UK Landlord Forum / Life

I rent out a large 4bed property though a letting agent. Last tenant was quite difficult but moved finally. I feel the house has been left in an unlettable state due to the general filth left behind. Letting agent has had a cleaning quote for a "light" clean through but I do not feel that is sufficient. I feel that other potential tenants will be put off. It smells of cigarettes, denied smoking, kitchen is filthy etc. The letting agents are concerned that the previous tenant will not agree to pay for a proper clean but I do not see that they can refuse if, say, 3 quotes are provided of a similar cost? They have also broken the plastic loft hatch cover. The letting agent said they would not be liable due to the age of the plastic but it was not broken prior to their let. It looks as if it has been dropped when accessing loft space (weren't allowed in loft). I have not been able to find a like for like plastic cover so looks like the full "loft hole" will need to be redone. I've found a replacement for about £35 but there would also be a charge for fitting. Where do I stand, please?

Hello Myballou

Lofty hatch first: There is an allowance for Fair Wear and Tear.  If the hatch was very old then it could have been on its last legs.  Only you really know.

Dirtiness: I feel much depends on how well your inventory has been drafted, in particular how explicit the comments about cleanliness are.  A house which is recorded as having been let out not smelling of cigarettes is meant to be returned in the same condition.  And you can use the deposit to clean carpets, clean / replace curtains, etc.

The purpose of the inventory is that it is not up to the tenent to decide what they fancy paying for.  You prove you're spending the minimum amount of money required to return it to the standard it was let out in.  If the tenant does not agree, then it's off to arbrirtation.

The agent is behaving oddly.  It might be that they are not explaining things well enough.  Or they might have something to hide, like the inventory they did is not up to scratch.  I would be putting some questions to them like:

+ So exactly what does a "light" clean give me?  Will it solve problems x, y and z? (after all, it really does not matter if the clean is called "light", "heavy", or even "jeffrey" - it's what the clean achieves that is important)
+ If I follow your advice with the light clean and it's not good enough, you'll agree a further clean will be necessary.  And you'll persue this extra clean with the tenant's deposit, won't you?

Hope this helps.  Please let us know how you get on.