Professional cleaning re leaving a rental

[Advocodo]

Hi. We are about to leave a 6 month rental whilst our water damaged house was drying out and being restored. Landlady today has sent me the contact details of a cleaning company. Tenancy agreement says property to be cleaned to a professional standard upon leaving. There is just hubby and I and we have kept it spotless. I was thinking to offer to clean it myself rather than get a cleaning company in but get the oven and windows professionally cleaned. Anyone else been in the same situation and chose the same?

We had a six month rental in a new build. We employed a cleaning company for the end of tenancy clean.

Yes, I've always done it myself to a professional standard. After just 6 months in your circumstances, it should be OK with a very good level of domestic cleaning, with windows and oven done well.

No need to offer anything, there is no obligation to hiring their preferred cleaners, despite what they may have put in the contract.

I rent a house out and I have always been happy for my tenants to clean the house themselves at the end of the tenancy.

It's a scam.

An EA tried that with me, and I said 'please provide me with the invoice for the pre-tenancy professional clean and I will happily do so.' The previous tenant, who I met, left it clean as a whistle! They backed off.

It quite often comes up in housing related scam articles.

However, I've just discovered it's in fact illegal.

I would just say 'insisting that tenants get a property professionally cleaned has been illegal since 2019. I suggest your letting agent updates the advice they give landlords and which clauses they can and cannot put in their leases to reflect this.'

"In the past, some landlords included clauses in their tenancy agreements requiring residents to hire a professional cleaning service to ensure their property was returned to its original state when they moved out.
This is now illegal under the Tenant Fees Act and you can be fined up to £5,000 for including such a clause.
Of course, you can advise tenants to use a professional cleaning company before they move out. But whether they choose to do so is up to them.
You can also choose to use a professional cleaning company yourself for peace of mind. However, you cannot automatically charge your resident for this."

https://evo-pm.com/insights/end-of-tenancy-cleaning-laws-uk-a-guide-for-housing-associations/

"The Law Is Clear: Professional Cleaning Clauses Are Banned
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 was designed to make renting fairer, stripping out unfair costs and hidden charges. One of the biggest changes is that landlords and agents cannot demand tenants pay for third-party services, including:

• Professional end of tenancy cleaning
• Inventory checks
• Gardening services
• General admin or processing fees

If your tenancy agreement includes a professional cleaning clause, it’s unenforceable. And if you try and enforce tenants to have the property professionally cleaned, you could be breaking the law.
The risk: Landlords or agents who insist on professional cleaners could face fines of up to £5,000 for a first offence—and unlimited penalties for repeat breaches."

https://www.360-properties.co.uk/news/why-landlords-cannot-force-tenants-to-pay-for-professional-cleaning-ninw

ps: whether you get the windows and oven professionally cleaned is really down to your own integrity and the quality of the inventory. If the inventory has photographs of the inside of the oven and it's clearly gleaming, get it done. If the inventory just says 'oven, condition, good' but doesn't mention how clean it is - use your own judgement and maybe do it yourself.

My own inventory is pathetic. It comments on the cleanliness of a tiny loo and absolutely nothing else.

Idiots.

That's what you get when you get an EA instead of an inventory clark do it for you.

May I ask approx how much it cost you and exactly what did they clean ie your oven and windows.

It was over ten years ago, so probably not relevant now, but I think it was about £70. They allocate a certain amount of hours, but said ours was so clean, they halved the time. They did the oven and the windows. Bathroom, en-suite, cloakroom, kitchen diner, living room, all with hard floors and three bedrooms.

The last quote I got was £350 for a 2 bed, 900 sq ft flat in Kent in 2021.

They refused to do the oven and the windows as part of the job.

I was quoted the same by several companies for a vast 3 bed house in the NW in 2022, so costs vary a lot by region.

Shop around really hard if you're going down that route! Make sure you specify you want those two specific items done.

You might be better off getting quotes from Taskrabbit as the cleaners there aren't professional cleaning firms so charge lower fees, but tend to work pretty hard to get good star ratings.

Thanks for everybody’s replies especially that a professional clean is not enforceable. Need to have a think what to do.