Renting, moving out cleaning advice please

mumto2loves

Hi ive been in a rented house for 2 1/2 years, when i moved in the house hadnt been cleaned at all, there was ketchup potatoes and bits in the fridge, the under the sink cupboard hadnt been emptied, it wasnt horrible, just hadnt been cleaned. I did write and tell them (i had to tell them about other things as well) and it is also all mentioned in the check in inventory pack which has photos that they gave me.

At the time the agent said to me dont worry about the cleaning, it just means you wont need to do it when you move out.
But With my letter of notice there is a list of things that i need to make sure i do before i leave (cleaning windows, cuboards, fridge oven carpets etc) all things that werent done before i moved in.

Am i better to contact them now and say im not doing it because it wasnt done when i moved in or not say anything and possibly argue after im gone? I will obvioulsy leave it clean (cleaner than when i moved in) but i dont really want to pay for a cleaner and window cleaner and oven cleaner etc.

They also say i need to get the curtains cleaned (and lampshades) but i took all their curtains and lampshades down as soon as i moved in and used my own, do i need to get them cleaned?

Thanks in advance

Rosemary7391

The letter you've received is probably just a standard one. As long as you leave it in as good or better condition than the inventory you should be fine.



Regarding the curtains and lampshades - you need to return them in the same condition as you found them. So if they've acquired dust or creases in storage you need to deal with that, otherwise just stick them back up when you're leaving.

lookstraightahead

Depending on wear and tear too - eg if you've been in the property a while the walls might look a bit grubbirr, or the carpets etc. That's not for you to put right (although damage is). Read up on wear and tear.

tacpot12

I don't think you need to contact them ahead of moving out. Just leave the property better than you found it, and then argue about any deductions the agent attempts to make because of the condition. If necessary, raise a dispute with the Deposit Protection Scheme.

You can avoid the risk of any argument or most of the risk of delay in getting your deposit back if you clean the place so that it can be let immediately, but I understand why you don't want to do this.

need_an_answer

Did you have an inventory at the beginning of the tenancy that detailed how the property was?

This is the document that you should be working with now its nearly check out time

The inventory should reflect the state when you moved in and it is now for you to leave the property in the same condition (or better) with the allowance for wear and tear.