Landlords expectations of tennants when leaving?

[Rarfy]

Hi, we will hopefully be handing our notice in on our current rented home in the very near future. Have been here three years and have a lovely fair landlord.

We are hopeful we will get at least some of our bond back, which is in the deposit scheme, but i was just wondering what landlords expect of their tennants when they leave?

I am planning on doing a deep clean but how deep does this need to be? Would a landlord arrange a clean as a matter of course between tennants any way?

Any damage we have done to the house we have repaired as best we can but there is a lot of wear and tear e.g. scuffs on the cream paintwork. Whole house is cream.

The house has a damp problem so a fair few stains / damp patches on the upstairs ceilings / walls. Also plaster missing on parts of ceilings where screwheads are.

Unbeknownst to us the shower screen was not fitted correctly in the bathroom. We didnt realise as we have a cabinet there and basically water was leaking and has rotted some woodwork alongside the bath. Once we realised the shower sceeen was removed and a shower curtain put in its place but unfortunately the damage was already done.

Just recently a piece of decking has gone through and it feels very unstable / unsafe so i guess that is rotting.

Any advice?

You need to read your tenancy agreement and see what that states. In respect of issues with the place, like damp and the rotten wood by the bath, I presume you advised the landlord of these issues at the time? The landlord can expect the property to be returned to him in no better condition than it was when it was let to you and reasonable normal wear and tear is not something he can make deductions for. Was there an inventory with details of the condition drawn up which you were given a copy of? If there wasn't then the LL can't prove anything. Please read the how to rent government guide and get informed.

Thanks @wowfudge. The landlord is aware of the issues with damp and the shower screen which wasn't fitted correctly and caused the water damage.

I like to think we have been good tennants. We have repaired anything we have broken. Replaced a carpet. Replaced a door. Topped up paintwork. But due to the issues above the house will be nothing like when we moved in. Mostly paintwork i guess.

In our downstairs area there are huge sections of wall where paint has peeled / flaked off. It seems the walls were not prepped properly as it is down to the bare plaster. Particularly in the kitchen which seems to have been painted in the same paint as the rest of the house.

I will check our contract and yes we did have an inventory.

I am just wondering whether to arrange a professional oven clean. I intended to have a go at it myself but i know from past experience i cant get it immaculate /like new. I dont want to waste money making things right iyswim if thats not an expectation and 'clean' is good enough.

You might want to.consider speaking to the landlord and asking what is expected? Confirm the conversation I'm writing if you do.

That's a good idea @wowfudge i am seeing them this week so will discuss.

So the legal position is that you must leave it clean and any specific damage must be repaired if it wasn't caused my normal living.
However any damage caused by normal wear and tear, and any problems that the house has that have caused rot or damp, are entirely down to the landlord.
So you can expect to clean everything including the oven back to the original state (that horrible oven bleach stuff in the massive bag is quite good) but you needn't repaint. Any dents in the wall caused by moving furniture etc should be filled. The garden if any would depend who is responsible on the agreement.
But above all just talk to the landlord.

good luck to the labdlord getting any of your deposit back, all sounds lole lack of maintenance and wear and tear.

expectations? all your stuff gone, all the provided items there, post redirect set, all rubbish in the right bins, as clean as it was when you got it.

@rarfy I wouldn't bother cleaning at all. Maybe run a vacum round. Every single place I ever rented even from the "loveliest" landlords always claimed for cleaning, despite always getting professional end of tenancy cleaners in. Landlords can't claim for fair wear and tear so cleaning is an easy way for them to get money from you. Usually you need your deposit back to pay for next rental so they know you won't fight as you don't want to delay.

Kamma - not my experience at all. I have always done a proper clean, i.e. insides/tops of cabinets, sofa covers washed, windows, oven, fridge, freezer defrosted, etc. I have always received all of my deposits back swiftly and my last landlord actually gave me an extra few hundred pounds to say thanks for looking after her flat so well.

If the issues you have had with the property were problems with the house, e.g. damp problem due to pipe leak and not you not taking basic steps to not let it become a mess (e.g. airing daily, cleaning properly, etc) then not only should you be getting your deposit back, but it's actually not great that your landlord hasn't fixed the issue while you were living there!

Thanks everyone. That's the thing i'm concerned about, spending money doing stuff for it to then be deducted from bond anyway.

With regards to the damp we were given a dehumidifier which did help but the damage is done in regards to paint work and it still builds up slightly. Also damaged all our bedroom furniture which we will have to get rid of when we move which is a pain but luckily it is cheap so not the end of the world.

I will do an oven pride and a general clean including windows skirting boards etc. I will wash the blinds and curtains and put back up and will probably borrow a carpet cleaner and go over the lounge carpet as we have a dog.

