Tenancy inspection today - can they say anything about a messy house?

[YorkshirePuddingBelongs]

I have a tenancy inspection this afternoon - my landlord is a nasty prick, his DD is doing the inspection. It’s a long story but he’s been awful, sending me harassing emails, making threats and breaking the Tenancy Fees Act as well as his part of the tenancy agreement. I move next month, thank god, but he’s 100% out to get me - and I think he has likely briefed his DD to look for problems.

There is no damage in the house bar a scuff or 2 on the walls (it’s an old house with tiny narrow staircases and this was from carrying the bed up - he’s seen them before and said it’s fine it always gets scuffed). But we’ve been going through some stuff and I haven’t had time to spring clean line I always do. I have a horrible feeling she will comment on the mess. It’s mostly things like the bathtub and shower needs a clean, the kids’ rooms need a hoover etc. but I KNOW they will be looking for problems because they’ve heavily hinted at it, sending me messages about “if there’s damage you haven’t reported you will be liable for the costs” etc.

Yes deposit is protected

Then they will have a very very hard, more likely impossible, time trying to claim for a bit of scuffed paint work and carpet cleaning. The deposit scheme likely won't even entertain them, it's normal wear and tear. Make sure you do give a good clean when you leave, don't bother with the carpets, and take photo evidence or everything just incase.

Here's your prize for being renter for 15 years🎀 and therefore being the expert. However you are wrong and actually the one spewing nonsense.

I'm a landlord- and I am attaching an extract from a recent check out done by a neutral company. You can see some things are assigned as fair wear and tear and some things such as blu- tack stains which I personally thought were negligible were assigned to tenant! I can't at this minute find the exact document for another property where there were scuffs that were deemed wear and tear, but I trust attached helps ;-)

Now, I did not pursue any of the deposit- firstly because they were brilliant tenants, paid rent promptly and who treated the place like their own and after 6 years of their tenancy, the house needed a refresh anyways for the next tenant. But to say dents and small holes are not chargeable is completely wrong.

Should you wish to educate yourself further, look up Warren v Keen where a landlord was partly succesful in claiming for number of alleged defects he felt were the tenant’s responsibility. The presiding judge, Lord Denning stated ‘The tenant must take proper care of the place… he must do the little jobs about the place which a reasonable tenant would do. In addition, he must, of course, not damage the house, wilfully or negligently; and he must see his family and guests do not damage it: and if they do, he must repair it.’

You're welcome.

FFS they have now emailed to say that I need to clean all the carpets.

I know their game.

No way am I buying or hiring a carpet cleaner. The carpets are fine, there’s no difference to how they were when I moved in and I can see exactly one stain.

but they have said if the scuffs can come off the wall that’s fibe

That is standard end of tenancy clean. In London they’re around £600, including the carpets. It’s the tenant’s responsibility.

I would absolutely expect a landlord to do an end of tenancy clean. I will cleanbut I am not spending £600 on a professional clean nor is it my responsibility

I’ve never left a property having professionally cleaned the carpets. Especially after so little in a home

I won’t upload pictures but I’ve checked and the carrots look no difference to the inventory when we moved in.

I suppose it depends what end of the market you’re renting. That was standard for the properties I rented and written into the contract.

A LL can write it into the contract all they want the TDS will decide if the costs are reasonable. And £600 for an end of tenancy clean when the tenant has left the property spotless is outrageous

Tenancy deposit scheme made it clear some years ago that that was an unenforceable contract requirement. Landlords can only require homes to be left in the state of cleanliness they were handed over in. They cannot tell the tenant how to do that. OP can spot clean any marks that weren’t there when she took over and it would be up to the TDS to decide if the carpets were significantly different enough from 8 months ago to warrant taking money off the deposit to cover cleaning.

This made me laugh especially as your landlord thought you were a proof reader 😂. I wish you luck in your new place.

Hahaha it’s a good job I’m not 😂😂

@Myfabby Aww well done for attaching a random screen shot of something that doesn't prove any point you're trying to make at all. A 'neutral company' that you've paid to do an inspection. And considering you didn't even bother to pursue a claim with the deposit protection scheme speaks volumes. They wouldn't have entertained holding any of the tenants deposit for minor cosmetic damages.

Not sure what you think quoting 'Warren v Keen' proves to be honest. It was in 1958 😂.

@Muchof im still reeling over this nonsense - can I ask what you meant when you said going to work is an excuse not to clean. Do you only turn up to work when you have nothing else to do?

Also @Raincloudsonasunnyday id like you to elaborate on why you pearl clutched about my ‘poor personal hygiene’. Where did this come from! Are you OK?! Do you think having a shower and washing hair is poor personal hygiene? Please explain

So they're asking for the place to be professionally cleaned when you move out - had this happened before you moved in?

Going by the houses lived in by friends and family who rent, a lot of houses are quite grubby when they move in, which would lead me to deducing that a lot of landlords take money from tenants for professional cleaning, but never actually use it to pay any cleaners, which is outrageous.

I thought an end of tenancy clean was quite usual. Certainly my friends who've left rentals have had them done. There are cleaning agencies that specialise in them.

Happy to elaborate, although pearl clutching is a bit of a reach, and I’m fine thanks.

You said your bathroom was dirty (not messy - dirty). I said if bathroom is dirty, begs the question what else is dirty under the mess you describe (nobody is going to tidy up your mess or even touch your belongings to see if what’s beneath/behind/whatever is dirty, they just will assume), and that if someone has poor personal hygiene it’s unlikely their house will be clean. You asked why I thought you had poor personal hygiene. I said, because the place you clean yourself is dirty. You later said it’s just that the bathtub needs a wipe.

In my experience - and you posted on MN for strangers’ opinions, which won’t necessarily be to your liking - dirty bathrooms and kitchens aren’t signifiers of good personal hygiene. In fact, they’re the opposite. I don’t know how you can have clean feet if your shower floor is dirty. Or a clean bum if the toilet seat is covered in piss or hair. Or clean dishes if your kitchen sponge smells. Etc etc etc.

Sounds like it all went reasonably well, so you don’t need my opinion. Good luck in your negotiations re cleaned carpets and whatnot.

Lots of people choose to pay for one, but a landlord can no long request or claim for a professional clean.

A standard tenancy agreement requires the property to be returned in the same state as when you moved in - minus reasonable wear and tear. You absolutely do not have to clean or tidy before a mid tenancy inspection (which itself is unenforceable). How you choose to live is your buisiness. If a professional clean is required at check out to return the property to its original state then so be it. I cannot belive some of the replies on here. No wonder landlords are hated.

Yanbu.

It doesn’t really matter whether it’s technically enforceable, I vacated a year long rental not long ago and i had a discussion about it with the agent. The house was handed over to me in a super clean state following professional end of tenancy clean. If I hadn’t done so the landlord could just have got arsey looking for ways to rake back money on check out. I just wanted my substantial deposit back asap without hassle.