Should vendors clean house?

[toastedteacakesandjam]

Just that really... would you expect vendors to clean a property you've purchased before they move out?

You are ‘meant’ to but TBH I would always expect to have to do a day of really deeep cleaning. You have a great incentive (start with a super clean house) and the vendors have zero incentive.

When we sold our first flat, we paid our cleaner to come in and do a final clean after the removers had been. Our buyer wrote us a letter thanking us. And we moved into a house that had, in turn, been cleaned beautifully by the vendors.

When we sold that house to move to another city, we didn't have a cleaner. I planned to rush around Hoovering as the removers got our furniture out. And our bloody vacuum cleaner chose that very day to break down in a fairly terminal way. I'm so sorry buyers that the house was all dusty - I did manually pick up the largest dust bunnies!

We also got a cleaner to clean our new house before the removers arrived (didn't have any contacts in new city so got a recommendation from the estate agent).

I've never left a dirty house, but never moved in to a clean one

Same here. It’s incredibly frustrating to have scrubbed your old house and to turn up and find that the people you’ve bought off don’t appear to have so much as wiped the kitchen surfaces down in weeks.

It’s worse when you move into an utterly filthy rented house and leave it spotless when you come to move out, but the landlords try to withhold some deposit because you left stuff in the outside bin (because the bins go out the day after you leave). Bastards.

Most people do their best, I reckon (filthy animals notwithstanding) but if you’re moving your stuff out in the same day as moving it into another place, time may not be on your side. We did a big long-distance move and it was stressful coordinating everything.

And when all the stuff is out, the dirt shows up horribly - your “clean” house suddenly becomes disgusting with nothing to distract the eye & all those hidden corners revealed.

The pragmatic thing to do is book cleaners, I expect.

Thanks all, seems there are quite a few pissed off people! We have just moved into new place after leaving last place "sparkling". Spent weeks cleaning and when we left was lovely. We are so pissed off having just moved into new place to find it horrendously filthy!! We've had to scrub everywhere, absolutely disgusting to leave all your dirty crap for someone else to clean up.

I last moved in the freezing cold and pouring rain / sleet. I had been cleaning inside cupboards for days beforehand and hoovered as each room was emptied by removal company. However I'd imagine that as the buyers were moving in that day everything would have got filthy again.

No, I would be embarrassed to leave something dirty. I wouldn't want other people to feel the way about me that i did when I purchased my last house and had to have industrial cleaners in before i put my stuff in. Disgusting pigs, they had cleaners and a housekeeper too, but couldn't leave the place decent.

emillee
We moved recently similar distance. Day before move, removers come and pack everything. Done by 1 oclock. Book cleaners (or removal firm will). Get them to leave keys in the property when finished. Drive yourself to the best hotel you can find near your destination. Hot bath, nice dinner, leisurely breakfast. Collect keys to new home.

I will dust, Hoover etc and wipe all the surfaces and hard floors so they are clean, but on moving day I'm not going to be cleaning the insides of cupboards so they are sparkling - I have enough to do.

The bathroom will be thoroughly cleaned but the rest of the house gets treated as above.

Last move we did the same as AJPTaylor - removers came the day before and moved us out, we got the cleaners in on the back of them, and went to stay somewhere else for the night before moving into new house the next day. Even if your new house is manky, leaving a clean one is good karma!

It's a courtesy to clean but moving days can be very rushed, you would rather have the keys in good time than wait around while someone scrubs bathrooms.

Selling is not the same as leaving a rental when you are usually required by the contract to do a full professional clean.

This house was spotlessly clean the day we moved in. I’ve never been able to get it as clean. Shame however that they left so many th8ngs broken. Even removed extractor filter and fire alarm batteries.