Bond rights?

berneslai

Hi,

I appreciate questions like this have been asked before but I don't know the specific legalities of the situation.

I've recently moved out of a new 2-bed flat and the property was assessed independently regarding the state of the flat on check-out. My partner and I cleaned all the rooms to the best of our ability but there were traces of dust etc. and I will happily admit that it did not quite look 'professionally cleaned'.

I've now received the bill from the letting agent and find that I am to be charged in excess of £350 (this is purely cleaning costs, no damage to the property). Obviously I am going to refute this cost but I have no idea what to do now.

(i) If the property has been independently assessed do I have any comebacks (ironically, the independent agent verbally estimated that I would have to pay £75-£100)
(ii) If I cannot come to an agreement with the letting agency, where do I go from here? I was expecting to lose around £100 and was willing to take any offer less than £200 - but this cost is more than I can afford.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Bernie

berneslai

Anyone

Lavendyr

Did your inventory/tenancy agreement state that the place was professionally cleaned when you moved in? If so, and you did not get it professionally cleaned when you moved out (and do not have receipts to prove that you did), you may be a bit stuck. You might be able to dispute the cost of the professional clean by asking to see the quote from the cleaning company, but to be honest £350 doesn't sound all that far off from what many cleaning companies charge (my OH had to pay £250 for a professional clean on his tiny 1-bed flat back in May).

Check your inventory and tenancy agreement and see what it says first. If the property was not professionally cleaned before you moved in, they can't ask for it to be so when you move out.

berneslai

Oh, OK. Just thought that £350 seemed a bit steep for no more than 4-6 hours work.