Landlord trying to charge us for a professional clean

orkie55

Hi all,

Have a very frustrating issue and I'm hoping someone here can see if I'm in the right or wrong here: (Long post ahead, sorry)

May 2016:
Look at a house to rent during my placement year (students). Letting agent tells us that another house for a similar price will also be available for when we want to start our tenancy.
See the house - like it - pay holding Deposit and begin documents process for the rent due to begin Near end of June.

Between May and June: Multiple emails and calls to Letting agent, to make sure everything is fine.

June 2016:
1 day prior to moving in: Call our letting agent and ask when we can pick up the keys. PROBLEM, apparently Landlord is not responsive.

Moving in Day June 2016:
Landlord has finally been contacted and managed to secure the keys - we move in.

June 2016 - Jan 2017:
Constant house viewings - Landlord is trying to sell the house and usually only gives 1 night notice. Most viewings are on weekends when none of the tenants usually in and he ALWAYS moved our stuff without asking.

January 2017:

Apparently, at some point he called one of the other tenants and told us that he has sold the house and he is giving us 6 weeks to leave the property.

February 2017: After paying over £1200 in tenant fees, internet moving house bills, 1 month overlap of tenancy (due to minimum term and need to transfer our stuff), we vacate the house.
We cleaned it to the best as we could, given that we had not been given no vacuum cleaner or other cleaning stuff in a "furnished" house. We also had very limited time to clean it, as although we may have had 6 weeks, most of that time was spent looking for the very inconvenient short term let. None of us are also in at weekends which didn't help.

Now:
Landlord is saying that he wants the house professionally cleaned and apparently we hadn't cleaned it to that level. He is saying he will pay to clean the house and take it off our deposit (said a couple of hundred of pounds?!).

Overall, this is why I think this is unfair:

- Contract was for 12 months, we had absolutely no idea that he was trying to sell the house prior to moving in OR that there was a break clause in the contract after 6 months. (Why have a contract for a year but be able to kick tenants out after 6?).
- Paid all rent and bills in time all the time
- Had to put up with many house viewings and landlord moving all our stuff
- Wasted much of our time trying to find another house for such a short period (only 4 months left of our placement).
- Had to pay over £1200 in tenant fees, extra rent month, and other bills (internet etc).
- We gave the house a standard clean
- Apparently the gas safety check expired prior to us moving in and was never done during out tenancy or given a copy of the safety check
- He only ever let us know that we had to vacate the house by a call, I only found out from my other tenant while on holiday...


Any help on where we stand and what we can do from here?

Pixie5740

Most of the above is irrelevant. All you have to do is leave the place in the same condition it was in at the start of your tenancy. It doesn't matter if you hire "professionals" or apply some elbow grease.

The onus is on the landlord to prove any deductions are fair. If you disagree use the deposit scheme to dispute it. He did protect your deposit didn't he?

G_M

I shall remove the irrelevant parts, focus on the issue, and highlight the missing bit::

orkie55 wrote: »

See the house - like it - pay holding Deposit and begin documents process for the rent due to begin Near end of June.

Moving in Day June 2016:
Landlord has finally been contacted and managed to secure the keys - we move in.
Was there an agreed inventory?
What does it say regarding the cleanliness of the property?

February 2017: ...we vacate the house.
We cleaned it to the best as we could,

Now:
Landlord is saying that he wants the house professionally cleaned and apparently we hadn't cleaned it to that level. He is saying he will pay to clean the house and take it off our deposit (said a couple of hundred of pounds?!).

Overall, this is why I think this is unfair:

- We gave the house a standard clean

The landlord is claiming money for cleaning.
Nothing else in your post is relevant to that issue.

If you left the property as clean in Feb as it was the previous June, then you do not need to pay.

If you left the property less clean in Feb as it was the previous June, then you do need to pay.

The normal way to compare is the original inventory against the check-out report.

Photos help.

All the rest of your post relates to other, separate, issues, which should/could have been dealt with either before or during the tenancy. But not after the tenancy has ended.

orkie55

G_M wrote: »

I shall remove the irrelevant parts, focus on the issue, and highlight the missing bit::
The landlord is claiming money for cleaning.
Nothing else in your post is relevant to that issue.

If you left the property as clean in Feb as it was the previous June, then you do not need to pay.

If you left the property less clean in Feb as it was the previous June, then you do need to pay.

The normal way to compare is the original inventory against the check-out report.

Photos help.

All the rest of your post relates to other, separate, issues, which should/could have been dealt with either before or during the tenancy. But not after the tenancy has ended.

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Most of the above is irrelevant. All you have to do is leave the place in the same condition it was in at the start of your tenancy. It doesn't matter if you hire "professionals" or apply some elbow grease.

The onus is on the landlord to prove any deductions are fair. If you disagree use the deposit scheme to dispute it. He did protect your deposit didn't he?

Deposit is protected with an agency that the letting agent uses.

Letting agent produced an inventory report, but as far as I see they have no record of it. I have a printed copy. It has many observations but the main consensus is "good level of cleanliness". No mention of professional cleaning.

We have not been given a checkout report or even anything formal for us to leave the tenancy. Since we have now left the house, he could have been using the house. Now that he knows we aren't willing to put up with his request, whats to stop him do damage and blame it on us?

We didn't take any pictures unfortunately, but still have the keys.

I told the landlord we are willing to come and spend some more time cleaning the house, but there really isn't much more we can do without professional tools. And the house was not "professionally" cleaned when we came in. It was relatively clean but it wasn't spot clean like he claims it is.

