My tenant is moving out today… she has informed me that her cleaners have let her down… i sympathise with that but am I OK to charge her for a professional clean… she says she will clean herself but i do not find this acceptable as I allowed her to have 2 small dogs during the last 2.5 years when i originally advertised No pets…
I don;t want to end on a bad note though she has been a little tricky throughout this tenancy … I just don’t agree tenants can clean themsleves and say they’re doing a professional job? i don’t think it’s fair to the next tenants moving in.
Grateful for opnions.
also she seems is in no hurry to vacate as moving out day is 15th and seems to think she has until tomorrow as she has still yet to return some furniture of mine she putinto storage without permission which she says she will do on 16th! luckily new tenants not moving in for a few weeks.
As Mark says you cannot insist on cleaning by a professional. You can only expect the property to be returned in a similar condition it was when rented.
I trust you have a good inventory from the move-in, with cleanliness photos etc. If so, and it is not returned to the same standard, you can apply to make a deduction from the deposit to cover the costs of rectifying.
Open rent contract states re pets “If consent is given, the Tenant agrees to undertake, or alternatively pay for, a full clean of the Premises with de-infestation cleaner upon termination of the tenancy.”
Again, even that clause in the OR contract implies clearly that the LL cannot insist on ‘professional’ cleaning. Every tenant I’ve ever had has used various end of tenancy cleaning muppets and I give my tenants plenty of good advice ahead of time on areas for the cleaners to focus on that often get missed or deliberately overlooked. Bar one, the cleaners have had to come back and complete the job to a ‘professional standard’. It is regularly some young lady with the bare minimum of cleaning products or equipment and on a quick turnaround. Probably getting paid below minimum wage and they have my sympathy. My honest opinion is that even at this standard I would not let them clean my home. I always end up having to clean again after them, to a spotless standard that I would be happy for any new tenant to step into. No, I do not have OCD - just high standards.
In your contract do you have a section telling them how to clean
If she wants to clean send her the terns and conditions of what you expect so she is under no illusion of what is required
It also creates evidence for dispute
Regarding pets if you used an addendum that would have a standard clause telling them to deinfest so they know they are liable