Just got to keys to rental house in awful state...

[ParkingFeud]

I've just got keys to a rental house and popped in on my lunch time. There is junk, overflowing bins and old garden furniture all over the Garden. The property was marked unfinished and we verbally checked it would be when looking round but there are 4 large pieces of awful furniture left in which are not to my taste at all. The kitchen is still full of appliances and all sorts else so definitly hasn't had cupboards wiped out or anything like that. The walls are COVERED in filthy marks. I have not been given an inventory, what can I do?! Awful posters left on wall etc.

I'm a landlord and I'd expect any tenant to whom I let the property in that state to be turning up at my door and demanding compensation. The window not closing is unsafe and therefore potentially illegal. www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property

Send landlord that link and point out you will be contacting the council if the window is not fixed in two weeks. Some shit she has going on is no excuse. We had a landlady who came up with endless bullshit. Didn't protect deposit. We contacted a no win no fee lawyer and got twice the full amount back as soon as we moved out.

@ParkingFeud

To add to this, an upstairs window doesn't close, I've asked the landlady and she sent me a text saying she has always had good relationships with tenants. I don't know what to do as we have paid a month up front and don't have anywhere to go. But terrified to stay with such a bad landlady. Going to try and attach a picture of how open the stuck window is. So terrified.

Good relationship aka as don't give me any grief.

What a horrible situation for you, I'd be angry and upset. I'd want to get rid of the furniture and posters etc then get in professional cleaners.

I wonder if the landlord will arrange to pick up the crap and deduct the cleaning bill from the first month's rent? Plus 2 days for the hassle? Worth asking.

This happened when I went to move in to my student house a few years back. It was disgusting, mould everywhere, dirty carpets, paint and wall paper peeling off, beds with no legs, couch cushion had a huge hole in it so you couldn’t sit on it, mouldy couches, toilet didn’t flush, cupboards with no doors, the fridge door didn’t even close and the garden looked like a jungle.

We drove straight back to the letting agency and I told them we were absolutely not moving in whilst it was in that’s state. (My housemate secretly moved in because he had nowhere else to go) and they sent out professional cleaners, carpet cleaners, repair men, replaced some furniture and refunded us two weeks rent whilst it was made acceptable.

Take photos and make notes. Get in touch with agent or landlord.

Dont let them treat you like a second class citizen, because some landlords will. Think of it as a hotel you’ve booked. You’d expect it to be clean, tidy and have all the basics working and not broken. You’re paying to stay there and you would complain to the hotel management if not okay. Same as you should do when paying to live in someones property.

Hope you get it sorted, good you have an agent, they probably kept previous tenants deposit for a professional clean! Keep on at the agents, at least the landlord has done something already, hopefully it will all be sorted. Not what you hoped for and a totally irresponsible landlord.

*I mean the landlords probably kept deposit not agents.

If you’ve got an agent it’ll be much easier I’m sure. After all, their reputation is on the line too.

We had a similar thing happen last year. We complained to the letting agent and were told you have to request a clean before you move in! It was gross. I would have been mortified if it had been my house. Thank goodness we weren't there for long

I lived abroad 40yrs ago and any rental had to be cleaned by professional cleaners when you left the property

The landlord should have the place professionally cleaned between tenants.

Professionally cleaned just means a good hoovering and spraying a bit of air freshener about, cursory wipe of kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

It doesn't mean actually clean. They won't bother with paintwork, dusting, kitchen cupboards. The toilet in our current place still had shit encrusted on it..under the seat, not just the pan.

Take photos of EVERYTHING, including any marks etc on the floors. You may need this evidence when getting your deposit back... speaking from experience. Luckily I had photos of everything on check in (apart from one mark on a floor) and managed to get full deposit back from the cheeky bastard landlord

Before the landlord comes take time stamped pictures of everything print out hard copies to keep and give landlord a set and also email a copy to them to keep yourself right

So sorry to read this. I’ve just spent two days cleaning my rental as I’ve just moved into my purchase. I need my deposit back and know the landlord expects a certain standard. It seems the previous tenants could have done a flit?

