Rental house and end-of-tenancy professional cleaning AIBU

[WellWhyNot]

Hi all,

Could you help me out with a house rental cleaning query, please?

My housemates and I are arranging a professional clean for a rental house as we are all moving out.

I’m on a shared tenancy contract with the other tenants (I’ve lived in the house for 6 months and the longest-staying tenant, tenant ‘A’, moved in 4 years ago).

The cleaning company visited yesterday evening and refused to clean, saying that the house was too dirty to clean. They took photos to send back to their colleagues

(For added context, we are now trying to arrange for a new set of cleaners through the same company to clean the house instead. They have seen the photos sent by the previous set of cleaners and will let me know soon if they can come to clean.)

Anyway, I found out today - completely off the record and in confidence - that the house hasn’t been cleaned professionally in 8 years. I was told this verbally by a contractor hired by the estate agent to do some work on the house after we all leave.

I don’t want to mention this info to the estate agent as I’m concerned saying this and attributing this to the contractor could get him fired or lead to problems for him.

Tenant ‘A’ (mentioned above) has said now he didn't know when moving in when the house had last been cleaned professionally.

’A’ says that, when each of us signed the tenancy agreement, this was our legal acceptance of the state of the house at the time when we moved in.

So, now, we are responsible for the state of the house even though we all moved in at different times and even though it’s now been a very long time after the last professional clean.

’A’ says, in hindsight, he would have asked for the house to be cleaned professionally when he moved in and a new inventory to be issued for the house.

Realistically, we cannot get the house back to the same standard of cleanliness that it was 8 years ago.

However, we have no written proof from the estate agent or landlord that the last professional clean of the house was 8 years ago.

Where do we stand on this? Do we have to just accept we will not get back our full deposits from the estate agent, even though the last professional clean took place before any of us moved in?

You didn't sign or witness that inventory, it cannot be used as the standard of the property (or the contents) for the start of your tenancy.

Do you have any pictures from when you moved in?

Unfortunately I only have photos I took of my room when I moved in. I didn’t take any photos of the common areas when I moved in. I’m going to take photos of the common areas before my last day of the tenancy though. It’s basically the same as when I moved in.

The cleaners have confirmed the rearranged cleaning appointment but have said they can’t guarantee the clean will take place until they arrive.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, the carpets are being replaced and walls are being repainted.

I'm not sure how the law stands but in Wales you cannot force a tenant to use a professional company even if its written into a contract. I suggest some good Googling

Northernsoullover I think the law on this is different to England but I’m not certain.

As I mentioned earlier, the LL has asked for receipts as evidence of a professional clean.

I also found this on www.thetenantsvoice.co.uk/advice_from_us/end-of-tenancy-cleaning/#can_the_landlord_force_you_to_hire_a_cleaning_company -

The two inventory checks – when you move in and out – will benchmark the condition of the property. This is the most reliable evidence for how tenants have affected the property’s condition during their occupation. The only way to make sure the deposit is returned in full is if the two inventories are identical, or the second one is better.

The inventory the estate agent/landlord is using is one from 2014 and already mentions how dirty and rundown the house is.

If you do not return the property in a comparable quality, the landlord is within their rights to hire a cleaning company and charge you for the costs.

I think we are returning the property in a comparable state to how it was in 2014. Although obviously I can’t be certain as I only moved in 6 months ago.

Hoppinggreen the tenancy agreement could say that the OP needs to eat caviar every Wednesday and wear yellow on a Friday. These terms are unenforceable, just as is the one about professional cleaners.

As lots of people have correctly stated, you have to return the property in the same condition as noted on the inventory, less fair wear and tear. Get cleaning - gloves, bleach, white vinegar and elbow grease are a good place to start, then you can claim your deposit back in full.

The inventory the estate agent/landlord is using is one from 2014 and already mentions how dirty and rundown the house is

^this is all you need to know.

Don’t bother with the clean. Just tidy it.

There are some really good lineage cleaners out there that don't cost a lot. Pop into a pound shop and also get yourself some Astonish mould remover, some cheap firm toothbrushes and scourers and give it a good scrub. It should get most of that off. Discoloration of bathroom furniture you can't do a lot about but that should come under fair wear and tear anyway so as long as it's clean you shouldn't be held responsible for that.

OP has said 'mould, rust and limescale' in the bathroom.

you can't do anything about the rust but the rest (short of pulling out mouldy sealant which is a landlord job) is normal housekeeping. A bottle of viakal and some bleach, but don't mix them.

I'm fairly staggered that the cleaners won't do it!

oh, hang on - inventory says 'dirty and rundown'? In that case don't bother and argue if your (hopefully) protected deposit has a claim.

because there is mould, rust and limescale in the bathroom, they are only able to clean the house by waiving the guarantee that comes with the service or by increasing the price of the clean

Why don't you address those issues yourselves and then get them back? Bleach or proprietary mould remover and limescale remover and a damn good scrub are pretty effective, although you may need to give it several goes. The rust should respond to metal polish (if it's on chrome, Solvol Autosol from car shops is brilliant).

Once you've sorted the bits the cleaners say are too bad, ask them to do the rest.

