End of Tenancy cleaning

Nj04

Hi,
My lease states at the end of tenancy I am responsible to pay for the professional cleaning of the Property and Fixtures and Fittings.
When I gave notice to the agent we will be moving out, we were told to arrange for a professional clean of the property which includes the steam cleaning of the carpets. They also said, You may need to have your curtains professionally cleaned as well.
We have been in the flat for 4 years therefore there is normal wear and tear but nothing out of the ordinary. My question is, according to the lease we are just supposed to leave the flat clean, nothing in the lease says that should include carpets and curtains. Am I correct? If so, I could go back to the agent and tell them it wasn't included in the lease.

Comms69

Leave it the same as you received it; less wear and tear. That is the golden rule

need_an_answer

Was there an inventory at the start that would have stated the condition of the fixtures and fittings,carpets and curtains?

Possibly this was also backed up with photos too....

You need to return the property in the same or better condition minus wear and tear to avoid any deposit deductions.

Professional cleaning doesn't mean you must hire someone either it is just a pointer to ensure that the cleaning is done to a high standard.
I've never employed a cleaner in my life and I've never lost a deposit dispute either whether that be as a LL or as a tenant.
You also don't have to provide documentary evidence that you've used a particular company either...a bit of time and effort and I always maintain anyone can do a professional clean.

muhandis

The agent is simply trying it on, preparing the ground to claim costs for cleaning from your deposit.

Assuming you haven't checked out yet, in your place, I would simply reply (if needed) that "We will leave the flat as clean as is required in the tenancy contract.".

Clean the property to the standard that it was in at the start of the tenancy. After leaving if they (as expected) claim for deposit deductions, just tell them that you will be claiming all your deposit back (assuming no damage caused by you) and that you will deal with any disputes through the relevant deposit scheme.

Worst case scenario (very unlikely imho based on the limited information in your post) the adjudicator will award them costs for a clean which you would have paid anyway. Let them work for it.

Nj04 wrote: »

My question is, according to the lease we are just supposed to leave the flat clean, nothing in the lease says that should include carpets and curtains. Am I correct? If so, I could go back to the agent and tell them it wasn't included in the lease.

[Deleted User]

They are hoping you will pay for professional cleaning, but you don't need it. As everyone days, leave it as you found it + reasonable wear and tear.