Professional Cleaning: Who Is Responsible?

If there's anything which riles landlords and tenants equally it's cleaning. Apart from the rent, cleaning is probably the biggest cause of disputes. Especially at the end of a tenancy.

Some landlords will attempt to make a deduction from their renter's deposit by claiming that the property isn't clean. For their part tenants will say the landlord is being unreasonable. That they've spent hours and days scrubbing and scouring and it isn't possible to get the property any cleaner.

It's sometimes hard to get both parties to see the others point of view. What's clean to one person won't meet the standards of another. This is why cleaning disputes can end in arbitration. But one way to ensure the quality of cleaning is to use a specialist company.

Professional cleaning

There are plenty of very good reasons to use a professional cleaning company. Professionals carry out deep cleans every day, so they are undoubtedly quicker and more efficient. They also, of course, have all the necessary equipment and know the best materials to use to get the best results.

They'll use commercial-grade detergents and have the specialist gear to get everything sparkling. And that includes the oven. A specialist cleaning company will have dipping tanks which gets every bit of grease from the shelves and removable parts of the oven. They will also clean every nook, crevice and appliance in the property.

But most of all professionals are very good at what they do. They have the expertise and experience to do a far better job than either landlord or tenant. It really does make sense to bring them in.

The pros then will do a great job. But who is going to pay for their services? Is it the landlord or tenant who’ll foot the bill? It depends.

Who's responsible for paying for a professional cleaning company?

The first thing is to say the landlord cannot force the tenant to use a professional cleaning company. They can't put a clause in the tenancy agreement for example. However, that said there are circumstances where either the tenant or the landlord will contract the services of the professionals.

At the end of a tenancy, the renter naturally enough wants their deposit returned quickly and in full. A dispute over cleaning can lead to a deduction from the deposit and delay the return of the balance. But bringing in a professional cleaning company will meet the most exacting standards of any landlord.

Yes, there’ll be a cost in bringing the company in but it can save money in the long run. And of course, it saves the tenant a lot of time and effort. Some cleaning services even guarantee their clean will exceed the standards required for the end of tenancy inspection and that no deductions will be made from the deposit.

For landlords, the attraction of bringing in professional cleaners is the time they save. They know the pros will do a much better job in a much shorter period of time than they could do themselves. This ensures the property is clean and ready for the next tenant reducing any void periods. So, the pros will save landlord money too. Some landlords will have a professional company do an annual deep clean. This ensures the property is well maintained and always thoroughly clean.

Landlords, are you looking to let your property fast, all whilst staying compliant? We can give you a hand, check out our customisable packages here to find one that suits your needs best.

Tenants, you can find your ideal property faster with MakeUrMove, get started now!