Tenant leaving - hasnt left the house clean

Fuzzyness

thanks for all the advice. much appreciated.

HappyMJ

After 6 years you would need to think about changing the carpet and at the very least painting all the walls. After you do that it's going to look quite clean so I wouldn't worry about charging the tenant to clean the carpet and the walls when you're going to make a much bigger mess.

FBaby

agrinnall wrote: »

You've had 6 years of rent paid with no voids and you're worried about spending a couple of hundred quid (tax deductible) on cleaning? Are you David Cameron?

That is not the point. Why should they occur a bill they shouldn't have to? Respect and rules work both ways, and in this case, a tenant failed in the duties, end of.

OP, for all you know, your tenant is already prepared for the cost of cleaning to be deducted from their deposit. It might be that they intended to clean but something came up which meant they could do so, but accept that they should foot the bill.

Why don't you make a reasonable deduction from the deposit and see whether they dispute it or not. If they do, you'll then have to decide whether you have enough evidence to justify your claim.

G_M

Whilst I agree that the state of the property when the last tenant moved out may not be the same as the state when the new tenant moved in, if

* the landlord has a receipt from the professional cleaning company used on exit, and
* the date is close enough to the move-in date

then that would certainly constitute evidence a court/arbitrator would take into account. Obviously, a detailed inventory signed by the tenant at check-in is best, bit it's not the only evidence possible.

agrinnall

FBaby wrote: »

That is not the point. Why should they occur a bill they shouldn't have to? Respect and rules work both ways, and in this case, a tenant failed in the duties, end of.

There has been absolutely no indication that this is true, the OP has not provided any evidence that there was a signed inventory on move in at all. And as many other people have said, if the LL has to refresh carpets and paintwork anyway then cleaning before that is done will be a waste of money whoever pays for it. As someone who has been a LL in the past I would be thankful that my tenant had paid me for 6 years rather than wanting to grasp every last penny I could squeeze out of them. Clearly you disagree, and that's fine, but I don't feel money saving is the be all and end all of everything even on this site.

POPPYOSCAR

FBaby wrote: »

That is not the point. Why should they occur a bill they shouldn't have to? Respect and rules work both ways, and in this case, a tenant failed in the duties, end of.

OP, for all you know, your tenant is already prepared for the cost of cleaning to be deducted from their deposit. It might be that they intended to clean but something came up which meant they could do so, but accept that they should foot the bill.

Why don't you make a reasonable deduction from the deposit and see whether they dispute it or not. If they do, you'll then have to decide whether you have enough evidence to justify your claim.

I agree with you.


But is it really worth all the hassle unless there is damage?

FBaby

I am going by what OP said, ie. that the place was clean when the tenant moved in, therefore they do have a duty to return in the same state of cleanliness. Whether OP can prove the state it was in is another matter as I said in my post.

And as many other people have said, if the LL has to refresh carpets and paintwork anyway then cleaning before that is done will be a waste of money whoever pays for it

It is not for the tenant to make a judgement on the basis of what the landlords intends to do. For all he knew, he intended to sell the property as was, and therefore not changed carpets/redecorate, however still wanting to show the property to prospective buyers in a clean state.

There is also a big difference between cleaning involving a bit of dusting and hoovering, that would need to be done after recapeting/decorating, and having to clean disgusting kitchen cupboards (for instance!).

Clearly you disagree, and that's fine, but I don't feel money saving is the be all and end all of everything even on this site.

From my perspective, it's nothing to do with money saving but about doing things correctly in every way. If a landlord can be fined financially because they provided the prescribed information a day late, I don't think it is unreasonable that they shouldn't feel they should pick up bills that they are not responsible for.

FBaby

But is it really worth all the hassle unless there is damage?

Up to each individual. As said, for all we know, the tenant might agree to the deduction anyway so I don't think it is much hassle to make that request through the scheme. Whether OP would want to take it all the way to the adjudicator service, only they can decide.

[Deleted User]

Its a good idea to take dated pre-tenancy and post tenancy photos too.

red_devil

Fuzzyness wrote: »

if I was living in it I would have done it before I moved out or paid someone to do it for me.

people are busy moving on they aren't going to pay someone to clean a rented house. They are busy sorting their new home.

At least its not smashed up.