Largest tenants deposit deductions due to non cleaning
Cleaning costs is one of the top reasons why deposit money is withheld when a tenant moves out of a rented property, so how can you avoid losing your deposit or the best part of it?
When it comes to the time for rental deposits to be returned to tenants in a rental property, fear and dread can strike – will you get the full amount back? And it is not just the tenants that fear the worst – landlords can be left worried that tenants have left damage to the property or left it in a mess.
In accordance with the results of the survey of landlords and agents, often cleaning cost is quoted as one of the main reasons for deposit issues to arise.
Of those that did keep some of the deposit, 78% reported the most common factor was to pay for cleaning costs after the tenant had left, which can result in a costly professional cleaner coming into the property. Also unpaid rent was another major cause for withholding the deposit. Other issues included damage to property and missing items which were on the inventory when a tenant moved in.
As a Tenant you can avoid retention of the deposit by simply leaving the property clean and tidy.
If you ever sell something you obviously want to present it to the purchaser in the best possible light. You will make sure its clean and has no damage, you wouldn't present it all dirty and grimy with bits missing off it - so why return a rented property back to the landlord in a similar manner? In the end if its dirty its only going to make the landlord even more suspicious and will then start looking for all sorts of problems. Take the time to deep clean over , the kitchen and bathroom especially and if this is something you cant do well Clean2Let are here to help you with their End of Tenancy Cleaning.
The best way to avoid deposit deductions is to actually meet with their landlord or agent when moving out and inspect the property together, and then come to an agreement over the return of the deposit.
As a Tenant you protect yourself by checking off against the inventory when you move in for a starter and if one is not provided do one yourself. Also it is really necessary to take photographs of the property to prove the condition and whether it was with some spots or was spotlessly clean. We discussed an inventory service in our last blog through the Rentview tenants profile.
Thanks to TenantTips for information in this blog