I agree with all of the statements about what you could and should do...however, I am a bit afraid that the "unfinished" statement might prove your downfall. And that said, there may be limits by law as to what constitutes "unfinished." Check on this. Here, the governing body is the Landlord-Tenant Board. There should certainly be something similar in the UK.

Dd was in short term rentals when she moved for work. We always advised her to create a drop box account with a file for each property. At the start of each tenancy film everywhere and add a written inventory into drop box.

She's always done that and saved all correspondence into drop box too. Really pays to cover your arse.

You should ask that it be cleaned out before you move in. This is just not acceptable. I have just spent over £3000 getting a rental house ready for a new tenant, in after the last tenant left it in an awful state. But I would never have dreamed of letting it in the state it had been left.
If they won't do anything, get a professional cleaner in and bill the landlord.

Take photos of everything. Demand an inventory. Ask for it to be professionally cleaned (not unreasonable in the midst of a pandemic to expect a clean by the landlord/agency in between lettings!)

When I BOUGHT my house 3 years ago, his happened to me.. i viewed it and obviously was all clean and tidy.. took 3 months to go through and when i got the keys, the owner had left everything, dirty cutlery and pots, fake tan all over the walls .. dirt and dust, old clothes, half a bed... just rude... i suppose its more expected with rental but how do people live like that

This is shocking! With the rental market moving so quickly, i know that some LLs put the pressure on to move quickly and will promise the world until they have your money.
Definitely report them to health and safety, shelter and citizens advice.
I hope you have somewhere to go but appreciate that's not possible.
Good luck, its not your fault, i think mosst landlords and agents would see this as bad.
The previous tenants deposit should have been used to cover the clear out x

Tell them, you want it cleared and professionally cleaned or you are going to report them! Not sure who you report to though. But that is not accpetable!

I had a similar situation in one of my first west london rentals . I did the place up because I couldn’t stump up another deposit the last straw for me was not getting the boiler fixed in winter showering at friends houses. When the landlady finally sent repair people round tweedle dee and tweedle dumb arrived I think she found them in the local drinkers hangout. They bashed a big hole in the kitchen wall and put a new boiler in another place leaving the big hole and lots of dust in the kitchen. I gave her notice and had to show people the flat with a giant hole in the kitchen. Anyone sane saw the hole and ran a mile . Eventually I found a couple that were interested and so Thankfully I could leave . I went back for the keys and saw they had laid a beer towel in the hallway as a kind of rug. So the moral of that story is as every post has said If they couldn’t give a toss what state the new tenant finds the property in they won’t be in a hurry to fix a boiler for hot water no matter how focused you are on getting them to repair it. I remember at the time a friend of mine was sleeping on top of a bookcase so I couldn’t complain it was par the course . It was in her dating phase so a date would climb the ladder to love and walk the plank if it didn’t work out😂 I am still renting fixer uppers that I leave fully decorated but at least now I only rent unfurnished. I am not able to do the love stained mattress of previous owners!!

I remember as a student spending an entire summer trying to find accommodation that’s wasn’t rising damp. You would go to letting agents and they would say no students like we were vermin the ones that showed us the places of working professionals que climbing over stacks of beer bottles by the front door , the lounge that was a soft play centre that had a masscre and the dog turd graveyard in the garden in varying shades of white mould. It was like trying to find the ideal man it felt like mission impossible I used to walk past houses peering in at the soft glow lighting dreaming of home sweet home! All the luxury flats they keep building should be turned into social housing that’s the truth of it. They keep selling off all the arms houses, council houses onto the private market and what is replacing it? 10% Affordable housing that is btw not affordable. At least we now have the internet and computer camera phones use this to collate evidence of what should not be put up with .

I’d phone your local council and ask for the private landlord/letting department- ask for their help and support in resolving this matter. They will not get directly involved, unless you want them to

They will give you valuable advise

You can’t be living with a property that has a non shutting window as it’s a security risk, apart from obviously letting out heat