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.
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