Can I sign my rental deposit over to landlord?

buddabudda

Yes, thats an odd title for a thread.... here's the broader picture:

I'm about to move out of a house I've rented for two years into a house I'm buying. The purchase of the house for on reason or another has turned out more expensive than I had budgeted for. I have various clauses in my tenancy agreement (ASH) which means I'm obligated to have the carpets professionally cleaned which is fair enough (only way they would let me have my dog). Also the agency were very meticulous on the check in inspection (good for them) so I doubt even me and the OH spending a whole weekend cleaning is going to get it to their standards. So basically I'm looking at a professional carpet clean and a professional end tenancy house clean and the check out inspection costs which I am obligated to pay under the ASH agreement. Thats all well and good, I've no issue with my obligations.

However, given my money is going to be very tight and theres £1.5k sitting in the rental deposit guarantee scheme. I was wondering if there was any way for me to essentially tell the landlord/agency to take all the money and use it to pay for the cleaning? Then anything that's left over they could refund to me. They've inspected quarterly so they know we haven't been tearing down walls and that we're decent tenants.

Or is that going to be a non-starter?

If it is a non-starter... what are the implications for me if I were to leave without the professional carpet clean and only my best efforts on the general house cleaning side? I'd be breaching the ASH agreement with respect to the carpet clean, but they'd then have recourse to the 1.5k deposit to pay for the carpet clean and/or additional professional house clean.

Annisele

Talk to your landlord.

I was once in a similar position, and it turned out the landlord planned to rip out the kitchen and the carpets. He wanted to start that work as soon as possible - which was fine with me, because I was actually moving out before my tenancy ended.

I got my deposit back before I moved out, a two-week rent reduction, and a corner of my landlord's garage to store some stuff in for a couple of weeks. My landlord got to start the work while there was still two weeks left on my tenancy, and finished it time for a new tenant to move in the day after my tenancy was due to end. Everybody was happy.

Werdnal

There is no reason I can think of why a landlord would not accept this, although I am not your LL!

Bear in mind that the deposit should be protected in a scheme and cannot be released untilt he tenancy ends. Speak to the LL to get their approval for this idea, then confirm in writing that you will provide the funds for the work through your deposit. Give/send the LL 2 copies with a space for him to sign and return one, so that in the event of a dispute over loss or damage to the property, you have proof you struck this deal in advance.

[Deleted User]

If you just walk away they will deduct it from your deposit, so the end result is no different, except for the party responsible for arranging the clean. The last rental I left had a professional clean clause too but I was moving over 200 miles away, this meant there was no way for me to arrange for a professional clean to happen after I had moved out, I spoke to the owners and explained and they were happy to organise it for me (using their regular cleaners) and deducted the cost from the deposit -- although I'd have been happy to pay out of pocket.

Naf

If you discuss it with them first, they may be more amenable as to the amount they deduct for the cleaning.