To expect my new landlord to deep clean the property before i move in..

[GoingUpInTheWorld]

Dh and i have very recently been accepted for a property in the north west area for a 4 bed detached house for £1000 rent per month.

The landlord is currently living in the property but has bought another property which they will be moving into.

I ve had a letter today from my current letting agent stating a list of things they want cleaning before i get my deposit back. This is a standard letter which is sent to all their tenants. The list includes paintwork, skirting boards, bathrooms, any marks n walls, windows inside and out, window sills inside and out, garden mowing, oven deep cleaning and the exractor fan, cupboards wiped out etc.

Even if the letting agency had not sent me this letter, all the above would be done anyway as it would horrify me for someone to clean my muck etc.

Now i asked the new letting agency if the landlord was going to clean the property before i move in and clean out the kitchen cupboards etc.

He contacted the landlord and he got back to me saying that the landlord was not keen on giving the property a deep clean but will give it a once over and has said that when im in the property i can clean it till my hearts content!

Aibu to expect the LL to deep clean the property considering its not a cheap house and shes expecting me to clean her muck ?

About the taking of photos - how do you prove they are taken as you move in? The kitchen is described a new, but the hob most certainly isn't. Neither is the kitchen 'newly decorated'.

Going - exactly. We're just sitting here calling our agent + land lord to be all the names under the sun - but will probably smile sweetly tomorrow and be the perfect prospective tenants. sigh.

Waffly that's the game alright!

Just make sure the check in is done by an independent agency and get them to put EVERYTHING wrong / dirty / aged on the check in report. That way you can refer back to it when you moved out - you are only obliged to return the house to the condition it was in when you moved in, aside from normal wear and tear.

I deep cleaned for the last lot. Mainly because I have a cat allergy and I didn't want to risk going in myself as the previous lot were a nightmare. I told them this and included a copy of the cleaning invoice. They didn't mention having two cats and left the place in an absolutely horrendous state. I'm out of pocket yet again as rents are low here and the deposit doesn't cover the lost rent (that people never seem to pay as soon as they're given their 2 months' notice) AND the cleaning/damages etc.

I do the best I can for my tenants and, as yet, have not found any decent ones. I would LOVE to find some that look after the place and leave it clean having not ripped me off along the way.

Definitely take lots of photos/get an inventory clerk to look at it, and maybe you could even pay to have it cleaned (after taking photos). But tbh, if the LL is an arse BEFORE you go in, he's not going to be any better while you live there.

Good luck.

I think you are reacting to something that hasn't happened. Have you seen how clean or not the flat is? Perhaps it doesn't need a "deep clean", having been lived in by the owner. A "deep clean" implies that deep levels of dirt be removed. He may find the term insulting if he is a very clean person, living in his own home.

Get a proper inventory done.

Ideally by an independent company.

It will list the condition of everything in the house.

Then when you leave you only have to return it to that condition.

There are cleaning companies here that will do a 'bond clean' (we call deposits 'bonds'). They even clean lightfittings, window and door tracks, etc. They guarantee that it will pass any agents cleaning requirements and the agent has a gripe they will liaise with the agent and go back and fix it. Best $100 I've ever spent. The agents are less likely to argue with the cleaning company, and they know it's had a proper clean so they don't give it the white glove treatment. I wish all tenants did it, would save a lot of arguments.

Our Landlord refused to have a cleaning company in, they said it had been clean when they left it three month earlier! It was dusty, dirty oven, food in cupboards etc. the letting agents assured me that we will only be expected to leave it in the conditioning which we found it. I'm hoping to leave soon, so I hope so. I did take photos and also kept the emails confirming his refusal to get it cleaned.

This gets my goat.
When we moved into our previous property, it was not up to standard. There was dog hairs all over the carpet, and the kitchen floor was still dirty. The curtains were rank, and there were cobwebs outside on the Windows.
A year later LL sells tha property, and we're told to have oven cleaned, carpets cleaned professionally, and cleaned, garden mowed, trimmed, plants tended to.
I got a professional oven and carpet cleaner in. But, apparently my cleaning wasn't up to scratch. It was bloody lovely when I left, better than the state they gave it to us in.
Anyway, we took them to court, and no one on their side turned up to explain themselves, so we won.
I drove past the property shortly after, and the new owners have ripped out the kitchen, ripped out the carpets, and have landscaped the garden themselves
What a waste of money and time that was. The oven that I paid to get cleaned got thrown out, and the carpets went the same way.

I briefly rented when I moved to Oxford and an 'inventory' was done on my house when I moved in. It was reasonably clean but by no means pristine. Six months later I left doing a massive deep clean before I left and the 'inventory' company - clearly having been told to go over it with a fine tooth comb- found things like dust bunnies under the sofa and dirt behind a door reported this to the lettings agency who then charged me for a deep clean and held back some of my deposit.

