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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To leave money for cleaner for buyers?

148 replies

Shahlalala · 06/04/2019 10:29

I’m not going to leave a mess! I will vacuum and do all sides and cupboards, but i’m Going to struggle to get it to an amazing standard with a 4 year old and I’m 22 weeks pregnant too (not that big I know but the whole move is exhausting me).
Would it be a CF thing to say I know it’s not immaculate, but here’s £50 towards a cleaner coming in?
They are re-doing the kitchen and redecorating other bits so it will need a clean after that anyway....

OP posts:

acciocat · 06/04/2019 12:47

Having moved a number of times I’ve always thought the ‘acceptable’ thing is to give the house a clean so it’s decent. It’s pretty minging to leave layers of grease or scummy bathrooms etc. But I wouldn’t go overboard and do a deep clean.

I don’t think you should make any assumptions just because they’re planning to rip the kitchen out. It may be a while before they do that. We’ve moved a couple of times and on viewings have talked with the agent about plans to put in a new kitchen etc, but in some cases we’ve lived with the old for a year or so, getting finances in order before embarking on projects

I think you ought to pay for a clean yourself if you’re not able to do it. I think it’s quite odd to leave money for the new owner to sort out

JuniorAsparagus · 06/04/2019 12:51

We hired house cleaners to do our old house when we moved. It cost a lot more than £50!
It was to take pressure off me in the days leading up to the move.
Unfortunately they were very slow and hadn't finished by the time we were meant to hand over the key. We hadn't moved far, and I had to keep popping back to see if they had finished - so it gave me a different kind of pressure!
At the time lots of Mumsnetters were advocating this. Obviously a different lot of Mumsnetters.

cantkeepawayforever · 06/04/2019 12:56

I think there is a difference between 'immaculate' and 'clean'.

Freshly Hoovered, windowsills and skirting boards dusted, hard floors washed, all kitchen appliances and surfaces clean, all bathrooms sparkling ... clean. Basically as clean as a normal week, but with a larger area because the furniture has been removed.

All carpets washed, every surface including e.g. high picture rails washed, paintwork washed, bathrooms steam cleaned and grouting scrubbed, cooker professionally cleaned, spots on paintwork touched up .... immaculate.

Clean is absolutely normal, and expected IME. Immaculate would be ime rare, and not required.

SeaToSki · 06/04/2019 13:00

I live in the US and here the contract states the house has to be ‘broom clean’. When I asked what that meant, the agent said that you shouldn’t be able to sweep anything into a noticeable pile, but beyond that it didn't matter. However I add not sticky or stinky onto my definition.

acciocat · 06/04/2019 13:01

Junior I thought that. Id be a bit insulted tbh if the seller left £50 and expected me to get the house cleaned. I think the respectful thing to do is arrange the cleaning yourself.

Gwenhwyfar · 06/04/2019 13:01

"Freshly Hoovered, windowsills and skirting boards dusted, hard floors washed, all kitchen appliances and surfaces clean, all bathrooms sparkling ... clean. Basically as clean as a normal week, but with a larger area because the furniture has been removed."

This is what I would expect, plus ceilings and walls dusted.
I don't know if everyone has their bathroom sparkling every week so I suppose your definition of clean or immaculate changes.

"All carpets washed, every surface including e.g. high picture rails washed, paintwork washed, bathrooms steam cleaned and grouting scrubbed, cooker professionally cleaned, spots on paintwork touched up .... immaculate."

Ok. I wouldn't accept this, but these things are not things I've ever done or seen anyone else do so don't consider to be normal things anyway. Touching up paintwork is not cleaning, but painting so doesn't belong in the list.
What to you mean by picture rails washed? I'm realising I don't even know what a picture rail is. My pictures are on hooks. I'd expect them to be dusted.

longearedbat · 06/04/2019 13:04

we are currently in our fifth house. Only one of them was a mess, but this was no surprise to me as it had been a mess when I viewed it. However, houses/flats I have left I have done as a previous pp - hoover round, dust surfaces like skirtings etc, clean surfaces in the kitchen and clean loos/bathrooms; and I always leave loo paper as well. That is sufficient. I've got better things to do than deep clean a house which is going to have removal men tramping round it shortly.
I think this 'deep clean' thing comes from renters, along with their misguided demands for gas and electric certificates for a property they are purchasing.
That filthy house that was posted upthread with a link. That rubbish would be easy to deal with using house clearance, although some it was probably worth keeping. What would worry me more was the damp. It probably needs a new roof.

GreatDuckCookery · 06/04/2019 13:09

It is everyone on this thread who would leave dirt and grime that is perpetuating the culture it is okay to move out of a home uncleaned. I would be ashamed to leave a home uncleaned

It’s not ok to leave a house you’re selling dirty. I doubt anyone on here would agree it was. Rooms vacuumed, surfaces wiped down, bathrooms cleaned and all rubbish removed is enough!

BlitheringIdiots · 06/04/2019 13:09

Can't believe all those saying they don't leave their houses immaculate when moving out. You should clean your house before selling it

WaxOnFeckOff · 06/04/2019 13:10

As I said earlier, I would leave it immaculate but all I would actually expect is clean.

