Renters lose millions in cleaning deposit deductions

Dirt isn’t fair wear and tear.

Tenants have a choice. They can clean the property to a similar standard as when they moved in or they can pay for a cleaner to do an end of tenancy clean.

My cleaner charges just £20 per hour. Carpets are extra, usually £80 – £120 for a full house. I’d replace ovens if they are over five years old (at my expense).

From the other side of the fence when I was a tenant what I tended to find in many cases was the agents always wanted a higher standard of cleanliness than on move in. I was tempted on more than one occasion to track previous tenants and see if they had been charged, especially in one case where I was having to scrape congealed chip fat from the kitchen cupboards.
However on the few occasions I was letting direct from a LL I generally found the property cleaner and had no issues on move out. I can’t say I ever lost any deposit unless agreed for carpet cleaning (I have cats) but I have had to use photographic evidence to prove my point in more than a few occasions. I also noted that a lot of agencies employ their own cleaners, so call me cynical but maybe this isn’t so much a LL problem as an agency opportunism problem.

problem apparently over over cleaning ‘issues’. Either a property is clean as it was to the same level at the start of an AST or it isn’t. Nothing to do with wear and tear.
If the cleaning is not as was at the start then the claim is VALID. The degree as to the cost of cleaning is the only point of debate.

And more evidence to show that its best the tenant ALWAYS provides their own appliances too!

It takes a few minutes to take a video of the condition on letting, to accompany the inventory. If your agent won’t do it, do it yourself. The tenant then has no argument about the condition in which they should leave it.

Can’t have that can we, tenants being charged to clean properties to the same standard they received it . Something the new government will likely address and another cost placed on the landlord.

I have never had any tenant of mine bother to clean the oven at all during their tenancy. It’s always left caked in chicken grease needing a profrossional clean when they leave. There’s a huge difference between wear and tear and neglect.

Simple for tenants leave the property has you foundit take pics and match them to the ones when you leave normal wear and tare isn’t your fault , damage is.not rocket science.

The answer is an independent inventory and professionally cleaned at the start.If it doesn’t match on check out you have independent verification and should not be challenged.
Problem is i think Labour will change all that to please Generation Rent.

Reply to the comment left by Paddy O’Dawes at 19/06/2024 – 09:48
The burden of proof lies with the claimant.

I happily accept dogs but I would not be happy to accept cats. I bet your landlord was out of pocket.

I wish this section had a picture option, they speak volumes to why over half my tenants did not get their deposits back. In most cases even after keeping it I’ve been well out of pocket. In one case in particular I had to replace every carpet in the house as the tenant let his wet dog have the run of the house – it stunk of dog even after a professional clean. Trust me, you don’t want to know about some of the others, but I’ve spent literally days scrubbing I cleaned houses, how can people live like that?