I learned that this was common practice and a way to get the tenants to pay for the deep clean rather than the letting agents or owners.

Letting agents are like the dumb poor cousins of estate agents, usually vacuous and unethical . they are out for themselves and will try to transfer whatever costs they can to you.

Get an agreement in writing even just by email that they will deep clean the house on entry but be prepared for them to expect it to look pristine when you leave and charge you the cost of a deep clean on your departure no matter how clean you leave it.

The best thing is to do an inventory with the LA , take photo's and get them to sign it. Then clean to that standard when you move out. Having moved 20+ times I've only moved into two that have been clean.

One LA requested that we have all the curtains dry cleaned before we left. Think high ceiling, bay windows in every room. We'd only been there nine months! I asked them how we should take the curtains down given there was no ladder and they relented.

I think the old saying 'Plan for the worst, hope for the best' is probably a good one when dealing with LA.

As a former inventory clerk I suggest the following.

If there is an inventory make sure it refers to condition AND cleanliness of everything. With photos! If they say there has been a professional clean, ask to see the receipt. If it's not been cleaned specifically for you, it won't count. I've had that, LL claiming carpets were professionally cleaned when they were cleaned 3m before the tenancy started. Didn't count.

You are only obligated to return the property in the condition you received it in. So if it's a domestic clean, that's all you have to do.

If they have pets, they need to clean carpets professionally AND have it sprayed for creepy crawlies. If you have pets during the tenancy, general rule of thumb is that you do this on your leaving.

If you don't get an inventory, if there isn't one done, then as they can't legally prove the condition in which the property was handed over. If there is any dispute, whatever happens, they are going to LOSE!

Take loads of pics when you move in and keep them safe on a computer (backed up to a HDD)

Thank you hissy.

The current landlord has pets. Does she have to have the carpets cleaned?

I feel like knocking the house on the head and finding somewhere else

One place we rented was professionally cleaned before we moved in and it was part of the agreement that we had it cleaned again (by the same firm - and no, klckbacks weren't part of the deal!)before we handed back the keys.
Annoying, because it was pretty immaculate anyway, and even if a professional company has been used, I'd want to go over it a little myself. Otherwise it wouldn't 'feel' clean.

And yes, if you have to have it cleaned before moving out, so does the landlord/previous tenant.

Oh god, I am a LL and have recently had a change over in tenants. I have always organised a deep clean between rentals, carpets and curtains professionally cleaned, replaced the carpet the last time, hire a steam washer for the bathroom tiles, re-decorate the entire flat (lick of paint and woodwork), had new windows fitted, window cleaner etc...

The last time our tenants left they had left filth all over the place. It was grim. There was food they had left in the fridge not bothering to clean it out before they left. Mugs of tea left in the bathroom , hadn't even taken the dirty sheets of the bed. It was disgusting. We still returned the whole deposit as nothing was damaged and it always gets a proper clean between tenants, but we were completely shocked that they left the flat like that despite finding it in a pristine condition.

YANBU.

Yanbu but tough really.

Just be warned, my friend moved into a filthy house - spent a day cleaning it.

As she left, she gave it a good clean.

Got charged a fortune for cleaning costs for things like "dusty cooker hood". They were expecting her to have it in a pristine condition.

She appealed and won most of it but mainly because the landlord's photos were dreadful - so I advise you to take photos moving in, and photos moving out because they'll bleeding charge you anyway!!

IME, if a LL is this unprofessional before youy've moved in, it's not a good omen.

I'd walk away unless they have it professionally cleaned, WITH insecticide.

Flea eggs can live for 18m in the carpets. Why should you have to run the risk of infestation?

If you have not signed on the dotted, then look for something else. This is a lot of anyone's cash that you are paying out, so make sure it's to someone who appreciates your care of their investment.

I have NO respect for LLs that CBA to prepare the property properly. They deserve all they get!

bedmonster no WAY you should have returned all of the deposit! I hope you get a proper, professional inventory done, if so, it'd have helped you fight your corner with the dispute service, if indeed it ever came to that!

I think if you want to live in the house and its not clean enough - why not just get a company in to Deep Clean it? The good ones will take photos before and after and then surely you will feel more at home. In the end it's how you want to live and if it's not clean enough then just find somewhere else? Don't know where you live - but there is a Company called Lily & Fitch in the West Country that are pretty good. Bearing in mind that 'Deep Cleaning' is not the same as 'cleaning' so you will pay more because it inevitably takes more time and they use expensive equipment. ps. I notice that someone is suggesting insecticide - Steam is just as good if not better and not detrimental to your health as Chemicals