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.

OP, tell them to take it up with TDS and submit your photos from when you moved in alongside your moving out photos as evidence that you've left the property in a comparable state to how it was when you accepted it.

Worst case scenario is that TDS side with the EA and deduct £300 from your deposit, best case is that they side with you and tell the EA to jog on. Either way it's worth chancing your aim.

Does your contract say it must be professionally cleaned on exit? This is pretty standard and what happens with rentals. We didn’t clean ours because we knew we had to get professional cleaners in.

It doesn't matter what the contract says, it's not an enforceable clause.

This is from the TDS website.

You don't have to get professional cleaners in. As others have said. Even if it's in your contract. Take it up with the deposit scheme and argue that its comparable and what they want to charge is disproportionate. They are just hoping you roll over and agree to the charge.