Is it important to clean on completion?

Person_one

stokesley wrote: »

Am I the only person who moved into a house and found it considerably cleaner than I could ever aspire to?


It's been downhill ever since:o

It seems like everybody leaves a spotless house and moves into a filthy one, maybe we aren't cleaning quite as thoroughly as we think we are!

ManuelG

stokesley wrote: »

Am I the only person who moved into a house and found it considerably cleaner than I could ever aspire to?


It's been downhill ever since:o

When I moved into mine it was a bit of a rush, the previous owner apologised for not cleaning as a result.

I really couldn't see what they could have cleaned...

(Well, suppose the oven was a bit manky, but that really didn't bother me as the rest was OK!)

TBagpuss

OP definitely clean - as others have said, you can do some in advance, keep out your vacuum cleaner and some spray cleaner and wipes and that way you can dust and wipe as you go out of each room.

You might miss a few little bits but do your best. (And be nice and leave loo roll ans soap in the bathroom)

It's definitely true what others have, about how big an impression it makes when you move into a new property and find it dirty. I cleaned my house when I moved out, and left notes about local services etc and a bottle of wine. My buyers were very helpful in forwarding the few letters which slipped though the redirect, for instance.

I guess if they had found the place filthy they would have felt less willing to do that.

jackomdj

I hate it when I move in and things need cleaning.

I do find with each house move things have improved:

Property 1: buying from a friend, however he had tenants (who he knew through work), we agreed to move his furniture and store it in the garage until he could collect, tenants did not move out until completion day (25 years ago, slightly naive compared to now), house was left disgusting with cat poo/pee behind TV stand etc.

Property 2: we ended up helping them move as they had hired a tiny van for 5 adults moving across a river where you needed to take a ferry, it would have taken them until the next day to move it all. They left a shed full of stuff, a cellar full of stuff and did not clean Hoover anything.

Property 3: not too bad, although I am glad I had my jif and polish etc to scrub the skirting before our removal lorry arrived. Toilet was grubby and so were the kitchen units.

Property 4: was left clean, except I don't think she had ever cleaned the radiators as there was about an inch of dust on them...but that was the only mucky part of the house.

Every time we have made sure the house we move out from is clean and how I would expect it to be. We also leave the new people a card, a bottle of wine and a plant (plus toilet roll!)

DRP

We always clean from top to bottom anyway, but it is much more pleasant when the place isn't disgusting.

Our current place was extremely grim.

Herbalus

So the conclusion is that you don't have to clean i.e. you're not going to be punished by whip, penalty notice or police, but it's very nice if you do.

And if you don't, you have to take your chances if you ever want them to do anything for you like forwarding mail.

FrugalWorker

My first apartment was spotless when I moved in. The previous owner left me a bottle of wine, menu to the local take away and some flowers (okay, they had died as there were delays in closing). It was such a nice gesture. While I'd bought the place furnished, she had left everything for me, spare light bulbs, cleaning products, etc... All I had to do was move my clothes in and over time put my own stamp on it.

We've just sold up - I made a point of leaving out left over paint/tiles with a note on where they were used so he'd have them for spares, cleaned everything, left wine / take away details, note explaining when things were last serviced, etc... It only cost me the bottle of wine. I'm sure there were things I missed, but I know the new owner was very happy.

I also made an effort to leave spare loo roll, and any left over basic cleaning products - the end of the fairy liquid/etc... Yes I'm very much a thrifty person, but I can also afford to be generous.

I guess it's personality - it's the kind of person you are or not. Not a requirement, but it's a nice thing to do.

duchy

OP hasn't come back...perhaps they are too busy cleaning to respond !!

melanzana

Just give it a clean and leave it nice for the purchasers.

They will deep clean anyway. At least I did, and the house was ok to move in to.

Don't kill yourself, but basic cleanliness is good.

Riggyman

When you move in/move out it's actually the great bit where you've sold for £X000's or you've bought the home of your dreams. Surveys/Solicitors/searches/stress it's all over. The buyer and Seller have both done what suited both. So, morally, yes, give the house a decent clean, you wouldn't want to move into a !!!! tip, and keeping it it friendly means it its so much easier with post redirection, utility bills etc.