Tidying a flat... .

coolpaprika

I agree with those who say mould in the bathroom is down to your landlord and a possible health hazard. Gives you a bit of muscle when claiming back your deposit. Mention to him that you've done your best with it as you realise prospective tenants wouldn't appreciate it. That's a veiled threat of further action on your part which he'll pick up if he's sensible.

The other thing is, no one mentioned cleaning glass with old fashioned newspaper. There's something in newsprint that works wonders. I always keep some in my car for the windscreen on cold mornings. Up & down one side, side to side the other, then you know which side smears are.

The only air fresheners you should buy are flowers, yummy food and essential oils to burn but open windows work best, you never know what people might have an aversion to!

Good Luck

FBThree

As a landlord can I put my ten-pennyworth in? "Quick tidy round and clean" might be ok for a landlord visit, but if you want to ensure you get your deposit back please think about the depp cleaning, not just the blatently obvious stuff. It'll be expected in your tenancy deposit. And one persons "quick tidy round and clean" is a lot different from anothers.

E.g. I'm sure the people that left used condoms under the bed in my flat thought hoovering around the bed was sufficient. I'd have appreciated them using the toilet brush once in a while in the 9 months. After all it was new for them when they checked in, and that's what it was there for. New when they checked out with a blackened limescaled toilet too. And dumping rubbish behind a fence thinking I wouldn't find it was a pain for me and my neighbours. Cost me time and money (and thus part of their deposit) for me to take it to the dump when they should have. The 3 hrs cleaning all the nicotine off the glass when it was a non-smoking rental pee'd me off too. I couldn't even see myself in the mirror! Definately charged them market rates on cleaning for that.

So when you check-out you'll have to deep clean. Easily forgotten are insides of kitchen cupboards - all shelves, and grease on the doors and top. Tea splashes on the paintwork by the bin. Fingermarks on lightswitches etc.

So - a couple of recommendations.

A: If you know you are moving out soon - start going through cupboard and using up stuff earlier rather than later. Pack up a couple of days in advance (yeah yeah I know) so you can see to clean properly.

B: Join the flylady thread. It looks hard but it's not and it's helped me in my own house.

BTW: Your agreement probably means that you should be keeping it clean and tidy, but obviously not doing maintenance like painting. If there are maintenance problems, e.g. shelves falling down due to incorrect fixings, you should point them out to the letting agent or landlord (by letter to prove you have). It might have been good to point out the mildew issue to the landlord earlier.

Gingernutmeg

If you don't have a camera that dates pictures, a useful thing to do is post them to yourself via recorded delivery, then store the unopened envelope somewhere safe once it's been delivered. My partner is a musician and composer and he does this with every score he writes - he's been told by the MU that it's a perfectly legal way of proving copyright and dates etc.

We did this when we moved into our current flat and will do the same once we move out, so that we have proof of the condition of the flat when we moved in (which was disgusting) and proof of how it will look when we move out (much better lol).

Not all tenants leave rental properties dirty ... just as not all landlords rent out properties that are clean lol.

wifiladi

So just what condition was the flat in when you took it over? Any written agreement as to the condition ? My ex landlord paid a company to do this and I got a copy to either accept or disagree. Worked fine!

You really only should get all your deposit back if you are leaving it as found allowing for reasonable wear and tear-which does not mean not doing the cleaning!

I think all new tenants would be well advised to take photos,written statement and give copies to the landlord or vice versa so there can be no dispute!

If the place was cleaner than you've let it become you've hopefully learnt a lesson and will keep the next place better.It will be nicer for you too remember! Even if you buy when it comes to selling the rules are the same -no-one wants to move into a dirty or neglected place!

A little elbow grease on a regular basis is sooo much easier than leaving it until you have no choice! Good luck!

Big_Mama_2

as for using bio washing powder, it is brilliant for getting saucepans with burnt on food really clean. forget soaking in hot water and washing up liquid...

mineallmine

A quick tip, when escorting the landlord around the flat - close the door as you leave the room he/she has just checked with you. It avoids them going back and forth multiple times and any debates.

FBThree

Just wondered ..... how long have you lived in this flat that you are now thinking of tidying?

purple_bunny

Try the flylady.net website... start with the baby steps!
Revolutionised my life!
I no longer have these mad panics when people come to look at the flat, and I feel like a domestic goddess with hardly any effort!

morganlefay

Once you have done all the things discussed above I'd buy some very pretty flowers and put them somewhere prominent - person who has flowers in vase is clearly someone who cares about his/her environment. Also make a pot of REAL coffee to welcome landlord; the smell will (hopefully) cover any nasty ones and is very seductive, and it will look as though you're a nice sort of person (which of course you are) If you have broken anything confess early on - I have a house I rent out and nothing enrages me more than people breaking things and pretending they haven't, or hiding them - after all we all break things, accidents do happen and it's dishonest not to say. I too think the mold on the ceiling is his problem - after all, someone above might have let bath overflow or something like that and that certainly wouldn't be your fault. Good luck !