Estate agent and cleaning company pressuring me over £300 clean

[MovingAround90]

I've just moved out of my last rental after spending days deep cleaning, thought I had got most parts and would just need a top up clean of maybe a couple of hours' work. Photos show rooms to be the same as check in photos levels of clean and no damage etc. But the devil is in the detail!

I tried negotiating with several cleaning companies to get a reasonable quote of a few hours to full steam clean carpets, final mop, polish light switches etc. But they were all quoting £300+ for full end of tenancy cleans only. Estate agent is emailing and phoning me complaining the rental is not up to professional cleaning standard and they have been in touch with their recommended cleaning company saying it will be £300 for a full end of tenancy clean (of small 2 bed house).

I feel like this is a fix as the EA will just try and take £300+ out of my deposit anyway if I don't agree to this cleaning? I wish I hadn't bothered getting the house clean when I moved out now, I don't know what to do, I don't have £300 after paying all the moving costs into my new rental but it will have to go on a credit card.

Should I just suck it up, I don't know I have any other options at this point.

Deposit should be in a registered scheme so the EA cannot take anything, the landlord can make a claim but would have to prove it needed all the extra cleaning and the price etc. If you’ve done as good a job as you say, taken lots of pics (having pics at check in is handy too) then I’d tell them to make a claim if they wish but you’re not paying anyone, it’s unenforceable on there part they’re just trying it

Did you tell them you weren't having a professional clean?
Have you asked the estate agent for specific examples of what's not up to standard?

If you have photos that you left the place in the same state as check-in, refuse the professional clean and the LL can attempt to take it from the deposit but is unlikely to be allowed to, as the deposit scheme will rule in your favour.

(Ex LL)

My EA tried this with me, I told them that I'd used a professional cleaning company and asked them to send over photographic evidence of the "issues" so I could address with the cleaning company.

Weirdly, they never replied and my full deposit was returned.

Had you not cleaned it for your whole tenancy? How can it be so dirty?

it depends on when your tenancy was signed, older ones can enforce the professional clean aspect.

This exact thing happened to me. I appealed it but they won. I had pictures of how I left every room which was actually cleaner than when I arrived but they said the pictures weren't close ups etc. It was the end of a bad break up for me so I just wrote the money off. (I paid all of the deposit so it annoyed me a lot my ex wasn't losing anything!)

It needs to be cleaned to professional standard as stated in my tenancy contract, but I understand I don't need to pay a company to do it.

Foolishly I thought I could get this up to standard myself or near enough so I'd only have to spend a few ££ on a top up, but EA is saying the issues warrant a £300 professional clean. They've listed in an email mostly things I did sort already (or so I thought) but no photos yet as these will be done at check out.

Tell them to piss off. As long as your deposit is properly held in a tenancy deposit scheme then it’s up to them to dispute it. Agents and landlords pull this shit all the time. Keep all your photos and evidence.

My photos aren't great :( as I was in such a rush to get as much as I could done before nightfall on the last day, they're of whole rooms rather than close ups of shower head, edges of carpet etc. The EA is saying things like the window sills are dusty and there's cobwebs in places but I don't have photos of these things to prove otherwise.

Tell them to take it up with the tenancy deposit scheme. It’s up to them to dispute it. The deposit schemes tend to side with tenants on this. You would need to have trashed the place for them to take the landlord’s side. The deposit schemes already know how dishonest agents are with these things.

By the way, if they don’t do a checkout until next week, the chances are they’ll mention cobwebs again. You should remind them that there’s loads of spiders around at this time of year and of course cobwebs will appear if you moved out several days ago. We’ll all make fun of them for their lack of awareness of nature.

Seriously, the money lies with the deposit scheme and your agency are pulling an age-old scam.

How long were you in property?

You mention polishing light switches, is this not something that's been done regularly while you lived there? If that's the sort of thing that hasn't been done then I can see why they're going to have to pay for a clean.

They're the chrome kind, so show up fingerprints. They're visibly clean as these were all done regularly but a couple will have smudges on still.

If you're happy that you've left it in the same state as you received it, and you took photos showing how well you've cleaned it and that it's at least the same standard of cleanliness as when you moved in, then ignore EA and let the Deposit Scheme deal with it. Sounds like the EA is just chancing their arm and most likely take a cut from the cleaning company....or they just charge you for it and don't actually have anyone go in to do anymore cleaning.

Just stand firm if you're confident you've left it well.

ETA It would have to be pretty bad compared to check in photos for the deposit scheme to let them take that amount from your deposit.

oh come on. EA taking the piss. Tell them to do one . Greedy and looking for any excuse to take your money

It's not quite in the same condition as the check in professionally clean state because the carpets haven't been cleaned upstairs and there's a few items that need wiping which I was hoping the top up clean could sort. But it's not £300 worth of cleaning, so I'm unhappy about this amount being pushed on me.

OP, listen. The EA doesn’t have your deposit money. The tenancy deposit scheme has it. Therefore, if the EA has a problem with your standards of cleaning, the proper way of dealing with this is for them to address their concerns to the tenancy deposit scheme.

You did get your deposit properly registered with such a scheme, didn’t you? It’s there to protect you. These schemes were set up precisely to protect tenants from greedy landlords wanting freebies.

Just tell them you believe the cleaning is to the same standard as check-in, and if they disagree they are welcome to put their case to the tenancy deposit scheme.

Literally just reply to their email and say: As the deposit is held with the TDS, you will need to take up this dispute with the TDS.

Don't worry about the EA.
Neither the EA nor the landlord can insist on a professional clean. It literally doesn't matter if it is written into the contract,it is unenforceable (unless evidence shows issues that warrant a professional clean, paid for by the tenant).
Have a look here (you'll need to scroll down a bit):
https://www.tenancydepositscheme.com/asktds-do-i-need-to-professionally-clean-the-property-at-the-end-of-the-tenancy/

If they continue to pressure you, ask them for details of the previous end of tenancy clean: e.g. carpet steaming receipt. If they cant produce these, they can fuck right off.

You need to give the house back in a comparable state - but with the caveat that you've been living there for X years since the last end of tenancy so it is entirely reasonable that e.g. a toilet seat would be looser or carpets would be showing more wear and tear.

Hold your ground and don't let them bully you - so many EA reply upon you having no idea what your rights and responsibilities are.

This is what I would do

I have always just found a cleaner online who will do a ‘deep clean’ including oven clean and paid them to do about 5 hours work or so (for a 2 bed flat). Cheaper than a ‘professional clean’. Would only work if they don’t ask for the receipt though but you could fake one. Maybe it’s too late now? But you could say you will use your own company to do it if they can confirm access and arrange that?

If the house wasn't fully cleaned after everything was moved out there will be lots of things which will have been missed. Things like descaling heavily scaled taps/shower heads/shower screens take time and can be fitted around other bits of a full clean, same with an oven clean. Fully cleaning inside, outside & tops of kitchen cupboards needs to be done when empty. It's very difficult to get someone to come in and clean individual bits you didn't do. Unless the property can be fully cleaned by you when empty it is never going to be the same as a professional exit clean regardless of how many days or weeks you spend cleaning.

Pay someone independent

The thing is if your rental is now done and the cleaning is not up to standard they can charge a professional cleaning company to do so and the deposit scheme will go down that side. I think £300 sounds fairly reasonable for what you need doing.

When we moved out of our last rental they walked around with cotton wool and swapped the doors! To prove we had not had it professionally cleaned (we had but different story)

I think you will find that even if you dispute it they will find in their favour for this.