End of tenancy clean - Rip off ! What to do?

GeekWizard

Hi guys,

This is my first post here. Similar questions might have been asked before but I am hoping to get a more tailored responses to my situation.

I was required to do a professional cleaning service for the flat I left recently. I hired a local professional cleaner to do the job. This is the first time I hired a professional cleaning service and so did not know all ins and outs. The cleaner worked and I paid the full amount £175 to do full house clean with carpets and kitchen with oven etc.

To be honest, he did not do good job in the kitchen and when inquired about some of the stains etc. the standard reply this is the best that can be done by any cleaner and landlord would know.

The landlord was absolutely furious with the kitchen pointing to many place in the kitchen. I called the cleaner. The landlord wanted to have a word and the discussion was a very heated one with abuses exchanged, making the matter worse for me.

The situation is

- The land lord wants his own cleaners to do the job and take it off my deposit.
- The cleaner is refusing to come again to do a further job, although he had repeatedly said to me that it is a standard thing that cleaners DO come back to do a further task.
- The cleaner has not given me any invoice yet , though he had promised to do so.

What can I do, what are my options? It is surely the cleaner who should pay. How can I save my deposit?

Many Thanks !

BitterAndTwisted

It's your responsibility to return the property in precisely the same state of cleanliness at the end of your tenancy as it was at the start. If you hired a !!!!!! cleaner that's your bad luck. Presumably once the cleaner had finished you had the opportunity to go over the things which they left inadequately cleaned and do them yourself.

Was there a dual-signed check-in inventory?

If you have a dispute with the cleaner about the quality of their work, then you take it up with them. That has nothing whatsoever to do with your landlord.

pmlindyloo

First things first.

When did your tenancy start and where are you? England/Wales/Scotland? And
is your deposit protected in a Deposit protection Scheme and did you receive the prescribed information about the scheme? (Looking to see if you have any leverage if LL deducts from deposit)

So... are you still in the house? Could you actually do the cleaning needed yourself? This at least will secure your deposit.

I do not believe that the LL can insist on a professional clean at the end of a tenancy unless it was professionally cleaned at the beginning of the tenancy? The house needs to left it the same condition as when the tenancy started save fair wear and tear.

Was there a detailed inventory done with pictures and did you sign it?

Options: (which might change according to answers of questions above)

1. Do any necessary cleaning yourself and get your full deposit back.

2. Let the LL arrange his own cleaners and deduct from deposit

3. Sue the cleaner through the small claims court for reimbursement/partial recovery of payment.

Make sure you take dated photographs of state of house after the cleaner had finished - this is your evidence for suing and or comparison with original inventory.

If you answer my questions more help may be forthcoming and/or suggestions modified/ignored.

[Deleted User]

Get a couple of boxes of oven pride, some rubber gloves and do it yourself. I find a toothbrush helpful for difficult to clean areas in general kitchen areas.

Honestly, its not difficult to clean a kitchen. With Oven Pride you leave your racks in a bag to soak in the acid solution overnight. If needs be do it again. Apply liberally to internal bits of an oven and close the door, leave overnight. Remove in morning with lots of waterand washing up liquid. Do again if still stained but will be much less needed if any at all. It doesn't even require unusual amounts of elbow grease.

If your cleaner does bill you, get them to talk to your Landlord again lol. If the cleaner is refusing to return, I think that says it all. Get a statement from your Landlord.

Catherine_Johnson_2

pmlindyloo wrote: »

First things first.

When did your tenancy start and where are you? England/Wales/Scotland? And
is your deposit protected in a Deposit protection Scheme and did you receive the prescribed information about the scheme? (Looking to see if you have any leverage if LL deducts from deposit)

So... are you still in the house? Could you actually do the cleaning needed yourself? This at least will secure your deposit.

I do not believe that the LL can insist on a professional clean at the end of a tenancy unless it was professionally cleaned at the beginning of the tenancy? The house needs to left it the same condition as when the tenancy started save fair wear and tear.

Was there a detailed inventory done with pictures and did you sign it?

Options: (which might change according to answers of questions above)

1. Do any necessary cleaning yourself and get your full deposit back.

2. Let the LL arrange his own cleaners and deduct from deposit

3. Sue the cleaner through the small claims court for reimbursement/partial recovery of payment.

Make sure you take dated photographs of state of house after the cleaner had finished - this is your evidence for suing and or comparison with original inventory.

If you answer my questions more help may be forthcoming and/or suggestions modified/ignored.

