Tenants moving out

pizzarelli7348

Hi all,


Our tenants are moving out of our flat on sunday.
As I am managing the property myself (letting agent helped me out last time but he went bust last month!) what do I need to do when I meet them on sunday?

Is it just collecting keys and making a note of gas and electricity meter readings? Do I need to do sign to agree of the meter readings?

Mr_Moo_2

Was there an inventory at the start of the tenancy? You need to go through this with them and take note of any issues arising. Include all meter readings as well. Give them an indication of any potential retentions against deposit if there are things that need rectifying, avoind this coming as a surprise further down the line.

Assuming all is well, thank them for their custom, and part on amicable terms.....

Better_Days

If there is an inventory that has been dual signed make sure you understand the differences between damage, 'fair wear and tear' and 'betterment'.

Did the LA deal with the deposit and if so what happened to it and the relevant documentation when they went bust?

pizzarelli7348

deposit was protected in a government scheme and a sister branch of this letting agent will be able to give deposit back

Angelicdevil

pizzarelli7348 wrote: »

deposit was protected in a government scheme and a sister branch of this letting agent will be able to give deposit back

Read what Mr Moo has said. If there is any damage to the property that wasn't there when they moved in, you will be wanting to retain some/all of their deposit to cover this and for that you will need to ensure there was a detailed check-in inventory.....this is key!

pizzarelli7348

had a proper inventory done with pictures, so will be taking that along with me!

pizzarelli7348

I know that they have put pictures on the wall even if the contract stated they could not. If the walls are still showing puncture marks do you think that is a valid ground for retaining some of their deposit?

pizzarelli7348

also the contract states that they should have had the carpet professionally cleaned (they had 2 cats in the flat) and being able to provide a receipt as evidence. I very much doubt that will be happening. Again, is that a ground for retaining some of the deposit?

amiehall

No I don't think you should withhold deposit for picture hooks. Whenever I've put hooks up, I've left them in the wall when I'm leaving rather than leave a hole. Will future tenants not probably want to put things up as well?

The carpet on the other hand, yeah if they've had cats, the place is going to smell. Presuming the carpet was cleaned to a professional standard when they moved in and that they haven't done it themselves, I would withhold the cost of a professional carpet cleaner.

Angelicdevil

amiehall wrote: »

No I don't think you should withhold deposit for picture hooks. Whenever I've put hooks up, I've left them in the wall when I'm leaving rather than leave a hole. Will future tenants not probably want to put things up as well?

The carpet on the other hand, yeah if they've had cats, the place is going to smell. Presuming the carpet was cleaned to a professional standard when they moved in and that they haven't done it themselves, I would withhold the cost of a professional carpet cleaner.

1. I can clean my carpets better than some "professional" cleaners.
2. I have cats and my home does not smell!!!
3. If they were outdoor cats I'd probably have put a clause in about flea treating the place on exit but if it doesn't exist in their contract you can't really do anything about it now.

OP, with regards to the state of the carpets, use your common sense and your eyes. If they are in a worse condition, less fair wear and tear than the check in inventory states then withhold some monies to put right. If it's the same condition or better then don't be silly and demand receipts for a "professional" clean.

If the picture hooks weren't there in the first place, listed on the inventory and they're a mess then by all means retain some monies to put right but if they're not actually an issue to you then leave them be.

I would expect "puncture holes" to be filled to a high standard at the very least.

pizzarelli7348

tenants have now moved out and I am just posting to see what I should do.

Flat is generally ok, just the following issues:
bath tub is chipped ( about the size of a 5 p, please note the bath tub was only 6 months old)
Kitchen surface is chipped in 2 places (one is like a 5 p the other is tiny)
carpet has got two red stains (I would except it is cat sick)
wall in living room and bathroom is patchy ( they only painted where there was stuff hanging and the colour did not match. The tenant did ask me what colour paint to get and I told him a specific one which he bought so I think that is my fault although the letting agent said he should have painted the whole wall and not leaving it like that)
I don't know whether I should start a dispute or return their deposit in full.
From my point of view we had a new bath and now we have a chipped one that needs to be restored otherwise it will go rusty and I am no sure the kitchen surface can be fixed, probably not.
Do you think this can be general wear and tear or not?