Pixie5740

Who sets the standards of professional cleaning? The Royal Society of Cleaners? The UK Cleaning Council?

G_M

orkie55 wrote: »

Deposit is protected with an agency that the letting agent uses.
Then if you disagree with the landlord over deductions from your deposit for cleaning, raise a dispute via the protection scheme. That's what it is for.

Letting agent produced an inventory report, but as far as I see they have no record of it.
A big assumption. What makes you think that?
I have a printed copy. It has many observations but the main consensus is "good level of cleanliness". No mention of professional cleaning.
When you left, was there a "good level of cleanliness"?

We have not been given a checkout report or even anything formal for us to leave the tenancy. Since we have now left the house, he could have been using the house. Now that he knows we aren't willing to put up with his request, whats to stop him do damage and blame it on us?
he will need a check-out report. The later the date of the report after the end of the tenancy, the weaker his case.

We didn't take any pictures unfortunately, but still have the keys.
Why do you still have keys?
Has the tenancy actually ended? That is not the same as 'moving out'. How/when did it end?


I told the landlord we are willing to come and spend some more time cleaning the house, but there really isn't much more we can do without professional tools.
you canot blame lack of tools. I note you previously tried to blame lack of a vacuum cleaner - that is not the LL's fault. If there was no VC provided, you should have bought or borrowed one, or cleaned (to the same standard) without.
And the house was not "professionally" cleaned when we came in. It was relatively clean but it wasn't spot clean like he claims it is.

It appears it was a "good level of cleanliness".

Read:


* Deposits: payment, protection and return

orkie55

G_M wrote: »

It appears it was a "good level of cleanliness".

Read:


* Deposits: payment, protection and return

Was hoping to not go so far as needing to dispute the thing, I really hope to just throw some sense into the landlord.

Because when I call them, they could not find it in their system. Granted it was a quick search, but I will find out with certainty soon.

I believe so. But I offered to come and clean anything that was not to the standard it was in June(if anything). The landlord wanted us to professionally clean the oven and and wash the carpets. We managed to borrow a vacuum cleaner to vacuum them but they were never washed prior to us coming in.

I will try and be reasonable one last time tomorrow and offer to come when he is there and see what standard of cleaning he expects and hope to settle this.

Still have keys because we didn't know what to do. Whether we leave them at the house or give back to landlord or letting agent. No one has told us what to do with them.

The only method of communication telling to end the tenancy was an apparent phone call to my flat mate. No checkout report nothing in writing AFAIK. This is why I am now worried that he will try and blame us for something we didn't do.


I have no idea what to do now but going to the letting agent tomorrow for some advice.

[Deleted User]

The letting agent is employed by the LL. They may help you but don't expect them too.

Next time don't sign anything without reading it thoroughly (so you understand if there is a break clause).

If you disagree with anything taken from your deposit, and the LL won't agree with what you consider is fair etc.., you will have to raise a dispute. But please get someone to proof read what you write. What you have put on here isn't always clear.

As has already been said, whether the LL provided cleaning equipment isn't relevant to the level of cleanliness. I didn't have a shampooer for years but still managed to clean carpets to a high standard with towels (to dry), soap and water, cloths etc. It took time, but I did it. I assume it was your choice to be away weekends, you still had plenty of hours to clean the place. Don't excuse why the place wasn't clean, concentrate on demonstrating that it was, if it was, with pictures etc.

G_M

orkie55 wrote: »

.....
Still have keys because we didn't know what to do. Whether we leave them at the house or give back to landlord or letting agent. No one has told us what to do with them.

The only method of communication telling to end the tenancy was an apparent phone call to my flat mate. No checkout report nothing in writing AFAIK. This is why I am now worried that he will try and blame us for something we didn't do.
......

I hate to say this but it is increasingly sounding like the tenancy has not ended.

And rent will still be due.

Fingers crossed the LL doesn't claim rent..........

dimbo61

When you moved in to the property in June did you not sign a 12 months contract?
Most Uni courses last from September till May/June so why a 6 months tenancy ?

Like others have stated contact the deposit people and dispute any deductions from the deposit,
The Landlord has to prove the condition of the property before and after you have lived there.
Why have you still got the keys ?

orkie55

deannatrois wrote: »

The letting agent is employed by the LL. They may help you but don't expect them too.

Next time don't sign anything without reading it thoroughly (so you understand if there is a break clause).

If you disagree with anything taken from your deposit, and the LL won't agree with what you consider is fair etc.., you will have to raise a dispute. But please get someone to proof read what you write. What you have put on here isn't always clear.

As has already been said, whether the LL provided cleaning equipment isn't relevant to the level of cleanliness. I didn't have a shampooer for years but still managed to clean carpets to a high standard with towels (to dry), soap and water, cloths etc. It took time, but I did it. I assume it was your choice to be away weekends, you still had plenty of hours to clean the place. Don't excuse why the place wasn't clean, concentrate on demonstrating that it was, if it was, with pictures etc.

G_M wrote: »

I hate to say this but it is increasingly sounding like the tenancy has not ended.

And rent will still be due.

Fingers crossed the LL doesn't claim rent..........

Contracts these days are 100 pages +. I had a quick scan but its all written in jibberish. Lesson learned either way... I was used to student housing where everything is simplified. As this was placement in a little town, there was no student housing.

So having no end term is actually against us. What a bloody joke. I hate how everything and everyone in this world is out to screw you.