RENTAL - cleaning fee up front

knoxvillain

Hi there,
We're looking to rent a new place as our current landlord is going to try and sell the property.

The new place we're looking at, we're about to apply. One of the up front payments is a £175 cleaning fee. So when we move out, we don't have to worry about cleaning the place as they get a professional in to do it.

Can they require us to pay that? It would make the move out less hassle but it does seem a bit steep. I'd definitely be checking the place is professionally cleaned before we move in though because I wouldn't be up for paying to leave the place in a better condition than we got it in.

Thanks

Hump

It's a scam - your deposit will be statutorily protected and you will benefit from an arbitration process if you and the landlord cannot agree on deductions upon leaving - none of this will apply to your 'cleaning fee'.

(In fact, depending on the wording of the agreement, as it's likely held against you performing your contractual obligations in the tenancy agreement then for all intents and purposes it will be a deposit - and hence should be protected - but it will probably take a lawyer to explain that in reference to the law)

dodger1

Well yes they can require you to pay those fees up front but you can of course refuse and go elsewhere. I'd tell them to shove it, I wouldn't pay £175 for something I can do myself without any problem at the end of the tenancy.

ognum

That is awful, the landlord should provide a property to you in a clean state. Either the previous occupants should have left it clean, either cleaned by them or a cleaning company at their expense or if the land lord has had work done on the property then it is the landlords responsibility to clean or get the property clean.

object strongly and say you expect the property to be provided to you in a clean condition!

knoxvillain

It seems they have 2 ways we can do it.

1. Deposit: Pay first month (£800) and last month (£800) upfront plus another months rent as a deposit (£800).
2. Non-deposit: Pay first month (£800), last month rent (£800) and cleaning fee (£175). No deposit. Apparently it saves them having to worry about fencing off a deposit since they don't hold one.

jjlandlord

Are they asking for last month rent in advance? That's uncommon, and I don't see much point.

IMHO nothing prevents them from asking a deposit and a cleaning fee.
The cleaning fee must be clearly stated as an individually negotiated clause, though. And obviously you want it clear that the fee means that they cannot propose to deduct anything related to cleaning from deposit.
I do agree that this does not seem very sensible and may be the agent trying to scam or provide business for his cleaner friend.

Not taking a deposit is risky for the landlord in any case.

Annisele

If you're paying the last month's rent in advance, then that sounds to me like a deposit - and that the LL is trying to get around deposit protection rules by renaming it.

Whereabouts is the property you're renting? (Rules in England aren't the same as Scotland).

jjlandlord

Annisele wrote: »

If you're paying the last month's rent in advance, then that sounds to me like a deposit - and that the LL is trying to get around deposit protection rules

not necessarily because that rent in advance is clearly allocated to a rent period.

chappers

I would agree particularly as it is allocated to a very specific rental period.

The £175 just seems to me to be a gauranteed way of extracting £175 at the end of your tenancy, whereas providing you look after the place and leave it clean , you would get back all of your deposit.