Exterior window cleaning for end of tenancy

ericjoe

Hi,

I have hired a professional cleaner for end of tenancy cleaning before I moved out of flat.

The checkout inventory report states that the exterior windows require cleaning.

However the tenancy contract does not specify how the windows should be cleaned. It only states "to clean all windows on a regular basis".

Am I liable for the exterior windows cleaning?

Thank you.

G_M

Prsonally I would not ask this of a tenant unless there were special reason (eg they'd splashed the windows with mud somehow).

However legally he answer depends on the condition they were in at the start of the tenancy. Were they sparkling when you moved in?

kinger101

The windows should be left as clean as when you moved in. If it is not documented that they were clean (photographs/inventory etc), I wouldn't worry about it too much. Having said that, I'd make an effort to clean what I could myself as a courtesy unless they were really dirty when I moved in.

FBaby

Out of curiosity GM, why wouldn't you ask? How is it any different to cleaning inside the house? Are you saying that you would clean them yourself/have someone to do so, or that you never bother and tenants have to move in the property with dirty window.

If you decide to clean yourself or pay, do you do the same with the inside of the property?

aneary

I find it unfair of LL to ask when it's in a flat, there is no way I could safely clean the outside of my windows (please don't say the magnet things - they don't work). I have floor to celling windows on the second and third floor some parts are accessible but most aren't.

So if the LL hasn't fitted windows that can be cleaned easily (my dad made some amazing sash windows that can be pulled into the house for cleaning recently) then I would find it hard for them to expect them to be cleaned on the outside.

DaftyDuck

I don't ask this of my tenants, FBaby, as there are certain risks to ladder work, and tenants won't have likely easy access to a good ladder.

Additionally, it's fairly cheap to pay a window cleaner, and I know the quality of their finished job... not that good, but good enough.

Risk-avoidance is key for me.


Edit to add... same with gutters and trimming tall hedges... don't encourage the tenants to do it.

david1951

I would also caution against requiring tenants to clean windows. At some point, they will either break them or injure themselves. Most window cleaners nowadays use a telescopic broom, ionised water and can do a whole house in 10-15 mins for less than £20. It will look much better, and avoids any risk. Mine also cleans the gutters once or twice a year for an extra fiver.

As for the OP, I would just leave it and see if the landlord tries to take the money from the deposit.

FYI - you also didn't need to get a 'professional' cleaner. There are plenty of threads on that subject if you use Google.

LEJC

I believe this type of clause might be quite standard...I think we have it in all our rental agreements but it's never been adhered to.

As with a lot of things tenancy related it's best to suggest that the windows are returned in the same condition as they were handed over as documented in the inventory.

Personally I think it's nigh on impossible to keep windows sparkly clean unless it's the last thing you do prior to moving out and the inventory check out follows straight behind!

I've 2 properties where they are not ground floor flats and whilst one has semi reversible windows for some sort of easier cleaning the other flat does not and requires quite specialist access.

OP....be guided by what your check in inventory describes....unless it specifically mentions and shows clean and sparky windows I would not excessively worry.

00ec25

external cleaning of windows above ground level is fraught with risk for the LL as it opens him up to liability if the tenant is injured whilst doing so:
- did the LL provide suitable training?
- did the LL provide suitable access equipment?

it is the same argument as a clause requiring tenants to maintain/clean guttering

davidmcn

00ec25 wrote: »

external cleaning of windows above ground level is fraught with risk for the LL as it opens him up to liability if the tenant is injured whilst doing so:
- did the LL provide suitable training?
- did the LL provide suitable access equipment?

it is the same argument as a clause requiring tenants to maintain/clean guttering

Do you have legal authority for that, as it seems unlikely? If the tenant is meant to replace lightbulbs, is the landlord obliged to do a risk assessment / provide someone else to hold the stepladder etc?

Comms69

I'd suggest most people accept that the window's will get mucky eventually and that it's 'an act of God' rather than somehow the tenants fault.


- just FYI in blocks of flats - external maintenance would in all likelihood be the responsibility of the management company.