I am leaving the property after years of renting. I have kept the property very clean and neat. To me it (subject to normal wear and tear) looks as good as when I moved in. However, the landlord requires that it is left clean “to professional standard” and especially insists that “DIY carpet cleaning is not enough”.
Two questions:
Can the landlord make such demands?
What should I do - pay for professional cleaning or not do anything and have my deposit deducted?
My logic - please correct me if wrong - If I pay for professional cleaning, I lose money equal to the cost of the service. If I don’t, in the worst case scenario, I will have money deducted from my deposit - equal to the cost of the service. So I lose money either way - with the difference that there is a chance I will not in the second scenario…
So - am I right that paying upfront for professional cleaning makes no sense for me as a tenant?
I don’t want to sound cynical, I am just trying to find the best solution for me. I really take good care of the rented property.
It all depends on what your contract reads.
If it reads return in the condition provided and the landlord can provide receipts to substantiate it was professionally cleaned.
You will have to return it professionally cleaned.
DIY carpet cleaning is really not enough. We always have it professionally cleaned.
You could clean it and ask him exactly how he wants it. Read your contract it should tell you how clean he wants it
Well, I understand that the landlord wants a certain standard of cleaning. That is fine for me. What I am sceptical about it the demand to hire professional carpet cleaning company - what does it matter how I clean the carpet as long as the end result is satisfactory?
But please - tell me, what would you do in my schoes? Would you pay for professional cleaning? Is it worth the hassle and money, since in the worst case scenario I might simply have the same money deducted from my deposit? Or am I missing something?..
I am a landlord
I have never been given a property in the same condition as I have given out
I give the tenant a list of what is to be done
Despite that it is not done
That is the experience of most landlords
Carpet cleaning with a pro 2000 machine is way above that of a standard carpet washer hence why we ask for professional cleaning
I have had tenants wash the carpet ( forgetting to do under the furniture, no stain removal etc) but it is not returned to an acceptable standard hence why I mandate a professional clean ( return it in the condition it was provided)
I am a landlord. I would just clean it yourself. A landlord cant force you to hire professionals. It is considered to be an unfair term (since 2019/20 dependent on when you signed contract but now applies to all tenancies) and is therefore unenforceable. To deduct from deposit they would need to prove it was not cleaned to a similar standard as when you moved in which if you have done a good clean is hard to do and the burden if proof is on landlord.
In addition to what others have said and to answer what I believe you were asking, if you were to use a professional cleaner you would ask for a receipt and give a copy to your landlord so it would be harder for the Landlord to then say the carpets were not clean enough.
As David said it’s now an unfair contract term.
Personally, if you were a tenant for years and there’s no other damages I would be happy to get the carpets professionally cleaned myself.
As A_A said, were you given a receipt to show the carpets had been professionally cleaned before moved in?
If the carpet is filthy from total neglect then you would be responsible for the cleaning costs.
if the carpet has the odd mark on here and there then this is deemed as fair wear an tear and this is how it would be seen in court.
In todays climate any responsible landlord would have all carpets cleaned between tenants anyway.
No. It is no longer legal to enforce this as a requirement, even if you moved in before June 2020 (or was it 2019?! ). the landlord doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
Neither. If you have evidence (ie check in / check out photos) that you’ve left the property in the same condition you found it, plus acceptable w&t, you are entitled to your full deposit back.