What percentage of deposit should I deduct

Justtryingtoask

Lodger left huge amount of stuff in room and a lot of mouldy food in fridge. Didn't clean and left loaned bedding dirty, crumpled and stuffed at bottom of wardrobe.

What percentage of lodger's deposit should I deduct?

wjr4

None. This has got to be a wind up as it can’t take you long to get rid of that stuff. 

theartfullodger

Depends what YOUR contract with lodger states.  Plus if there was a good (detailed) inventory and photos on move in.

Been declaring lodger to any mortgage lender, insurer and HMRC (rent).??

As a landlord you presumably expected problems.  There are good landlord/lodger websites with advice, draft paperwork etc etc.

Which country (eg NI, Wales)?  Lodger legal situation varies (particularly Scotland)

Best regards to all 

Uriziel

Why are you asking for a percentage and not an amount? How do we know how much your deposit is? Maybe it is $10k? Maybe it is $500? I'd probably take £100. Cleaning is your problem and not his unless he left permanent damage. I never understood why landlords think that tenants have to clean the flat so the next tenant can move in..? Is it their property or the tenants..? Do you clean hotel rooms before leaving..?

MyRealNameToo

Justtryingtoask said:

Lodger left huge amount of stuff in room and a lot of mouldy food in fridge. Didn't clean and left loaned bedding dirty, crumpled and stuffed at bottom of wardrobe.

What percentage of lodger's deposit should I deduct?

You'd take what it costs you to reinstate it back to the state it has given to them assuming your contract allows for you to do so. If it costs you nothing then thats what you charge, if it costs you 1hr of a cleaner at £15/hr you charge £15. 

Chief_of_Staffy

As stated above, you charge for the cost of returning the house to the state it was when the tenant entered, minus expected wear and tear. Simple as that.

Herzlos

Justtryingtoask said:

Lodger left huge amount of stuff in room and a lot of mouldy food in fridge. Didn't clean and left loaned bedding dirty, crumpled and stuffed at bottom of wardrobe.

What percentage of lodger's deposit should I deduct?

How much stuff are we talking about here; is it a skip hire or a trip to the dump?

caprikid1

Feels like £30 - £50

Trip to the dump and an hour cleaning. 

Exodi

Justtryingtoask said:

Lodger left huge amount of stuff in room and a lot of mouldy food in fridge. Didn't clean and left loaned bedding dirty, crumpled and stuffed at bottom of wardrobe.

What percentage of lodger's deposit should I deduct?

Insanity, binning leftover food and cleaning are exactly the sort of things you should anticipate doing as a landlord when someone moves out!

Are you suggesting that if the bedding wasn't dirty or creased, you would not have had to wash it?  If the food wasn't mouldy, you could have ate it?

Did you expect the lodger to take their tomato ketchup, milk and butter with them?

This is exactly the mentality that gives landlords a bad reputation.

Part of me suspects this is a ragebait post.

Happy (and hoping) to be proved wrong and you actually incurred exceptional costs, like a skip hire, and are not just thinking up excuses to steal the deposit.

Chief_of_Staffy

Exodi said:

Justtryingtoask said:

Lodger left huge amount of stuff in room and a lot of mouldy food in fridge. Didn't clean and left loaned bedding dirty, crumpled and stuffed at bottom of wardrobe.

What percentage of lodger's deposit should I deduct?

Did you expect the lodger to take their tomato ketchup, milk and butter with them?

It's been a long time since I rented, but when I did I do recall having some kind of receptacle into which I was able to put my unwanted food and other waste. I think it was called a 'bin'. I also discovered that by spending a couple of hours with a vacuum cleaner and cleaning products, I could not only leave the house like I found it, but show myself to be someone of integrity rather than a lazy, dirty nomark with no respect for myself or anyone else.

Retro_Bunny

What it costs, not a percentage.
As a tenant I left a flat immaculate, but as an oversight, forgot to clean the oven. The landlord phoned apologetic that they'd have to charge £30 for an oven clean (few years back) and would I mind. I said no and apologised too, and onwards we went.
If they'd phoned up saying 20% because I left the oven dirty, its a different story.
Just charge what it costs you and everyone is happy.