Questions about moving out of a council property

[Makemedoit]

My mother is moving out of her council property to go into residential care. I live some distance away and so am struggling to get everything organised. How clean / tidy do I need to ensure the house is left? Would I need to get it cleaned? It will be emptied etc of all belongings and furniture.

They always do a clean and if it's been occupied for a long time, they also redecorate. I wouldn't worry too much....just mop floors but if you're getting a cleaner in, ask them to do a basic clean. Floors mopped, sinks and toilets clean...vents dusted...light switches etc wiped over.

I hope it goes ok for you OP I know it's stressful.

Thanks. It’s a six hour round trip so am trying to get everything done in as a few visits as possible!

At the moment it’s looking at least 3!

Personally, I’d do nothing, except empty of furniture and possessions. They’ll do a full clean anyway. Spend the time with your mum instead.
It’s not your responsibility.

Just empty it. They’ll pull up carpets and repaint it usually.

As long as all possessions and rubbish is removed you don't really need to give it a deep clean or get a cleaner in.

Best to check with your local council.

Ours do an inspection report when you hand in notice - this details any repairs that you are responsible for, all flooring/furnishings must be removed and a basic clean should be carried out.

If these things aren't done they charge you trade rates for each item.

@BashfulClam

Just empty it. They’ll pull up carpets and repaint it usually.

I don’t know where you are but I would check about leaving carpets down OP. This may be an exception for the elderly in your circumstances for your mum. However usually you will be charged for leaving flooring down in bad condition.

Thanks everyone. I will ring the council tomorrow and see if they can advise me about expectations.

definitely ask the council themselves, if you can get the housing officer for the property even better.
Some councils charge if you leave down carpets or any appliances, even curtain rails
Having said that after my dad died the council were just wanting the house back asap , it was the middle of a bad winter snowstorm so they said just to leave the carpets and curtains and there would be no charge as there was no forwarding address on file.

They mostly expect you to remove carpets and flooring we left ours in my nans sheltered accommodation because she was there less than a year they were new really so the warden and housing officer asked the next tenants if they wanted them they snatched our hands off

As @EvilOnion said, see if you can arrange an end of tenancy inspection on your first visit. The council should then advise what needs doing and either you fix them or they will fix them and recharge your Mum.

We had to take up the carpets in my mum's house, and remove the shed and greenhouse from the garden.

It really depends on the local authority. Mine ripped up the previous tenants 'carpet' (admittedly probably doing me a favour, considering the state of the rest of the house) leaving me with 1960s vinyl tiles that had not been well loved so it was bare concrete in a lot of the rooms and that was it. No redecorating, no flooring, and definitely no cleaning.
However when my aunt died she'd had brand new carpets put in 18 months earlier, and her authority eventually said they would keep them if my cousin paid for them to be professionally cleaned, which she did because she couldn't stand the thought of throwing out really nice carpet.

You're best off speaking to the local housing officer who can advise. As your mum's going into residential care, she won't need to worry too much about having a black mark against her in terms of tenancy, but she might get charged for removal of some things.