The above is true regarding the protection of the deposit etc, although I don't think that excuses leaving a place dirty (two wrongs doesn't make a right etc). Sounds like the LL would be returning your deposit less the amount for cleaning anyway, so seems like they are on the right track.

In my opinion 'professionally cleaned' simply means cleaned to an acceptable standard. Doesn't matter who does it, you or a cleaner.

Anyway, you agree it wasn't cleaned properly so, if you have already moved out, which seems likely as you've had the check out inspection, I think you just have to swallow the extra cleaning cost and try and recoup it from your original cleaner.

Lionel_Thinkbag

Don't know if this will be of any help, but in our flat the kitchen surfaces are a light beige formica type stuff. It gets stained easily with beetroot and tomato sauce and the like. I've found that the best thing to use is a whitening toothpase - the gritty feeling stuff and to give it a good scour. Comes up a treat.

Werdnal

deannatrois wrote: »

Get a couple of boxes of oven pride, some rubber gloves and do it yourself. I find a toothbrush helpful for difficult to clean areas in general kitchen areas.

Honestly, its not difficult to clean a kitchen. With Oven Pride you leave your racks in a bag to soak in the acid solution overnight. If needs be do it again. Apply liberally to internal bits of an oven and close the door, leave overnight. Remove in morning with lots of waterand washing up liquid. Do again if still stained but will be much less needed if any at all. It doesn't even require unusual amounts of elbow grease.

If your cleaner does bill you, get them to talk to your Landlord again lol. If the cleaner is refusing to return, I think that says it all. Get a statement from your Landlord.

Good advice BUT would apply if the tenant is still in the property. However, if they have now moved out, the LL has no obligation to allow them back in to put right any problems. Neither does he need to accept another visit from the OP's apointed cleaners, as if the tenancy has ended, the rights to re-enter the property end with it.

OP, is your deposit protected? Please answer the questions in the above replies and we can give you more advice.

GeekWizard

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I was dumb enough to really trust the cleaner that as "good a cleaner can do" is good enough for agents !

Anyways, more info:-

- The landlord has not yet stated what the deductions he is planning to make.
- Yes my deposit is protected.
- My tenancy started in Sep. 2011 and I am in south east England.
- I have left the property and so cannot go back and clean.

GeekWizard

pmlindyloo wrote: »

First things first.

Was there a detailed inventory done with pictures and did you sign it?

Yes there was an inventory with pictures, signed by both parties.

3. Sue the cleaner through the small claims court for reimbursement/partial recovery of payment.

Make sure you take dated photographs of state of house after the cleaner had finished - this is your evidence for suing and or comparison with original inventory.

- I do not have photographs after the cleaner's work finished. All I have will be the landlord's document with details of what was left without cleaning really. Would this count as evidence?

- How can I sue the cleaner ?

- Isn't the cleaner legally binding to at least give me an invoice of whatever service he has claimed he has done? Without the invoice , he can simply refuse that any such task ever take place!

N1AK

GeekWizard wrote: »

- I do not have photographs after the cleaner's work finished. All I have will be the landlord's document with details of what was left without cleaning really. Would this count as evidence?

- How can I sue the cleaner ?

- Isn't the cleaner legally binding to at least give me an invoice of whatever service he has claimed he has done? Without the invoice , he can simply refuse that any such task ever take place!

The landlords document could be used as evidence. You would sue by first writing to them laying out clearly what you want, asking for it and mentioning that if you can't amicably come to an agreement you may be forced to take legal action. The cleaner isn't 'bound' to give you an invoice, however denying they did the work in court is a crime and as they spoke to your landlord the risk of you having a witness should stop them from denying it.

tim123456789

pmlindyloo wrote: »

First things first.

When did your tenancy start and where are you? England/Wales/Scotland? And
is your deposit protected in a Deposit protection Scheme and did you receive the prescribed information about the scheme? (Looking to see if you have any leverage if LL deducts from deposit)

So... are you still in the house? Could you actually do the cleaning needed yourself? This at least will secure your deposit.

I do not believe that the LL can insist on a professional clean at the end of a tenancy unless it was professionally cleaned at the beginning of the tenancy? .

Even if it was I don't agree that this is a reason they can insist on it being done this way again.

and what is a professional clean anyway?

I happen to know that my flat was cleaned by a "professional" before I moved in as the outgoing tenants were lazy so-and-sos. (Fortunately this isn't detailed in my agreement)

And all of the usual places that amateurs miss (that professions checkers check have been done to catch out the amateur) were missed by this so-called professional

HTH

tim