Unrealistic expectations from estate agents

[Missbw]

Basically we moved into our rental property a year ago we were told they were renovating the house etc but no work was done before we moved in. The garden was over grown full of rubbish, dirty nappies , glass etc .We lived with a leaking radiator mushrooms in the carpet mould under wall paper for 7 months until something finally got done with the threat of paying for it out of rent, there's a drainage problem from the kitchen so theres stagnant water around the patio.. the list goes on for ages tbh .
Then 5 months into our tenancy the landlord decided to sell, so we bought a different house to get out of living in uncertainty and poor conditions .

I got a letter this morning telling me a list of things that need to be completed before we move out. Half of the things on the list are reasonable and things I have already sorted. But they're saying that even if there are things wrong with the house that weren't caused by us they need to be fixed before the inspection if they aren't written the inventory.
Eg. I have to make sure the gardens have no weeds grass cut outbuildings empty (they were full of crap when we moved in), Windows need to be cleaned and polished inside and out (they always are but we're black when moved in).
It's like the list of things is all things that I would be very okay doing if they had been done before we moved in. Now it feels like we were fed lies and basically feels like it was rented to us so we would clean it all up before it was sold.

I apologise for ranting I need to put it somewhere and I feel like if it was in a good state when we moved in I would be more than happy putting it back but I'm having to make it so much more nice than it was and it's probably already costing me more than the bond.

This is what I sorted the week we moved in

Typical EA incompetence, it sounds like a standard letter telling a tenant what their responsibilities are. Although this is useful info, what is legally required is that you return the property to the condition it was when you moved in - or actually to the condition it was reported as being ie in the inventory.

So, what does the inventory say about the carpet, the garden, the cleanliness etc?

PS first, check your deposit is protected.

When you moved into this house did you get information about your deposit? Including an A5 leaflet about the deposit scheme? If you don't have that information, you have a claim for 3x your deposit..
I don't think you should move any of the crap that is in the outbuildings as it's not yours ca

X Post @Sunnyshores

I don't know legally but if you have pictures from when you moved in I'm sure you can prove it wasn't you that caused the mess and therefore they can't expect you to fix it?
My dad always goes around our house with a camera filming all the faults when we move into somewhere new!!

I'm requesting a copy of the inventory and contracts because I remember writing the amendment when i was mad about the state it had been left in. It said new carpets upstairs but as my Hoover found it's patches of carpet poorly stuck together with glue. It said the gardens were in good condition but i did write they were over grown with couches and boxes of possessions on the front but i didn't find all the nappies buried in the grass until after a week.
We did get a booklet dps I'll try and find that too.
It's annoying because weve boxed away the entire house and trying to find everything we need again is doing my head in... i know It's the box labelled paperwork 😂.

I should have done that taken video evidence, i have some photos of things but my phone broke so I've had to pull them off messages I've sent to people
Ill be sure to take photos on the day of the inspection before they get there

It is for the landlord to prove deposit deductions. That is done with a signed inventory with dated photos.

You leave the property as you found it, less wear and tear. Do they want the nappies replaced?

The landlord also has to protect the deposit within 30 days and give you the information about where it is. And be able to prove that you had that information...

If you have annotated the inventory then you'll be fine. Write back to Agent and point out the condition noted in the inventory and the fact their letter doesnt reflect these dilapidations.

Hopefully they will be reasonable and you wont need to dispute it with DPS.

If you know its DPS you can ring them and they will confirm. They have a very onerous and time consuming process for deposit returns, but I do think its fair on the tenants and they take 100% notice of what the inventory says.

Thank you
It's in a better condition now than when we moved in but definitely will check the inventory
It's an agent coming round so hopefully they won't be nasty about anything
I have a toddler and spend endless hours every day cleaning so if they say anything i might cry
I cant get the smell of bleach out of my hands 😂

Remember you rent from the landlord and have no contract with the agent. You don't have to let them in, and anyone rude should be ejected.

I was assuming the Agent was inspecting on behalf of the ll and maybe even holding the deposit themselves (which DPS allow the agent to do)

Yes, but any actual dispute is with the landlord. Who pays the agent and should be told if they are misbehaving. You don't need to be nice to a bitchy agent.

If the agent is the only person feeding back to the ll and recommending deductions or not, then unfortunately you do need to be nice to the (probably useless and bitchy) agent. Its all about avoiding having to use the dispute system.

In the last house the landlord said we had to take up any disputes about the bond with the agent because that's why he paid them (she took £20 for a lightbulb that i just had put in and blew when she turned it on)

Hopefully it'll be the same man who always does the inspections here he comes with a checklist and knows what's already wrong with the house.

I'm glad to be buying and getting out of rented 😩😩

It should all be about evidence. I don't know from experience, have only had tenants who didn't damage so got the lot back, plus one who wrecked the place so the evidence was not hard to put together.

The estate agents are saying they can't find a copy of our amended inventory they've sent us one with no signature on but our initials in the bottom corner that doesn't look like our handwriting
They also have no record of the damp we reported even though i have screen shots of the email reporting it with photos attached

You need to find your copy of the amended inventory, as this is what will be used by DPS. I dont think just initialling the corners is a signed AST if the last page is not actually signed.

When you said earlier the inspection guy knows whats wrong with the house - is this recorded in his inspections?

Due to EAs inefficiency (and presumably theyll recommend deductions to LL) this is probably going to result in a dispute, so I would gather all your paperwork, any emails, photos, texts, lists of phonecalls etc.