How clean is your rented house?

[bellsandwhistles89]

The tenants in a property we rent out have just moved out and have left it in an awful state. When we started it was gleaming and shiny but now is haggard and stinks of smoke (not allowed in the tenancy agreement).

The carpets were brand new and now look like they have been in the property for years. The walls are scratched and marked - they had only just been painted. The bathrooms are disgusting and the kitchen is sticky even though there has apparently been a 'professional clean' - my arse!

We have had a Check in and a Check Out, we have deposits and the such so it is fixable after a good clean, paint, recarpet and fix the broken bits. I am just shocked as to how someone could look at the property and go yep this is how I found it.

I admit that I am emotionally invested in the property as it was my first home and maybe I am naive in thinking that people will treat properties they move into with respect.

I am a good landlord, we dont overcharge, we listen to our tenants, we fix things quickly and make sure we aren't unfair. So maybe this is our fault? Maybe we need to crack down and become arseholes? I feel like they have royally taken the piss.

I think I may just be posting for a moan, as theres not much help mumsnet can give ... unless you have any paintbrushes handy?

I rent - the flat is clean most of the time, tidy usually, but never “immaculate”. Always repaint before leaving. Much prefer unfurnished but they are harder to come by, it’s stressful enough that the flat isn’t mine without worrying about the state of the bloody sofa and beds too. All my rentals have been rank to be fair and I have put in time and money to make them nicer.

Obviously you can’t police how people live, but a couple of inspections throughout the year (give plenty of notice! Inspections are horrible and intrusive) would give you peace of mind and the opportunity for you to flag/discuss things you aren’t happy with.

I am just shocked as to how someone could look at the property and go yep this is how I found it.

It's not just rented property. We moved into our first bought house in November and it was FILTHY! It was a little old lady that lived here, and when we came to view it looked ok, I guess all of her hoards of clutter bits and bobs hid how dirty it was. We spent the best part of 2 days scrubbing the place top to bottom with bleach and sugar soap.

We also spent the best part of a couple of says scrubbing out rental the same too. Cleaned the carpets, patched up paint on the walls. It had been completely refurbished when we moved in so any flaws were easily shown but would have done this regardless, would have been too mortified to leave it even 'clean' rather than 'deep clean'.

Its up to the landlord to paint in between lettings, It comes under fair wear and tear (I myself have always gone over any marks with paint when I rented at the end of tenancy as I think it makes the place look cleaner) but regardless of what contract the tenant has signed painting comes under fair wear and tear according to the deposit protection scheme.