Should workmen take their rubbish?

[Frecklesandspecs]

Need some advice please asap

We rent out a property up north and currently live in London.
Last tenant moved out in may and apparently left the place in a tip. He has gone back to Saudi Arabia so have no idea where the deposit will end up. (agent said they were keeping it but we are so sick and tired of everything we haven't bothered to fight this)

We ended up paying £300 to cleaners
nearly £1000 for general repairs and tidy.
£50 for a gardener

New Tenant was supposed to move in in June (we waited a month as she wanted to move in four weeks) and apparently never turned up to the office on move in day.
Four weeks later another tenant is supposed to move in but we have been waiting for weeks for her references to come back.
We just seem to be losing money by the day.

Anyway, get acall from agent 2 days ago saying a neighbour had called saying there was a load of rubbish outside our house for weeks from the work people. Just left there by the gardener and repairs people.
I had no knowledge of this until 2 days ago.

Now agency want us to remove it which will cost us yet again even though they recommended these workpeople to us in the first place.
So is it up to us to pay out yet again for this rubbish or is it part of their job?

I think because trades people have to pay to take stuff to the tip this needs to be agreed beforehand. Recently we paid and arranged to have our trade rubbish collected. Our builder would have done it but I think we got it done cheaper. Certainly less than the skip hire he would have had if our drive was suitable.

Our (very) occasional gardener does not take waste.

I have a different experience - workmen you'd arrange beforehand if they were taking the stuff, but gardeners have always taken their trimmings etc. away for me unless I had somewhere they should dispose of them (eg. a compost heap)

Don't get me started. The builders from my reno have moved away and cleaned up, but used my brushes. That are now thick with plaster.

Grrr.

I think they're supposed to, but Councils charge them for disposing of commercial waste, so tradesmen seem to prefer you to dispose of it, because it won't cost you to drive it to the tip.

If the wasste is dangerous (metal bath left in broken shards on grass etc) you can complain to the company and ask them to remove it because it's causing a hazard, but you'd generally do that at the time, not after the event.

You should have had a quote before agreeing the work.

many tradespeople include the line "and remove all rubbish" in their quotation and invoice because they can inflate the price. If they then don't do what they quoted for, you can demand that they do, and, if they won't, pay someone else to do it and deduct the cost from your payment.

I will guess though that you are not dealing with the tradespeople your self and feel powerless in the hands of the agent.

If you are paying an agent to deal with the tradespeople then their charge should include, dealing with the tradespeople.

You should try not to pay for work until you know for a fact that it has been properly done.

Many tradespeople are reluctant to work in rented houses because the tenant, owner and agent all say it's not them that should pay.

Thanks all. Think we have learnt a lesson here. As we are not near the property its difficult to assess. I have just got someone to go there and Will just pay them for taking it. I just wish the agent had mentioned it weeks ago instead of just leaving it there in front of property. No wonder they haven't found us tenants until now!