I think it should be perfectly fine for you to be able to arrive, place your things down on the floors without having to give then a complete hoover or mop but I wouldn't expect the carpets to have been shampooed. I'd expect the kitchen and bathroom to be in clean usable condition. I wouldn't expect washed windows and lightbulbs dusted. I'd expect the rubbish to be in the bin outside, but I wouldn't expect the outside bin to be empty (unless it's 2 weeks until next pick up in which case I'd be pretty fucked off). I'd expect the grass to be cut but not immaculate borders.

GreatDuckCookery · 06/04/2019 13:15

Can't believe all those saying they don't leave their houses immaculate when moving out. You should clean your house before selling it

There’s a big difference between leaving it immaculate and not cleaning it! I don’t think anyone has said they leave their house dirty.

icelollycraving · 06/04/2019 13:16

I’ve always deep cleaned a property I’ve left, both in rentals and sold. I’d be mortified to leave things grim. I clean a lot but when things are moved etc you can do things that are not normally done.

Original poster

Shahlalala · 06/04/2019 13:20

Just to clarify I am NOT saying I would leave it grim.
I’m saying I will leave it clean but should I pay for a more thorough clean than I would usually do....
The only reason it was cash was so they could have it after they decorate (which they are doing straight away), as it seems silly to pay for it for them then to mess it up. It wasn’t about not being bothered to book it.

OP posts:

GreatDuckCookery · 06/04/2019 13:22

Clean is fine OP. Save your money.

acciocat · 06/04/2019 13:23

Sounds weird but I’d almost prefer it to be left dirty than have the vendor leave a token amount and say ‘sort a cleaner yourself.’
At least with the first scenario I could kid myself that maybe they genuinely didn’t realise it’s polite to leave a place clean. The second scenario is a bit more two fingers up, ‘I can’t be bothered to sort a clean myself’

longearedbat · 06/04/2019 13:24

@Shahlalala, the answer to your question is 'no'. Leave it clean, but don't leave them £50.
If any of my sellers had left £50 on the side 'for cleaning', I would have thought they were being a bit of a mug tbh.

acciocat · 06/04/2019 13:27

But OP, if you were thinking of leaving money for a deep clean, £50 is a bit of an insult!

(Obvs not relevant now as you’ve explained you’ll clean to an acceptable level anyway)

Btw I wouldn’t ever make assumptions that the buyer will decorate straight away or rip out a kitchen the second they move in. We’ve always chatted about plans to the estate agent when we’re viewed a property and occasionally even to the vendor. In reality there’s often a bit of a delay between moving in and actually getting stuff done. It wouldn’t be an excuse to not leave a place clean (again, irrelevant now as you’ve explained that you will clean)

Alsohuman · 06/04/2019 13:28

Don’t bother. As long as it’s hoovered and the kitchen, bathroom and loos are clean that’s enough. Unless you’ve been foolish enough to allow the buyers to stipulate a professional clean in the contract.

AlexaAmbidextra · 06/04/2019 14:00

I recently sold my deceased dad’s house. He was in his nineties so tbh, once all the furniture was cleared out it looked a bit scruffy. Not filthy by any means but it left a bit to be desired. The buyers were nice people so I decided to have it deep cleaned from top to bottom. The cleaning company cleaned the toilets and bathrooms so they sparkled, all paintwork and surfaces, cleaned windows and all kitchen appliances and cupboards inside and out and steam cleaned all floors and carpets. It cost £300 but I could afford it as I wasn’t relying on the sale proceeds to buy another house. It looked so lovely when finished and I was pleased that the buyers would be moving in to a lovely shiny clean house. To have to scrub and clean on your moving in day is hateful. I realise not everyone would want to/ be able to do this but it made me happy.

cantkeepawayforever · 06/04/2019 14:06

Alexa,

That's a really interesting point. My parents downsized from a house they loved to a practical but very boring bungalow. They ensured that the house was left, as they described 'with all the flags flying' - in a state that they were proud to leave a place where they had been very happy. It will depend a lot on why someone is moving, but I can see that there is a very real pleasure to leave a house looking its very best.

In a similar vein, I was able to go back to the house where DD had been born and where we had been very happy with the children when they were tiny, and give it a really proper clean a couple of days after our stuff was gone. It still makes me feel happy to think about my last memory of it, looking its absolute best for its new owners.

SilverySurfer · 06/04/2019 14:07

Why would you 'scrub and clean to an amazing standard' for the new buyers anyway.

No-one does that. confused

Of course they do - how disgusting to move out leaving your house in a minging state. I'm glad I didn't buy from you.

Aridane · 06/04/2019 14:09

Not scrubbing to an amazing standard hardly means that poster is a minger!!!

isseywithcats · 06/04/2019 14:10

just come back from shopping yes notso a puppy about 12 weeks old in the back garden soon phoned them and said come fetch or i ring the RSPCA, i already had three dogs and two cats of my own so why they thought they would get away with it i dont know, all i know is they were very close to losing the house to the building society, much as i love animals this was definitely not my circus not my monkeys

GreatDuckCookery · 06/04/2019 14:15

Of course they do - how disgusting to move out leaving your house in a minging state. I'm glad I didn't buy from you

Nobody has said they would leave their house in a minging state. Giving it a clean is enough.

vapourtrail · 06/04/2019 14:24

Is it me or is it a bit depressing that in 4 pages no one has said that if the OP can't clean, why can't the husband/partner? Why would it be the job of another (paid for) woman and not a man?

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