Have you looked at the little miss mops instagram , she has cleaned some really dirty places , and has some videos and shows the products used . Perhaps you could all all muck in together and give the place a pre cleaner clean

So, just checking, the contract/lease goes back to 2014, but you have only been there for a year? Is your deposit in a scheme? What has happened to the other tenants who have moved out between the original lease and now? Do you have one central contract rather than all having individual contracts?
Provided that the deposit is in a proper scheme, they will have to effectively apply via the scheme to deduct any money, and given that you have only been there a small proportion of the overall lease length, I assume they would only be able to deduct that proportion of the cleaning charge anyway?
And if it's not in a proper scheme they can't take anything, and in fact you can claim something like 3x the deposit back.
Honestly, no inventory since 2014 and I imagine they are on extremely dodgy ground. And don't believe everything the letting agents tell you. They have basically no control over your deposit

Doesn't the inventory have photos?

The inventory the estate agent/landlord is using is one from 2014 and already mentions how dirty and rundown the house is

If it specifically says it is dirty throughout, you can cancel the professional clean and just do a basic domestic level clean. Be aware though even if it says the house is poorly cleaned, if it says things like "oven - clean with some stains on shelves", "sink - clean but with rust stains", you should leave them in the same level of cleanliness to be sure you aren't charged. As it wasn't professionally cleaned at the start, you are under no obligation to have it done now. That would be "betterment".

I can start my own cleaning company and call myself a professional. Cleaning isn’t hard, you seem to be living in a pigs mess though if they even said it was too dirty for them?

Working in lettings, but not as an estate agent:

1. Does 2014 inventory have photos? If it does, just make sure the rooms look like they are on photos. Items left behind etc.
2. Does the inventory report state that it was professionally done in 2014 and have a proof attached - invoice/payment? If not, you have every right to request it and keep it emails to prove to deposit company you tried to gain the information. If the estate agent starts dragging their feet, then give them 24h and state you aren't liable for the professional clean if proof isn't provided.
3. Try and get different cleaning company in - I have seen soo many literal shitholes that have been made to a very livable standard by the cleaners. And on the other side I saw a "very reputable company" to do a professional clean that it looked like they never even visited the place - I was right too. I rang up, spoke them and called them out. Then they had audacity to write a complaint as "She was purposely changing the inventory of the house" - I didn't. I called them out when I said "Beautiful dark oak wood floors are covered in grime and matching window sills have not been wiped!" It was an after builders clean, white marble tile floors and white window sills. He said they washed curtains too - there were none at the property. Sorry for the rambling.
4. No one can not deduct anything from your deposit until you have agreed to it! That can drag on for months and go to Ombdusman - he/she in the end can say who gets what. And that's after all the proof from tenants/landlords/estate agents. Sorry for being a party pooper for landlords, but these cases normally end with tenants getting their money back. Unfortunately the laws are very much on tenants side at the moment.
5. Just make the house in a fair state - wear and tear after 6 years in a house that is HMO (house of multiple occupancy) can be very heavy. Wipe the window frames/sills, wash the insides of the windows, wipe skirting boards, hoover the floors or sweep/mop. Kitchen - get oven cleaners from Home Bargains, leave it on overnight, washing machine - wash the drum out and the soap drawer. Obviously clean all cupboards/handles/interior. Defrost fridge/freezer. I've seen people using toilet limescale cleaner on the kitchen sink draining boards and taps to get the limescale off. Bathroom - same as above, wash the bath, w.c., descale taps and clean all vanity units etc. Lot of work, but if there's few of you, then it's a days work tops.

Hope this helps. I check properties on a regular basis and won't go after wear and tear marks, only damages done by tenants - holes in the walls, burn marks to carpets, signs of pets kept in the house (due to allergies to possible new tenants, this is a must), obviously the rubbish that has been left behind (soo many people think it's okay to shove all their stuff into different bins and then think it will get taken away, NO - the landlord will have to pay for it to be taken away and they can claim money for rubbish removal) and obviously occasional sledge hammer to the bathroom walls and kitchen units 😳. Hope this helps.

Viakal, hg mould cleaner (or cilit bang mould spray) and pink stuff n a sponge on the rust.. it’ll take you half a bloody hour if it’s just grubby.. if it’s like an episode of how clean is your house it’ll take longer. All of the above can be found in bargain shops for a couple of quid each.

I am a LL and I’ve never had a cleaner say they won’t do the job. Add extra on the price, but never refuse.

How manky is it? Haven’t you been cleaning at all.

I am an inventory clerk and want to repeat most of what kapsauss said (who may also be a clerk, reading that post [waves] )

If the inventory (no matter how long ago it was done) mentions the property being dirty then you are NEVER LEGALLY OBLIGED to have the property professionally cleaned, you just clean it to a similar conditon in which it was recieved, as written on the inventory and dispute any cleaning charges the LL may try to make! Your check out letter is badly written and shpul;dn't have anything about having to have a professional clean or invoice as necessary. They can ask to see the receipt, so they can all back the cleaners to fix bits that got missed.

The cleaners just seem to be giving you the usual caveat about bathroom sealant and rust/tarnish though. They don't want to be called back to recitfiy something that is beyond cleaning. And after 6 years bathroom sealant and many fixtures, like shower hose and radiator edges, may well have become tarnished. I'd note it as FWT, down to the landord to put right if they feel the need.