Landlord charging for a deep clean

If you missed stuff off that list (which is pretty basic!) then I’d say a deep clean sounds fair. If you think the cost is too high then get some quotes and negotiate with the landlord, if that doesn’t work dispute it on the tenancy deposit service.

do you have a check in inventory?
what was the state when you moved in?

challenge it with the deposit scheme. the ll needs to provide evidence of the state of the place and that the cleaning actually took place. and even if it did they can't deduct the whole bill if, for example, only the kitchen floor was not sparkling.

The only options you have are either ask the landlord for access so to go back and gut it yourself (ask for the inspection to be done whilst you’re still there) or get someone in to do it for you. Ask landlord for a list of specific areas needing cleaned.

or

allow the landlord to organise a clean and take the money from your deposit

No. The landlord needs to prove his loss. The only thing you need to prove is the condition of the property when you moved in if you are suggesting that some of what’s being claimed for predated you or is fair wear and tear.

I helped my son with this - it went to an adjudication by the deposit scheme and he ended up paying less than £100 for a few bits and pieces he’d missed not the £600 odd the landlord was requesting for a full professional clean.

Dont clean anywhere that you arent given evidence was clean before you arrived. But of course that means you need your own photos and videos of when you arrived. So if you don't have pictures showing the tops of the cupboards Clean, don't clean them yourself. Especially if they are really dirty.

https://www.totallandlordinsurance.co.uk/knowledge-centre/ultimate-landlords-guide-to-fair-wear-and-tear

https://www.tenancydepositscheme.com/asktds-what-is-fair-wear-and-tear-in-a-rental-property/

My deep clean involved skirting boards , tops of doors , kitchen cupboards and top of cupboards , clean oven to sparkling , move white goods to clean under . Clean radiators . Floors . Same to bedrooms , same to bathrooms . Clean Windows . Tidy garden .
Basically how you'd want it when you move in .
Take photos to prove cleanliness .

You don't have to pay for a deep clean @Mamma182838 - I never have.

But you or whoever is doing it does need to be able to clean properly; I swept, scrubbed, descaled and polished every inch of mine before I left because there was no way I was losing a £2.5K deposit for the sake of some hard work. And I didn't.

This is illegal.

"In the past, some landlords included clauses in their tenancy agreements requiring residents to hire a professional cleaning service to ensure their property was returned to its original state when they moved out.
This is now illegal under the Tenant Fees Act and you can be fined up to £5,000 for including such a clause. "

https://evo-pm.com/insights/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-laws-uk-a-guide-for-housing-associations/

https://proptech.tenancydepositscheme.com/asktds-do-i-need-to-professionally-clean-the-property-at-the-end-of-the-tenancy/

Good. So go back and enquire whether LL will arrange deep clean and you pay
or you arrange and pay

either way - accepting you pay

Well to be fair, the landlord asked if I wanted the keys two weeks earlier than I was expecting because the previous tenant had left unexpectedly earlier that day, so I just got on with it!

But yes; while I won't leave it as I found it, I won't be breaking my back either

Landlords can no longer insist on a professional clean at the end of a tenancy.
They can only require it to be returned in the same condition it was rented to you in.

Just dispute it via the TDS, they are very fair and won’t entertain inflated charges.

Unfortunately, landlords and letting agencies are well known to be absolute dickheads over this of late. One of ours got a professional snagger with a macro camera to photograph stupid things like down the sink overflow (mouldy when we moved in) and a couple of hairs on the floor. Just so they could try to charge us £1400 for a cleaning fee. They never even did the clean, we went round for the post and no one had cleaned that sink overflow or inside the light fittings that had black specks when we moved in! MNers hate tenants though so no one will believe you. Take it to the TDS asap and don’t agree to pay anything until they decide. We got it down to £120 in the end because TDS agreed it was wildly unreasonable.

I never paid for a professional clean when I left rented. I'm capable of that standard myself.

Since 2019, you cannot be made to pay for a professional clean, but it can be a requirement that it's cleaned to a professional standard, if that's what it was like when you moved in. You're obliged to return it to the same state in which you found it. I've spent over 20 years in rentals from age 19 onwards, and only one had been cleaned at move-in! Never paid for a clean, nor been asked to, it's really not standard.

Agreed. I don't know anyone who has ever left a rented property who hasn't paid for a professional clean it's pretty standard and means things don't get missed which has evidently happened here.

Did you actually see the property post your DH’s “clean”?

The good news is that as long as you've put that on the inventory / have time-stamped photos / a record of you telling the landlord, you can leave it in the same state you found it in (or at least not break your back to clean it!).

It is illegal for a tenancy to insist on a professional clean but the property should be left in the condition it was found minus fair west and tear.

so you are liable to pay for those specific things that were missed. Perhaps get a quote for that and if you think what the landlord is asking you to pay is unreasonable, dispute it with the Deposit Protection Scheme.

I agree with checking the tenancy agreement- most say it must be a professional clean and request receipts. What bits were missed?