Stay calm...stay calm.....

Konisberg

Ok. I moved out of a temporary rented flat on 3rd May. I attended the check out and inventory check on Tuesday. Spent an hour going around the two bed flat. The letting agents rang me yesterday to tell me that they had to send in a cleaner to attend to the following.

Dust on radiator
smears on shower door after cleaning.
replacement bulb in bathroom
burnt on grease on inside over door

They have told me that a cleaner went in on 10th May and want to charge me £77.

Now I have already paid for professional cleaners to clean the flat. They did a good job. My point is that I was never told I would be charged for these things otherwise I would have dealt with then there and then. I would have dusted the radiator, wiped the shower door, replaced the bulb and removed the few spots of burnt on grease from inside the oven door. I was told at the check out that there were spots of burnt on grease but it was acknowledged the oven had been cleaned. Maybe I am being naive but I feel I have been tricked into not dealing with the matters there and then. Of course I would have done if I'd have known they were going to charge me £77. Incidentally there are items that weren't cleaned when we moved in that we subsequently dealt with.

I'm so angry. My better nature says forget it and just move on, but this particular letting company tried to rip me off when I first moved in but not disclosing that I would have to pay £90 + VAT for the check in (another story).

I would welcome any advice.

thanks

pinkshoes

Where they aware you'd already had the place professionally cleaned?

If so, then send them a COPY of the receipt for the professional cleaning you paid for, and ask them to show you the several quotes they got for the job, along with a copy of the VAT receipt for the work done. If they were aware you'd had it professionally cleaned, they should have consulted you before going ahead!

£77 for 4 minor things that would take 1 person a maximum of 15 minutes?? I don't know of any cleaner that charges over £300/hour!

Konisberg

Thanks Pinkshoes. They asked me to put in writing my complaint. I asked them first to put in writing the actual issues they had and the breakdown of time for the cleaners. They said the cleaners charged a minimum £50 call out fee and they put in some standard paragraph abut burnt on grease taking a long time to clean. What angers me most is that I wasn't give the opportunity to rectify this minor issues and I had no idea I would be charged money for it. They do know I had the place professionally cleaned. To be honest I doubt any cleaning was done after I left.

mlz1413

send the invoice for £77 to the company you used to proffesionally clean the house, write to the agents acknowledging receipt of the cleaning bill and telling them it has been forward on to cleaning co used, you will advise them of the outcome.

Personally I agree that it sounds like a rip off, did you and agent sign anything when at the house? to agree / sign off inventory.

Anyway let the company you paid to clean reply to the forwarded bill, then just forward a copy of it to agent and let them sort it out.

Also tell agents to forward the balance of your deposit so that only £77 is in dispute - I gather this is in a protected scheme so you should lodge your dispute with them too.