Check Out Inventory

[Budlet]

I wonder if anyone can help. My son and three of his work colleagues recently moved out of a rented property. The check out inventory was not completed on moving out day as the cleaners had not quite finished and the chap from the estate agency had to be elsewhere. He has now had a final list of charges which include, for example, £96 for external window cleaning (4 double windows and 4 sets of patio doors) and £15 for removal of a squashed fly on the wall!! Because he was not given a chance to read the check out report and therefore clean the windows and remove the squashed fly etc. there are charges of over £500.
Where does he stand legally with this? I am quite happy to go to the property myself and rectify the points he has been charged for.

[black_cat51]

i would imagine the fly has already been removed and windows cleaned

[black_cat51]

although thinking about it were htey responsible for window cleaning when they lived there?

[woofgang]

I think he's learned an expensive lesson. If there is a checkout inventory to be done then it needs to be done. If the landlord or agent can't be there then insist that they send a rep or make sure that you get in writing that they waive their inspection right and will accept the property "as is" I am afraid "I have to be somewhere else" followed by inflated charges is a very old trick. My DH and I got caught out with it around 30 years ago.

[themas]

Was the deposit protected in one of the statutory schemes? If so, the tenants can dispute the charges & the dispute will be investigated by the scheme. If the deposit wasn't protected why not?

[boxtops]

OH fell foul of this some years back, he left the place as spotless as he could but was hit with a bill for £40 for necessary carpet cleaning. I must admit we just paid up, we were out of the area and although it seemed unfair, it wasn't worth arguing at the time.

[Budlet]

My point was that the check out report was not completed on the Saturday which was the move out day. The agency guy went back the following Monday to complete it. The boys have never had sight of the final report and therefore did not have any opportunity to rectify the faults leading to the excessive charges. Nothing has been signed. i don't think for a second that if this went to a small claims court that the agency would have a leg to stand on as nothing has been formally and legally signed or agreed.
The deposit is in a scheme and not held by the landlord. We have disputed the charges but the agency are having none of it.

[woofgang]

But it sounds to me like the the estate agency bloke said to your son "I can't come today" and your son said "OK" What he should have said is "in that case you waive your right to inspect and inventory before we leave and i expect to receive my deposit back in full AND I want your agreement in writing". Its an old trick and your son got caught.

[woofgang]

You could take it to small claims I guess. What does your son't agreement say about opportunity to rectify?

[Budlet]

woofgang, the agency guy had basically double booked. He gave my son a time of 12 o'clock. He was late arriving and was rushing to get the check out report done to move on to his next job. It was not the fault of the boys. He has been incredibly sneaky. Your comment where the boys should have said "in that case you waive your right to inspect and inventory before we leave and i expect to receive my deposit back in full AND I want your agreement in writing" is an interesting one which might be worth pursuing.
They don't expect to get all the deposit back, but it is annoying that the silly little (expensive) things could have been rectified before the boys and the cleaners left.

[woofgang]

oh a sneaky estate agent, who had "double booked" himself who'd a thunk it?

[johnny37]

Not sure what the current rules are. Is the deposit held by a third party? Theres usually a clause in the contract that the property must be 'professionally cleaned'. However clean you are you cant do it yourself. Gives them an excuse to retain your deposit.