Professionally cleaning a rented house?

[IUseAnyName]

We are due to leave our rented house at end of month. The contract states that the carpets and curtains must be professinally cleaned.
I have an issue with this as they weren't done by the last tenant and are in clean condition. I vaxed the carpet when we moved in 6 (months ago) so can't justify paying for a professional.
Plus the curtains were fine up until bird flew down the chimney and shit on them!... We were originally told that the fire was blocked off, and we have since used 3 of our own blankets/towels shoved up there to prevent the bird thing happening again! So I don't feel like we should pay for curtains to be cleaned as it's not our fault they got dirty!... I'm tempted to give the landlord a cleaning bill for our blankets if he disputes this?!

I am pretty sure that the law states that if it wasn't professionally cleaned before you moved in, your responsibility is to return it to the same state it was in when you moved in with a reasonable allowance for wear and tear. We got into a horrible dispute with a ripoff agency over this but won in the end. It needs to be clean but not professionally.

You've been living with curtains that have bird muck on them because you don't feel you should pay to clean them? Seriously curtains should be cleaned at least annually as they pick up dust, get handled when opening and closing them, etc. But what does the inventory say about the state of the curtains when you moved in?

If your tenancy agreement states you should have a professional clean and have the carpets cleaned professionally then that's what you should do - you will probably be asked to provide receipts as proof.

However, there is no harm in asking the agent or landlord if they will accept your own cleaning instead. If they agree, it is better to get that in writing in case of any dispute, but it depends on your relationship with them whether you deem this necessary.

With the stress and hassle of moving I would be tempted to pay for cleaning by someone else rather than risk losing a chunk of the deposit potentially larger than the actual cost to you of organising a one off clean.

For the curtains a professional clean probably means taking them to the dry cleaners.

Actually Mallory makes a very good point: but what does the jnventory state?

I cleaned the curtains when we moved in (in thw washing machine) as they hadn't been done beforehand. Then when the bird pood on them I sprayed that part and wiped them down but they're cream and there's a stain. I'm not a dirty skank!

Yes, the contract says it should be professionally cleaned. But I will chat to the ea. thanks

Watching with interest as wondering if to shell out and how much. I'd kind of loath to pay for a professional clean of a carpet which after almost 5 years is very much at the end of its life and probably needs replacing anyway.

Exactly widow!.... The house we're renting has been rented out for the past 6 years, we're the 4th tenants and the shortest lease of only 6 months. The carpet looks exactly the same as when we moved in :/

Well we're long term tenants so can't blame the deterioration of the carpet on anyone else - it's just that I don't want to pay for a clean and then get charged for replacement anyway. I guess we'll need to talk to our landlord when the time comes

You have no legal obligation to leave the property in a better state of repair/cleanliness than you found it, even if the tenancy agreement says otherwise. The law is there to protect you from unfair terms like that in tenancy agreements but most agents or landlords hope you don't realise that (and before you accuse me of landlord-bashing, I am one).

Your landlord can't take money from your deposit without your agreement. The deposit protection scheme won't release it until both parties are agreed. So, assuming your deposit is protected and you have an inventory, return the property in the same state of cleanliness as you found it. If they want to deduct money from your deposit, smile nicely and say you'll take it to dispute resolution through the deposit protection scheme. Hold your nerve and you will win.

Thanks for advice rally.... Will do some research :)