End of tenancy inventory checkout

pumen

I have moved out of a rented property today and there was an inventory checkout in the morning. Neither the landlord nor the agency (which is acting on his behalf) attended, but they sent an "independent" company to do the checkout. This company has been hired and paid for by the agency and apparently they do a lot of inventories for this agency, so I do not consider them really "independent". I thought at least the agent will attend as they are familiar with the property, so we can discuss if there are any issues. Instead, they have sent someone who has not done a check in on this property, so totally unfamiliar with it.

An inventory clerk came 20mins late, was arrogant, rude and generally not very nice. He was going around the flat making some comments and assumptions without saying anything, even though I asked several times if there were any issues or comments or if I can show where things are. We left the flat very clean , everything is spotless, all items are there, but obviously it is not a brand new flat and furniture is old. His only question was whether we have done professional cleaning, which I said we did. He asked the name of the company and then found dust on the floor in the hallway, so began a confrontation that the flat is not super clean, even though it was. Even when we checked in, there was some dust in some places and this is reflected in the checkin report. It is clear from the pictures which we took that the flat has been clean and in great condition, but my impression was that the guy was already told by the agency to deduct some money from our deposit no matter what, so he was really ignoring our comments as some things have been the same as at the checkin.

At the end of 1.5 hrs of "silently checking every small detail in the flat", he asked me to sign an inventory report, which I refused as I asked him to see the full report, send me a copy or allow to take a photo of the report. How can I sign something I was unable to throughly review? He declined to show full report, didn't allow me to take a picture of his report aand insisted I just sign it- I again refused.

I am worried I am not able to comment on the report. We left the flat in excellent condition and I believe I am fully entitled to get back my deposit - after all, this is my money. I did not want any confrontation with the agency and hoped to resolve all issues , if any, but the way the checkout has been done- it is clear the agency will try to get anything the can get from me.

This whole experience has been extremely embarrassing and we felt that the system works only one way- for the benefit of the landlord, but doesn't protect honest tenants... but what shall I do now? It is clear they can make stuff out in the report and say that the flat is dirty or some items are missing, even though everything was in order. I have not signed the report as if I sign, it means I agree with all his comments, even though I do not agree with them. what are my options? Please advise as we are not experienced with this - this is our first flat in London and first checkout.

Pixie5740

The onus is on the landlord to prove any deductions from your deposit are justified.

As long as you have left the property in the same condition as it was at the start of your tenancy (minus any fair wear and tear).

If the landlord proposes deductions that you think are unfair then you will have the opportunity to challenge them. It's what the deposit protection schemes are for (your deposit was protected right?).

See Deposits for further information.

The whole professional clean thing is !!!!!!!! anyway. You don't need special qualifications to wield a vacuum cleaner or flick a duster around. My last check-out report said the property was cleaned to a professional standard and I don't have a City & Guilds in cleaning nor am I member of any professional body of cleaning (because these things don't exist).

G_M

Pointless to start worrying till your LL tells you whether or not he is proposeing any charges. If he returns your depossit without a murmur, you're fine!

If not, follow the link pixie gave you.

pumen

Pixie5740 wrote: »

The onus is on the landlord to prove any deductions from your deposit are justified.

As long as you have left the property in the same condition as it was at the start of your tenancy (minus any fair wear and tear).

If the landlord proposes deductions that you think are unfair then you will have the opportunity to challenge them. It's what the deposit protection schemes are for (your deposit was protected right?).

See Deposits for further information.

The whole professional clean thing is !!!!!!!! anyway. You don't need special qualifications to wield a vacuum cleaner or flick a duster around. My last check-out report said the property was cleaned to a professional standard and I don't have a City & Guilds in cleaning nor am I member of any professional body of cleaning (because these things don't exist).

Hi. The deposit is protected. I am just afraid that they will make stuff up, so they make deductions. I haven't seen the report and he didn't tell me what he thought about the quality of the cleaning, even though it was very clean. Even if I mop the floor, some dust will be on the floor in 10mins if the window is open. This is very controversial and highly subjective. They claim to be independent, so how can I challenge this?

G_M

pumen wrote: »

Hi. The deposit is protected. I am just afraid that they will make stuff up, so they make deductions. I haven't seen the report and he didn't tell me what he thought about the quality of the cleaning, even though it was very clean. Even if I mop the floor, some dust will be on the floor in 10mins if the window is open. This is very controversial and highly subjective. They claim to be independent, so how can I challenge this?

Pointless to start worrying till your LL tells you whether or not he is proposeing any charges. If he returns your depossit without a murmur, you're fine!

If not, follow the link pixie gave you.

pumen

Well, the whole point is that I expect they will make deductions. We left the keys, they can do anything now and amend the report. Nobody can Berify this. The issue is that I was not issued with a copy if the report at the end of the tenancy!! I asked him to show the report, send me a copy or allow me to take the picture of the report on his laptop. He refused and became very aggressive. I am not protected at all? This all seems like a scam.

nkkingston

Did you take photos of the flat after you cleaned it? These normally stand up pretty well, especially if they're dated, because you can then show whether claims are spurious or not.

pumen

Yes, of course. I made a lot of photos on my phone, you can
See everything is nice and in order, but obviously it is
Difficult to say if there is dust or not. I really felt the inventory
clerk was unreasonable and scam. I showed him a check in report which stated that there was some dust in some places when we moved in, but he just laughed at me and ignored this.

G_M

pumen wrote: »

....I showed him a check in report which stated that there was some dust in some places when we moved in, but he just laughed at me and ignored this.

Of course! His job is to record the contents and condition of the property at present. He has no interest whatsoever in what it was like earlier.

Not his job or responsibility.

I expect they will make deductions. We left the keys, they can do anything now and amend the report. Nobody can Berify this. The issue is that I was not issued with a copy if the report at the end of the tenancy!!

I really don't understand what you want us to say. If they make deductions you are unhappy with, you raise a dispute.

If they amend the report, which seems highly unlikely, and make deductions, you raise a dispute.

It is very unusual for tenants to be given the report by the inventory clerk. Indeed, more often than not the tenants are not present when the inspection is done. The inventory clerk is employed by the LL/agent so gives the report to the LL/agent.

It is then up to the LL/agent to decide what to do.

Once that decision is made and you are informed, you can decide what to do. Until then:

Pointless to start worrying till your LL tells you whether or not he is proposeing any charges. If he returns your depossit without a murmur, you're fine!

If not, follow the link pixie gave you.

pumen

Thanks. Based on your message, these are normal things for the agents and the landlord. It never stops to amaze me how the whole tenancy system is a big fat scam to benefit the landlords and the agents.

xxxnardixxx

Some Agents and landlord are truly shocking. He put fear in you making you think you wont get deposit back, but i think you will get full deposit back. Try not to worry and keep learning about ur rights as a tenant.