Moving Out - £111 cleaning bill?!

antoniarose_2

I've recently moved out of my apartment and left it spotless. I had heard rumours in the past that the agency I was renting through was notorious for finding ways not to return full deposits.

My deposit has been refunded minus £111. When I questioned this, they said it was a cleaning bill. I asked them for a copy of an invoice for the cleaning, and the invoice states the cleaning charge was £75 for 'general clean'. This is £36 less than what I am being charged, and online I cannot find any evidence that the cleaning company itself exists.

Can anyone suggest any reasons for this extra £36, or suggest what I should do next, as the agency are not responding to my emails anymore.

pmlindyloo

Did you have a signed check in inventory and did you have a check out one done? Were you present for the check out?

if you weren't there for the check out did you take dated photos of the property when you moved out to show its condition?

Is your deposit protected?

If your deposit is protected then you can raise a dispute. Your LL will have to prove the state of the property at the time you took it and when you left.

If the deposit is not protected then your LL could be liable for a fine and you can take him to court.

Depending on the answers to the above questions then you need to put your concerns in writing (keep a copy and receipt from posting)to both LL and LA.

All this is best resolved by negotiation.

PS Sorry, just seen that your deposit has been returned. This suggests that it was not protected.

Come back if you need more help.

antoniarose_2

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Did you have a signed check in inventory and did you have a check out one done? Were you present for the check out?

if you weren't there for the check out did you take dated photos of the property when you moved out to show its condition?

Is your deposit protected?

If your deposit is protected then you can raise a dispute. Your LL will have to prove the state of the property at the time you took it and when you left.

If the deposit is not protected then your LL could be liable for a fine and you can take him to court.

Depending on the answers to the above questions then you need to put your concerns in writing (keep a copy and receipt from posting)to both LL and LA.

All this is best resolved by negotiation.

PS Sorry, just seen that your deposit has been returned. This suggests that it was not protected.

Come back if you need more help.

Thanks for your help. The letting agency wouldn't let me be present when the inventory was checked. I aren't objecting to the £75 cleaning bill, because they told me that would happen anyway. It's the extra £36 i'm concerned about.

They've also charged me £45 for the cost of the TDS which implies it was protected, but I never received a certificate to show this.

Mr_Thrifty

Small Claims Court.

whalster

It costs me £70 for a clean and usualy £50 for a 2 bed house carpets , most people leave mine nice as they were when they moved in, bits and pieces paintwork is always wear and tear but it says about cleaning carpets in the contract.d ovens are my pet hate why people leave ovens in a mess I do not know its easy to get them sparkling , at the end of the day it is just courtesy toward the next tenant , if they can't show it with a scrubing brush then it needs taking from the deposit

antoniarose_2

I've heard back, the £36 is an 'admin fee, which covers the cost of contacting the cleaner'. Must have been a heck of a long phone call!

The flat was immaculate, it is stated in my contract that I would pick up the cost of a cleaning bill upon vacating, so therefore don't mind the bill. But surely this does not include an admin fee?

I suppose the thing which makes me most annoyed about it is the state it was in when I moved in compared to now. It was foul, with something stuck to the bottom of the oven that honestly put me off lasagne for a while. I'm going to call in the office tomorrow and hopefully should be able to get some answers then. Including as to why it's taken over 8 days for the money to go into my account.

2 months after moving out and the flat still isn't out of my life.

pinkshoes

Have you phoned the three deposit companies to see which one your deposit is with? If not, do this first, as if your deposit is not protected, they can't deduct a penny!

Werdnal

pinkshoes wrote: »

Have you phoned the three deposit companies to see which one your deposit is with? If not, do this first, as if your deposit is not protected, they can't deduct a penny!

Read the OP again - The deposit HAS been refunded less the deducted amount for cleaning, so is no longer protected!



OP, if your deposit was protected during your tenancy, you should have been given the information from the scheme. When your tenancy ended, you should have applied to the scheme for the whole amount to be returned. It looks as if you did not do this, and the agent has applied to keep the deductions, and as you have not contested this, the scheme has released the remaining amount to you.

I would write to then, contesting the deductions and requesting a copy of their check-out report. Tell them you dispute their costs in cleaning the already immaculate property, and will be taking legal advice on reclaiming the amount they have taken without your agreement. Also state that as they failed to provide you with the full written information concerning your deposit protection with TDS, you are considering court action for failure to comply with the deposit protection regulations.

Hump

Assuming you are in england and the tenancy ended after 6th May 2012 - assuming your deposit was not protected in a scheme

See http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/paying_for_a_home/tenancy_deposits/tenancy_deposit_protection_schemes

The threat of potential court action might get your £36 back

Just read that you left 2 months ago - if the deposit was protected in the TDS scheme did you have the opportunity to dispute the deductions? doesn't sound like it went to arbitration - you might want to look at the TDS website