UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi, I was wondering if someone could advise me on whether I have grounds to dispute £80.00 worth of cleaning fees.
My landlord wants to deduct these from my deposit but I am yet to accept these on DPS. I have just moved out of a house share so this only relates to my bedroom.

So £40.00 worth of charges was to get the carpet in my room professionally cleaned again. Although it does state in the contract that upon leaving the property the bedroom carpet must be 'professionally cleaned', I instead cleaned it myself using a carpet cleaner which I hired for £25.00 which you put shampoo and water in. My landlord did not believe it had been cleaned well enough since she found a few hairs and a very faint coffee stain which was about 1 inch wide so very small. Admittedly I did not employ a professional cleaning service, however I thought it was still cleaned to a high standard. Do I have grounds to challenge this?

The other and final charge of £40.00 was for a supposed blood stain on the mattress. During the inspection, my landlord flipped the mattress and found what she said was a blood stain about the size of the palm of your hand which she said was from a woman's menstrual cycle. She immediately blamed this on my girlfriend who used to live with me; I thought it was quite out of order making accusations and assumption like this. Now again the inventory that I signed at the start of the tenancy stated that the mattress' condition was excellent as new, however I did not check the underside of the mattress for this supposed blood stain. But also I am sure that this must have been there before i moved in as I never flipped the mattress so the stain was always on the underside of the mattress while I was there. Its also worth noting that the inventory came with photographs and there is no clear image of the mattress since it was covered by a throw/bed cover so the photos were inconclusive.

I understand that on both charges I may have points that may work against my case, however given what I have described, could someone let me know if I have grounds to challenge these two charges and if so, how best to go about this?

£80.00 isn't a massive about of money but given how rude, unreasonable and unpleasant my landlord has been throughout my tenancy, its more about the principle than the money.

Many thanks

LC

If your Deposit was protected, with the DPS, then you have little to lose by suggesting ADR. The Landlord may change their mind... the onus of proof (the effort involved) is on them. They may, if they don't skedaddle, wish to increase their requested deduction to make it more meaty / give them a better chance of something (but probably can't). Go for it, let us know how it turns out.

The landlord may well decide that it is not worth the hassle for £80,and drop the demand.It will cost you nothing to challenge this.I hire those machines for my own home,and find the results are perfectly acceptable.Don't blame you for having a go.

Thank you Both for your reply.

Thought i should also add that after I checked out, she sent me an email stating the deductions and the reason for the deductions.

I did initially accept these charges in writing by replying to her email. She then confirmed this with DPS.

However, as you know I have changed my mind and i would like to challenge the charges, so do I now need to send her an email to advise her of this?

Or do i just begin a claim on the DPS website- just wondering how best to go about this?

Many thanks

LC

Yeah, it would've been good to add that bit before.

So... I try to act, and I would expect others to act, in a way that says my word is my bond. Unless you felt pressured or coerced into agreeing this £80 deduction, is a change of heart on your part justifiable? Only you will know the answer...

Okay thank you for your reply.

An update on the situation, I asked my landlord to send through the invoices for both charges from her cleaning company and it seems she has only been charged £40.00 for both the carpet cleaning AND the cleaning of the mattress. She had advised me £80.00 (£40.00 for each).

Obviously i only want to pay £40.00 so shall i question this with an email reply to my landlord or shall i open a case directly with DPS telling them i am being charged double what she is being charged?

How best to go about this to be successful?

Thanks

LC

I don't care any more... you can resolve this yourself, I'm sure.

If you don't want to help then don't reply at all you mong 

You really needed to be informed that you're a time-waster.

I needed help with something tenancy related so I have used this forum for what it is meant to be used for so unsure how that's time wasting.
You clearly have a chip on your shoulder while pretentiously give out poor advice
If you want to meet in person to settle this then we can?
But I'm sure you're not that kind of person so just keep comfy behind your keyboard xx

Quote from: lcorr92 on June 06, 2019, 11:09:29 AMI needed help with something tenancy related so I have used this forum for what it is meant to be used for so unsure how that's time wasting.

You've already been given the help. You just seem to need more... and more... and more.  It's £40, either proceed along the lines you've been advised... or don't. It's £40 you're disagreeing with now... please get some perspective in your life.

Quote from: lcorr92 on June 06, 2019, 11:09:29 AMYou clearly have a chip on your shoulder while pretentiously give out poor advice

The poor advice you had thanked me for (twice)? Like your story - with the 'missing' bits in it ("thought I should add, I agreed to the deductions in writing") - seems that things will change as you want them to, right?

Quote from: lcorr92 on June 06, 2019, 11:09:29 AMIf you want to meet in person to settle this then we can?

Absolutely happy to - if that's your level - not sure where you're located, but you will come to me and you will very likely spend more than £40 getting here - but it'll be worth it.

Can I watch?

Of course you can.

I fear lcorr92's story will change in the meantime, or something will "come up"... something will be remembered that's, somehow, pertinent... another daydreamer. Dreaming of that £40.

Quote from: lcorr92 on June 05, 2019, 09:38:06 AMThought i should also add that after I checked out, she sent me an email stating the deductions and the reason for the deductions. I did initially accept these charges in writing by replying to her email. She then confirmed this with DPS. However, as you know I have changed my mind and i would like to challenge the charges, so do I now need to send her an email to advise her of this?

This, right here, is the crux of this entire stupid situation that lcorr92's principles seem to have created. Principles that don't argue against a deduction when raised - but instead agree to it, and in writing. Principles that let the Landlord go ahead and proceed with Deposit return in complete good faith. Principles that think agreeing to something and then changing your mind, on a whim, is remotely principled. Principles that are allowing lcorr92 to even contemplate the option of not even telling the ex-Landlord about this... and just landing them with a dispute. Principles that left out half of the story at the beginning of this thread. Principles that seem to say if you don't agree with what lcorr92 thinks, or don't do what lcorr92 wants, then it's perfectly OK to threaten physical violence.

Highly principled indeed.

Whereas a principled position would actually be to accept what you agreed to and move on... and not waste people's time over such a tawdry matter. Just try to have some impulse control... you're not showing anyone you're boss, you're just looking like a persistent malcontent.

I have noticed how many initial enquiries fail to mention really salient facts.It gains some initial sympathy and friendly advice,then one ends up feeling used.

It got my back up, that's for sure.

I've clearly hit a nerve 🎣 😂 Based on your fast responses and the length and effort of your replies, this forum clearly means a lot to you bless you.

Therefore I will not ask any further questions that may stress you out.

I'm in Birmingham so let me know a time and place to meet and we can sort this out?

P.s who said anything about physical violence?

Send me a PM, feel free to work yourself North and I can teach you a few things... some principles at the very least.

He might be a Peaky Blinder.

Ah, who knows, but lcorr92 was definitely intimating (not by accident) a physical encounter when they suggested - "If you want to meet in person to settle this then we can?" - but just like their story here, they stepped back from that shortly afterwards and changed things, with - "P.s who said anything about physical violence?" - to this person what they say and do are entirely separate things, or so it seems to me. I kinda feel like giving them the £40 myself at this juncture... but who will have been taught a lesson then? Not lcorr92's Landlord. Not lcorr92.

Being half Irish the words "meet in person to settle this" are always suggestive of fisticuffs to me.

Invite him down to the Peace Festival for a rumble behind the yoga tent. I'll hold your falafel.

That's the best offer I've had in a long time.