Question

Ending a Tenancy (England) | England | Practical Tips for a Pain-Free End of Tenancy Handover (England)

Cleaning obligations at end of tenancy

4 Oct 2020 | 1 comment

Hi, a tenant has rented a Rug Doctor and cleaned the carpets as well as cleaning the oven at the end of the tenancy.

The landlord feels they are not as clean as at the start of the tenancy so wants me to deduct the cost of professional cleaning of both. Can he do that if the tenant has already made the effort. I use your ASTs.

Also, there was mould on some of the walls which has been washed off but the landlord wants to deduct the cost of redecorating from the tenant’s deposit too. I’ve told him he may want to check the gutters and loft insulation before blaming the tenant. The bathroom walls had clearly been wiped down regularly as the paint had been wiped off.

The tenants had lived at the property for 2 years.

Answer

1 Comment

  1. guildy

    We’re with you on this one.

    The property doesn’t have to be the same as it was when they moved in as they’re entitled to fair wear and tear (although arguably cleaning doesn’t have wear and tear as such).

    Of course, the landlord can put any claim they like to the deposit scheme adjudicators and they will decide what proportion goes to each party.

    Please see this article for information on the rule of betterment: https://www.landlordsguild.com/how-to-calculate-fair-cleaning-and-repair-costs-betterment/

Submit a Comment

View your previously asked questions. (Will only show questions from August 2020)

(Link above back to topic only works for questions added after end of August 2020)