Do I Have To Pay For Cleaning At End Of Tenancy?
Do I have to pay for cleaning at end of tenancy? We look at who is responsible for end of tenancy cleaning and why it is important.
Who has to clean at the end of a tenancy?
Tenants are usually in charge of day to day cleaning and maintenance of the property. Tennants can therefore be held accountable if they allow a lack of hygiene to cause a rise and spread of health hazards such as diseases, mould and pest infestations.
It can be extremely costly to remove these hazards, and it will be the tenant's responsibility to pay for a professional cleaning team. The driveway, garden, and patio are often assigned to the renter as part of the property. In any shared building area, the cleaning duties are usually the landlord's responsibility.
Can my landlord force me to hire a cleaning company?
A tenant's responsibility will dictate that when they return the property's keys to the landlord, the home will be just as clean and tidy as it was at the start of the tenancy.
A landlord can request a hygiene standard equal to the one that is documented in the inventory agreement. End of tenancy cleaning is something you will typically do when the property cannot meet those criteria.
Still, if you have been a caring and reliable tenant, it is more than likely you have set an example, and your home will be extremely close to the inventory already. You should only need to do one final sweep before giving up the property in such a case.
Your landlord cannot force you into purchasing any end of tenancy cleaning services if your obligations as a tenant have been adequately met.
As long as you make sure to return the property clean and tidy, you are then entirely within your right to choose the means for sanitation yourself.
It is unfair of a landlord to demand that a professional cleaning service is hired and paid for when the property is already suitably clean, or the tenant hasn't yet been given a chance to carry out their own cleaning before the keys are due to be returned.
However, suppose the property is not returned in a comparable quality to how it was initially. In that case, the landlord is well within their rights to hire a professional cleaning company and charge you fees for the cleaning costs.
If the landlord arranges to have the property professionally cleaned before you move in, then it is only fair you do the same before moving out. It would be best if you negotiate and cover these conditions with your landlord before you sign any tenancy agreements.
Ensure that you have both agreed on a how-to to prevent the risk of any legal disputes at the end of the tenancy.
Is end of tenancy cleaning vital to get back your deposit?
The Deposit Protection Scheme states that more than half of tenancy deposit disputes result from insufficient property cleaning.
This means that it is the most common cause of tenant's deposit disputes. Suppose you do not complete an end of tenancy deep cleaning before you move out of the property. In that case, your landlord will likely pay for a professional company to carry out the cleaning and discount your deposit to cover the bill.
This process doesn't really work in your favour as the landlord may prioritise getting an efficient cleaning service for the building rather than focus on keeping the price down.
Your landlord, however, cannot deduct more money from you than the exact cost of the cleaning service. The service receipt will be required as evidence that the cleaning has been paid for, so you should be sure to request to see the receipt for the cleaning as proof before you approve any deposit deductions.
Since a deposit is typically a large sum of money, it is in the best interest of the tenants that they properly maintain the property at all times. When moving in and out, an inventory check will be carried out on both occasions.
The two inventory checks will be the benchmark for the property's condition and are the most credible evidence for how a tenant has affected the property's condition during their occupancy.
The only way to ensure that the tenant has their full deposit returned is if the results of the two inventory checks are identical or if the second one is better.
If you are planning on cleaning the property yourself, make sure that you put in the extra work and start well in advance to give yourself enough time to match the benchmark of quality.
How to do end of tenancy cleaning
It is definitely to your advantage to ensure you do a thorough end of tenancy deep clean and meet all the obligations in your tenancy agreement.
Otherwise, you may have an extremely tough time winning back your initial tenancy deposit. Be sure that any damage that may have been caused by you or a visitor in your home is properly replaced or repaired.
If you end up leaving it up to the landlord to send you a cleaning bill, then the chances are that cost will be significantly higher as they are not likely to spend time shopping around for the best deal. It would be best to allow yourself enough time and energy to do the big final clean by making it as close to the move out inventory check as possible. The cheapest option is typically to do the cleaning yourself before you leave the property.
A carpet cleaning, oven cleaning, dust and general scrub down of walls, windows and surfaces should usually be enough, providing you have kept a generally clean home.
Although, while cleaning shouldn't be anything too scary, the moving experience can already be incredibly stressful and overwhelming without adding any cleaning on top of that.
On the other hand, however, if you happen to have quite a lot of time before returning the keys, cleaning yourself can be an excellent way to save on some extra moving expenses.
Before you begin cleaning, you should contact the landlord or letting agents to request their final inspection checklist.
This will help you make sure you have cleaned everywhere you need to and give you a good list to work off of.
You will also need the move-in inventory report to ensure you have matched the quality in the report while also guaranteeing each thing you see on the checklist is adequately cleaned.
Why should I clean the property as a tenant?
There are a number of reasons why it is worth spending time cleaning the property you have been renting.
Avoid disputes
The property's cleanliness is one of the most prominent reasons that disputes between tenants and landlords occur.
According to the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, over half of the conflicts that it adjudicates between landlords and tenants concern cleaning.
By making sure the property is as clean and tidy as it was when you initially moved in, you are more likely to receive all of your deposit back.
Get good references
It is possible you could need your landlord to provide a reference on your behalf when moving into your next property.
If you have not adequately cleaned the property before you move out, then your landlord is likely to include this information in their reference to your new landlord.
Meet landlord standards
The expected level of cleanliness will generally depend on what the landlord wants. What could be considered entirely spotless by one person might be significantly different to somebody else's opinion.
This is possibly the reason why so many tenancy disputes adjudicated by the TDS are about property cleanliness levels.
When it comes to cleaning your rented property, your letting agent or landlord should only expect you to have the property cleaned to the professional standard of cleanliness it was when you first moved in while accounting for any general wear and tear.
Whether you decide to hire professional cleaners to carry out the job or choose to do the cleaning yourself, you must make sure to have your inventory with you so that you can see what everything looked like before you moved in and your tenancy began.
By keeping the inventory list with you while you clean each room, you will be able to entirely focus your attention on cleaning the necessary things.
Are you looking for end of tenancy cleaning services in Liverpool and Merseyside?
We offer end of tenancy cleaning for landlords and tenants throughout the Liverpool, Merseyside and surrounding areas.
We are happy to give you a free quote and all the information and advice you need.