Estate agent trying to charge extra after vacating property

SparkyMark123

Morning

Wonder if you could help me with a dispute I'm having with my old letting agents. Moved out of property 4 weeks ago. Estate agents did final exit inspection and state they have found various problems including

Carpet needs professionally cleaning

Bill for £120 for professional cleaners to come in ( I'd already paid £60 for this but there saying the work not up to scratch.

Grill pan missing £25 ( I'm addiment there wasn't one in the first
place but it's in the inventory so probably nothing I can do about that)

Sink Basin chipped £30 for replacement

And here's the kicker

A bill for all walls and ceiling to be repainted. £200+

In total they wish to charge me my full deposit £360 held securely I've agreed to this and a extra £185 on top. What are my rights regarding disputing this additional charge?

Some of the charges seem vastly inflated but legally where do I stand. The flat was only one bedroom and prior to moving in no re decorating had been done so in theory I'm being charged for two lots of wear and tear- my 18 months and the previous tenants.

Emails have been going backwards and forwards but any advice greatly appreciated.

Pixie5740

Assuming this is England or Wales read Deposits: payment, protection, return.

saajan_12

I would write a letter to the LL cc’ing the agent, stating your responses to their points and what figure you agree to be deducted from your deposit. Ask them to return the rest of the deposit within 10 days, after which you should simply file a claim with the deposit scheme.

*Carpet cleaning: was the carpet left with marks/stains? Compare the pictures before and after your tenancy. If there is a difference beyond fair wear and tear, they are able to claim the cost of carpet cleaning. £120 sounds high but reasonable to me.

*Grill pan: was this an inventory you were able to see at the start of the tenancy / signed? If yes, why didn’t you dispute it then? If no, what proof do they have it was there?

*Sink basin: how old was the sink basin when you moved out? A whole new basin would be betterment though, they should get either the cost of a second hand basin or part of the cost of a new one (proportionate to the remaining lifespan of a sink basin from the date you left, plus possibly labour to install.

*Repainting: were there more marks on the walls/ceiling after you left than before? If there is a difference beyond fair wear and tear, they are able to claim the cost of repainting. £200 sounds reasonable counting labour depending on the size of the flat.

SparkyMark123

saajan_12 wrote: »

I would write a letter to the LL cc’ing the agent, stating your responses to their points and what figure you agree to be deducted from your deposit. Ask them to return the rest of the deposit within 10 days, after which you should simply file a claim with the deposit scheme.

*Carpet cleaning: was the carpet left with marks/stains? Compare the pictures before and after your tenancy. If there is a difference beyond fair wear and tear, they are able to claim the cost of carpet cleaning. £120 sounds high but reasonable to me.

*Grill pan: was this an inventory you were able to see at the start of the tenancy / signed? If yes, why didn’t you dispute it then? If no, what proof do they have it was there?

*Sink basin: how old was the sink basin when you moved out? A whole new basin would be betterment though, they should get either the cost of a second hand basin or part of the cost of a new one (proportionate to the remaining lifespan of a sink basin from the date you left, plus possibly labour to install.

*Repainting: were there more marks on the walls/ceiling after you left than before? If there is a difference beyond fair wear and tear, they are able to claim the cost of repainting. £200 sounds reasonable counting labour depending on the size of the flat.

Apologies for not being clearer on earlier post

Carpet cleaning £80 I'm not disputing this one

General Cleaning £120- Seems excessive given I had already paid out for a professional cleaner and according to pictures I took did a decant job

Grill Pan- Agreed nothing I can do with this one

Sink Basin- Over 18 months old cost of £30 replacement for a chip in it

Repainting of walls - Over £200 this is the one I'm not happy about- No redecorating would have been done for more than two years yes there were more marks but that maybe should come under fair wear and tear- £200 + for a full repaint seems like betterment

I have already given permission for them to keep the deposit £360- Its the extra £185 I find unreasonable

saajan_12

SparkyMark123 wrote: »

General Cleaning £120- Seems excessive given I had already paid out for a professional cleaner and according to pictures I took did a decant job-
What efforts you took are irrelevant, the point is are there any remaining areas left insufficiently clean, based on the pictures? How much would it cost to rectify those?


Grill Pan- Agreed nothing I can do with this one

Sink Basin- Over 18 months old cost of £30 replacement for a chip in it

Repainting of walls - Over £200 this is the one I'm not happy about- No redecorating would have been done for more than two years yes there were more marks but that maybe should come under fair wear and tear- £200 + for a full repaint seems like betterment - Stop focusing on the previous decoration. The point is the difference between your start and end pictures. I would think actual marks are damage that you would be responsible for, whereas general discolouration from dust / sunlight are wear and tear.

I have already given permission for them to keep the deposit £360- Its the extra £185 I find unreasonable-
why? It's all money that is originally, going into the LL/agent's pocket. If you dispute more than £185 of costs, why not claim what is fair?

No point going back and forth explaining to us. State what you think is fair giving reasons for the charges you dispute, and say you would settle for losing the deposit if they agree that is in full and final settlement. If you really don't want to recover part of the deposit, then nothing more to do.. if / when they file a court claim, you can present you evidence then.