Should I argue with the Agent about the dirty falt I rent

[Rentadirtyflat]

Hi dear mums in mumsnet,
Really need some help here, about my newly rented flat. I've been always watching all the threads and never started a new one by myself until now. BTW pls forgive my language(my mother language is not English) if there's any error.

I rented a flat in London while I was oversea in July. Since I was not able to come and see the flat myself, the agent send me a video. Everything went on smoothly, I requested a "professional cleaning before Move-in" in my offer. The tenancy agreement signed and the rent paid happily.

Then it was the day when I supposed to move in, the day my tendancy starts.

The check-in clerk was there, shaking his head, saying that nothing was cleaned... I could see too. Almost everywhere need to be thoroughly cleaned professionally, again.
The wall was dirty almost everywhere, and obviously need repainting.
The balcony glass was not clean.
The oven: you could imagine its status if one used it for years and never clean its inside.
The dishwasher: the salt container is full of dirty things that I don't find an English name for it. Never mention the scale.
The mattress...

The most dirty part in the flat is the "washing machine". Scale, Mould...

But I had to move in with my 2 kids, coz this was planned and I didn't have an alternative place to live.

The customer service of agent sent the cleaning company again (3 times till now). Every time only small problems were solved but still big problems remained.

What I can say about the cleaning company is that I can see they have no idea what is "professional", especially concerning the appliances.

Living in this flat for more than one week, having to hand-wash all the clothes and dishes, and having no idea when the problems can be solved exactly, I felt really tired, and frustrated.

I've talked and emailed all the problems to the customer service, and requested a rent refund, requested a replacement of the washing machine. But still...

Now the agent sent me an email like this:
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1. Please list all the items by bullet points that need to be cleaned so I can ask the cleaning company to get all the tools for reattending.
2. During attendance, please make sure you are onsite, and make sure you are happy with the result, as we can not keep resending them back.
3. After the reattendance, if the cleaner has done their best and there are still remaining issues that are beyond cleaning, we will contact the relevant manufacturer to replace the parts. Once the landlord approves the quote for the replacement we will order the parts and have it replaced for you.
4. I have informed the landlord on your reqest for the rent refund, and will let you know what the landloard says.

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so, 1 means all the communications between me and her is meaningless, I have to do it again. In addition, I am not the expert here. How could they expect me to give instructions on what should be checked and what should be cleaned of the washing machine?!
2 means I have to use my own time, to do their job, as I understand this should be their responsibiliy to make sure everything should be clean... Again, I'm not an expert. I'm not the one who wants to see the cleaner multiple times.. I am the one who wants them to solve all the problems as soon as possible.
3 means still a long time awaiting

What should I do now? Seems they are trying to help me. But I'm still pissed off.
(by the way the pics were taken after 3 times cleaning)

If it’s just the washing machine soap powder compartment and rubber seal then it doesn’t need a replacement. I’d just stick it in a sink full of bleach to soak then give it a scrub, possibly putting it through the dishwasher cycle on hot afterwards. A washing machine cleaner dabbed on a cloth and rubbed around the seal would clean it, you then run the rest of the washing machine cleaner through the machine on a hot cycle.
cleaner

It would have been a really quick fix and there would have been no need to hand wash clothes. I don’t see you will get any rent refund for it tbh.

A dishwasher cleaner on a hot wash would clean the dishwasher.
ownbrand
Or
finish

I do understand that it’s less than ideal but it would be simpler to do it, (maybe passing the receipts for the products on to the agent) and have the appliances to use, rather than washing everything by hand and waiting for it to be done for you.
Sorry you’ve had such a difficult start to your new life over here

I don't know any professional cleaner who will clean behind the powder drawer and I am an inventory clerk.

What other photos do you have of issues?

I am guessing you are used to immaculate or new appliances. It is just the detergent dispensing drawer, I doubt cleaners will pull a machine apart to clean internally. You can either soak it in bleach yourself (or use detergent straight into the drum) and wipe around the seal then do a hot wash on empty. What else was dirty?

Likewise you can empty the dw filter and salt and run that through on hot, with a cleaning fluid if needs be.

Hi, Thanks to all of your kind suggestions.

LIZS
yes I'm kinda used to new appliances, and I was always careful to keep my appliances clean.
So really have no experience to deal with such a dirty machine.

The pictures were taken actually after 3 times cleaner's on site cleaning, and I also already used 3 tablets of washing machine cleaner. Have tried to clean by myself.
But didn't realise the powder drawer part is full of mildew too.
Just imagine, if the powder drawer has been so dirty, how about the invisible parts inside the machine!

And it's not just the power drawer.
The rubber ring is dirty and full of mildew.
The cleaner only could and had cleaned part of it yesterday.
I still need to seek professional treatment on this.
Yesterday I searched in Internet, and found maybe the whole rubber ring can be replaced with a new one.
This should be the easier and cheaper way than replacing the whole machine.

Just can't wash clothes with such a dirty rubber ring. Pics can't show the narrow gap of it.

I will again use the washer cleanser today, maybe not only once, several times...

As to suggestion of washing the part in dish washer, well, the truth is, dish washer salt container is dirty dirty too.

StrikeandRobin, I did have purchased dishwasher cleaner and used it twice. After cleaning, I thought the dish washer was ready to use, so washed my dishes
with it twice, until when I wanted to add salt and opened the lid of salt container.

I have no tool to get the dirty and dark water out from the container and have no idea how to do it.
Today an appliance engineer was arranged to be on site.
I will wait and see if the salt container can be vacuummed and cleaned today, Hope
I can use the dish washer from tomorrow on.

fucketyfuckwit,
the issues are too many.
Just think of a tenant who treated the washing machine and dish washer so badly,
how can he treat the other part of the house well?
Now I'm asking the landlord to repaint the wall in the whole flat.

That's a 2 min job....just do it yourself!