Report any damage before handing in notice otherwise you will be blamed for it when discovered and the money to fix it will be taken off your deposit.

Been through this!

Thanks @thethoughtfox.

Haven't mentioned the decking nor a tear we have made in the kitchen lino when moving furniture so will mention those when give our official notice. It would be fair to deduct for the lino but everything else i think is either due to issues with the house or general wear and tear. I hope haha!

the deposit is the tenants money. Despite what you read in the guardian, landlords have to prove dilapidation, and it is a quick process for the tenants to dispute any claims.

other countries charge tenants for wear and tear but England does not.

Talk to your lanlord about their expectations. We are lanlords and would expect the carpets professionally cleaned after a tenancy with a dog, but we cleaned them professionally before tenant moved in and contract clearly states expectation, likewise oven and garden but again these where professionally done before tenant moved in and expectations are clear in contract. Usually our tenants clean well enough that we don't charge anything for cleaning (although we always have a professional clean between tenants) but sometimes they don't. Damage due to faulty fixtures that you reported is not your issue. I would expect holes due to be filled in but not for walls to look like when you moved in. Wear and tear isn't your issue but the lanlords.

A previous letting agent attempted to charge me £25 per lightbulb that wasn't working. Given that many were not working when we arrived I hadn't thought to make sure they were all in working order. Luckily I had a friend with me during her inspection who dashed off and returned with replacement bulbs.

I'd recommend that you insist on being present during the final inspection. Take plenty of photos at that point so that they know you are on the ball.

There is a specific scheme designed to protect tenants from unfair charges. I can't remember the name but you'll find it with a quick google.

I've also found that very often landlords themselves are reasonable, and it's the letting agents who are intent on attempting to place unreasonable charges.

I second making sure that all lightbulbs are working and you have properly defrosted and cleaned the fridge/freezer

I just helped my son move out of his flat and thankfully he got all of his deposit back.
Cleaned inside and outside of all kitchen cupboards, worktops and gave sink a good clean.
Wiped out all other cupboards, skirting boards, washed floors, hoovered everywhere including under the beds.
Cleaned any mould from the bathroom grouting with bleach. Scrubbed bath, tiles, sink, shower screen and floor, toilet.
Removed any scuff marks from walls and paintwork with wet wipes.
Used a lot of zoflora to leave a fresh scent.
Hard days work and would have been furious if he had lost any deposit.

Already bought replacement lightbulbs for the two that are out - seen this a lot on mn.

That kind of cleaning is what i was intending. Luckily the only furniture as such in the house is the oven. Everything else will be coming with us or going to the tip damaged by the damp.

Thanks for all the suggestions these are making me feel comfortable with what we had already decided to do.

I'm not expecting full deposit back,as i say we have damaged the lino and not replaced as it isnt a hole as such just a tear which could be easily glued down so hopefully not too much of a problem. I just dont want to put loads of effort / money in and walk away with no bond at all. Id rather just leave the house as is if that was the case.

Sound like an awful tennant now, i promise i'm not i am just pregnant and cba if it will be no better thought of!

I’m a LL and I would be happy with what you are planning to do, the paint marks etc are to be expected after 3 years and the LL should be touching these up between tenants. What you are doing sounds a dream compared to how I’ve had some properties left!

Thanks @Junglerum that makes me feel much better!

I have learnt that when we get our own house we need to not leave all the 'little' jobs because when you do have to get round to them - like now - they soon build up haha!

Check whether the expectation is that you will get it professionally cleaned or if you can do it yourself (including carpets)

In the tenancy agreement it just says about reimbursing the manangement agent cost of cleaning carpets of soiled and any other fabrics. There was only one pair of curtains up when we moved in. Looks like a generic template off the net so should be fine.

re the lino - any deductions for damage take into account expected life left of the item and the percentage area damaged. In practice landlord will get a few quid if that.

Oh is that true? I dont know why but i assumed that meant they would be entitled to the full cost of replacing the lino however i hoped with us being good tennants they might just let that go wishful thinking i know!

We have been here over three years though and never missed a rent payment caused any trouble of anything like that however we have never had a rent increase either so have been really lucky in that sense.

Here's a check list from professional end of tenancy cleaners OP
thehappyhousecleaning.co.uk/end-of-tenancy-checklist

It sounds like you have a decent relationship with your landlord and you know your deposit's protected. Fair wear and tear and accidents aren't big deals, it's more neglect, disrespect and wilful damage that gets knocked.

If you were issued with a dehumidifier then your landlord already acknowledges some inherent problem that isn't your responsibility.