Do I have to pay for professional carpet cleaning (complications)

Truffles01

Hello all,

Any idea what my rights are in this situation? My landlady is demanding that I have the carpets cleaned professionally, or pay £100 for this. This is the first mention of this (it's not in my contract) and I'm going to struggle to arrange it before Thursday.

I'm unwilling to pay for the following reasons:

1) I have a wet carpet cleaner, and the carpets are coming up nicely.

2) The carpets were grubby and stained when I moved in, as I noted on the inventory. (Whole place was grubby actually, but landlady is denying this now.) However, I was unable to get my inventory returned in time; I sent it to the letting agent by recorded delivery and they didn't pick it up. It came back to me a month later (I still have it in the envelope with the recorded delivery stamp). I emailed a scan to the landlady who replied 'that's fine', but I know this isn't as solid as it could be.

3) No mention of this in my contract, and no time now for me to get a decent deal.

Is this worth disputing?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

warwicktiger

I am a professional carpet cleaner.

Contract issues, I am no lawyer but cannot see how this can be enforced provided as you say there is no mention in the contract, be it written or verbal.

Using your own "wet carpet cleaner":
If this is a vax or rug (slug) doctor you WILL NOT achieve as good a result as a competent professional with professional equipment. I hate it when you have to follow up and re-clean, carpets left full of detergent messes up my machine!

If you do want a professional job there are two trade organistions I belong to :

National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA)
The approved Carpet Cleaners Association.

Both have websites which will help you find a local member. Whilst being a member does not guarantee a perfect job both organisations have standards for membership. As regards finding one in the next 48 hours, good luck, if you don't ask you don't get. If you are within say 30 miles of Kenilworth pm me !

Truffles01

Also, I've just checked my inventory, even the unamended version mentions staining due to wear and tear.

warwicktiger

PS if you are far away but want a carpet cleaner PM you location and phone number and I will post it on our bulletin boards as a job available.

DRP

Truffles01 wrote: »

Also, I've just checked my inventory, even the unamended version mentions staining due to wear and tear.

In which case (assuming a protected deposit), I wouldnt worry about getting pro cleaning at all.

Truffles01

Cheers warwicktiger, but I'm looking to avoid forking over at all, for something that clearly hadn't been done when I moved in. Think I'll run over the carpets again without detergent though, give them a bit of a rinse :P

DRP, yes, deposit is protected. I just hope she doesn't try to take it out on any other point by way of retaliation. We'll see.

Guest101

Truffles01 wrote: »

Hello all,

Any idea what my rights are in this situation? My landlady is demanding that I have the carpets cleaned professionally, or pay £100 for this. This is the first mention of this (it's not in my contract) and I'm going to struggle to arrange it before Thursday.

I'm unwilling to pay for the following reasons:

1) I have a wet carpet cleaner, and the carpets are coming up nicely.

2) The carpets were grubby and stained when I moved in, as I noted on the inventory. (Whole place was grubby actually, but landlady is denying this now.) However, I was unable to get my inventory returned in time; I sent it to the letting agent by recorded delivery and they didn't pick it up. It came back to me a month later (I still have it in the envelope with the recorded delivery stamp). I emailed a scan to the landlady who replied 'that's fine', but I know this isn't as solid as it could be.

3) No mention of this in my contract, and no time now for me to get a decent deal.

Is this worth disputing?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

No dual signed inventory, oh well her loss.

No u do not have to pay for this. In fact if they don't have a signed inventory u don't have to do anything. Dispute it with the scheme and await the return of your whole deposit.

I'd be nice and clean up to the state of your inventory but I wouldn't pay for carpets to be cleaned. It's not enforceable anyway, yet alone when it's not in your contract

kmmr

Truffles01 wrote: »

2) The carpets were grubby and stained when I moved in, as I noted on the inventory. (Whole place was grubby actually, but landlady is denying this now.) However, I was unable to get my inventory returned in time; I sent it to the letting agent by recorded delivery and they didn't pick it up. It came back to me a month later (I still have it in the envelope with the recorded delivery stamp). I emailed a scan to the landlady who replied 'that's fine', but I know this isn't as solid as it could be.

Lack of inventory is the LL's problem - not yours. She has to prove the damage, not you prove there is no damage.

Kynthia

If the carpet is as clean as when you moved in, or it cannot be proved that it isn't, then you are fine and dispute any deductions.

allthingsmustpass

Do not leave it in a better state than when you found it. Any dispute with the protection scheme will be open and shut and you will win. The landlady is an idiot.

jmt

warwicktiger wrote: »

I am a professional carpet cleaner.

Contract issues, I am no lawyer but cannot see how this can be enforced provided as you say there is no mention in the contract, be it written or verbal.

Using your own "wet carpet cleaner":
If this is a vax or rug (slug) doctor you WILL NOT achieve as good a result as a competent professional with professional equipment. I hate it when you have to follow up and re-clean, carpets left full of detergent messes up my machine!

If you do want a professional job there are two trade organistions I belong to :

National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA)
The approved Carpet Cleaners Association.

Both have websites which will help you find a local member. Whilst being a member does not guarantee a perfect job both organisations have standards for membership. As regards finding one in the next 48 hours, good luck, if you don't ask you don't get. If you are within say 30 miles of Kenilworth pm me !

What type of machine do you use - steam or wet as I am pretty local and looking at it for when my house goes on the market. Thanks