End of tenancy - Cleaning responsibility?

JonJL86

Hi guys,

I've found myself in a bit of a tricky situation.

I moved into a house with some friends in 2014. The tenancy started in 2011. Over the years, the original tenants left and new ones moved in.

The tenancy has now come to an end and I, along with 2 others, have been told we will need to pay for a professional clean as that was the state of the house at the start of the tenancy despite the fact that we have only lived there for 2 of the 5 years (3 years after the house was cleaned.)

I did sign a contract stating I accept cleaning responsibilities but was under the impression that it would be for the house as it was when i moved in, not 3 years prior.

It's also worth noting that we requested a new inventory be carried when we signed the contracts but were denied.

Do I have a leg to stand on are are we going to have to bite the bullet on this one?

Thanks in advance,

Jon

mrginge

When did your tenancy agreement actually start?

JonJL86

My contract started from June 2014. The tenancy started in 2011.

pmlindyloo

Can you please clarify as you say the tenancy started in 2011?

When you moved in did you sign a new tenancy agreement or was the original one (2011) amended?

Pixie5740

Tenant roulette....place bets now!

Who is actually named on the tenancy agreement? Your tenancy cannot have started in 2011 if you only moved in 2014. Did you ever pay a deposit? If so who did you pay it to....please don't say it was an outgoing tenant.

JonJL86

Ok, so my tenancy started in 2014 - that's when I signed the contract. There's been about 8 tenants over a 5 year span. The inventory they are working off is from 2011 when the first tenants moved in.

Paid the deposit to the letting agent.

HappyMJ

If the tenancy is still running then go back and clean it before handing in the keys or if you've handed in the keys ask for them back, clean it and return the keys again. You might have a day or two until the actual end of the tenancy that you've paid rent for.

Did you rent a house as a whole or a room?

JonJL86

We've cleaned the flat and moved out. Had an inventory clerk inspect the property today. It's been cleaned to a domestic level but not a professional level (as it was in 2011). It's certainly cleaner now than it was when I moved in.

HappyMJ

JonJL86 wrote: »

We've cleaned the flat and moved out. Had an inventory clerk inspect the property today. It's been cleaned to a domestic level but not a professional level (as it was in 2011). It's certainly cleaner now than it was when I moved in.

A domestic level cleaning standard is all that is required.

Raise a dispute with the deposit protection company and claim everything back.

LittleMax

JonJL86 wrote: »

It's also worth noting that we requested a new inventory be carried when we signed the contracts but were denied.


Jon

What do you have in writing about this? Did the letting agent say that you were agreeing to take over the property at the condition it was in from the out going tenant but 2011 inventory applied?

Pixie5740

An inventory from 2011 isn't going to do the landlord much good when your tenancy started in 2014. It's neither here nor there what condition the property was in back in 2011, what matter is the condition of the property at the start of your tenancy and what evidence the landlord has of this...which sounds like diddly squat. Don't bother negotiating over any deposit deductions and just make a claim for the full amount back.

Don't get caught up in the "professional cleaning" bollox either. Paying someone to clean is no guarantee that someone will do a better job than you.