say the check-in inventory described "the condition of the paint, carpets, floors etc", did the condition include how clean these items were? It doesn't matter whether the items had been cleaned, it matters whether they were clean. If the inventory doesn't say they were clean at check-in, what evidence does the landlord have that the items were clean? It's not reasonable for you to be given a dirty house and expected to return a clean one.

The inventory I was given at commencement of my current tenancy certainly mentions how clean (or in our case, how dirty) just about everything in the house was. Given this, they'll find it hard to force us to give it back in a better state than we received it.

Ninjawombat

No, the inventory didn't say how clean everything was. It just noted things like stains, chipped paint, scuff marks etc.

One thing that really annoyed me was that they have charged me for shampooing a carpet in a box room which was already grotty and on the inventory as 'very stained and marked.'

I've since emailed them and asked them for a copy of their complaints procedure. Unfortunately, the procedure is simply writing a letter to the person I've been emailing. I can't see this getting anywhere

Why should I have to pay for the whole place to be cleaned again when I had already spent ages cleaning it?