End of tenancy deposit query

tands

Hi all,


We've recently moved out of a rental property, and the agents would like to make some deductions from the deposit.


Some of the money is for cleaning, which is annoying but fine. £48 is to have a BT phone/internet point and cable which we had installed removed. BT have said that an engineer can attend and do this for free - so I asked the agents to check whether the new tenant is using it before we organised this. The agent has said "the landlord has asked for this to be removed from the property, as you have vacated the property, you are not allowed back into the property" and is refusing to waive the charge.


My question is, do we have a leg to stand on here? It was written in to our tenancy agreement that we shouldn't change the provider, so they are right that we shouldn't have had it installed - but we are now offering to have it removed and they just want the money - they haven't even checked if the new tenant is using it. Is it worth going through the dispute service, or will we lose anyway?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Guest101

you are allowed to change providers, and the LL cannot stop you doing so. - That's end of the matter. (regardless what your tenancy agreement says)

The LL can charge you for 'loss', but since BT will remove the line for free, there is no loss.

The agents are right, you arent allowed back into the property.

Pixie5740

Is the cleaning charge fair enough? Did you leave the property dirtier compared with how it was at the start of your tenancy?

I'd also challenge the £48 for the phone line? Was there no phone line when you moved into the property?

tands

Thanks Guest101, I've gone back to the agent about "loss" and she has blinked, and is going to check with her manager tomorrow.


Pixie5740, maybe "fair enough" isn't the right expression, because it's extortionate and it was very clean, just not "professionally" cleaned. But unfortunately, it's all backed up for them from the inventories from when we moved in and out, and they've had quotes based on these - so I don't think we would stand a chance if we were to appeal against it. There was a phone line when we moved in, but it was with a different provider. So we had the BT line installed so that we could switch.

LateStarter

As you were paying the bills you had the right to use any supplier you chose. The Office of Fair Trading says: "The tenant should have the choice of supplier, although he may be required to keep the landlord informed of any change and to return the account to the original supplier at the end of the tenancy". A Landlord or EA can put anything in a contract, but that doesn't make it legal or enforceable. Do not agree with this deduction.

As for the cleaning, some things are expected (professional carpet cleaning maybe), but if you left the place in the same state you found it, you should not pay anything else. You also don't have to pay for anything that counts as "fair wear and tear".

Guest101

tands wrote: »

Thanks Guest101, I've gone back to the agent about "loss" and she has blinked, and is going to check with her manager tomorrow.


Pixie5740, maybe "fair enough" isn't the right expression, because it's extortionate and it was very clean, just not "professionally" cleaned. But unfortunately, it's all backed up for them from the inventories from when we moved in and out, and they've had quotes based on these - so I don't think we would stand a chance if we were to appeal against it. There was a phone line when we moved in, but it was with a different provider. So we had the BT line installed so that we could switch.

There is no such thing as professionally cleaned.

There's no Royal Chartered Insitute of Domestic Cleaners.

How long were you there for? What doe sthe £48 cover?

tands

Thanks LateStarter, the £48 charge is not for changing providers, it is for the removal of the box and cable that were installed by BT on the wall.

Guest101

Guest101 wrote: »

There is no such thing as professionally cleaned.

There's no Royal Chartered Insitute of Domestic Cleaners.

How long were you there for? What doe sthe £48 cover?

Sorry i got confused, not the £48. What is he trying to deduct elsewhere and for what reason?

LateStarter

tands wrote: »

Thanks LateStarter, the £48 charge is not for changing providers, it is for the removal of the box and cable that were installed by BT on the wall.

Sorry what I was trying to say was that once you put things back to how they were (or arrange for BT to do so), you shouldn't be charged anything.

corbyboy

Not that I agree with the charge but perhaps it is the amount they have to pay somebody to wait in while the engineer does the work?

Although why the landlord wants it removed I don't understand. Why not just leave it?

tands

Guest101 - The other charges are about £100 for carpet cleaning, we steam cleaned them ourselves, but the inventory clerk said they weren't as clean as they should be, and they were professionally cleaned when we moved in. And about £40 for other cleaning charges - a bit in the oven, a few doors which need wiping down etc. It's all backed up by the check in and check out inventories.


LateStarter - this is what I've said to the agent, so we'll see what they come back with!