I’ve provided you with a copy of the cleaning checklist as a guide for your end of tenancy cleaning.
As the house was professionally cleaned when you moved in, it also needs to be returned in a professionally cleaned condition at the end of the tenancy. I understand that this isn’t always achievable for most tenants so we normally hire an external professional cleaning company. The cost of this can be deducted from your deposit or you can pay for it separately. The cleaner you have left the house, the less will be the cost of the professional clean. For example, if everywhere is spotless then the cleaners will only need to do the professional carpet cleaning and possibly the oven clean if necessary. However if the house is left very dirty then they would need to spend more time cleaning and therefore they will charge us more.
It is quite common for there to be a lot more rubbish than can fit in the external bins at the end of the tenancy. To avoid this, I would strongly suggest that you start clearing out at least two weeks before you move out. You can also use the larger waste bins on Westwood campus or outside Tesco. Please note that the cleaners do not normally dispose rubbish so if they have to do this they would charge extra for their time and also for the cost of taking the rubbish to the tip or hiring a skip. It would be best to get rid of all items that were not present when you moved in. If you have any items that you would like to leave for the new tenants to use (for example, plates or cleaning products) please place them in a box and label the box. These items must be clean and no food are allowed. Any items that are found to be unclean will unfortunately be classed as rubbish.
I would really appreciate your honesty in informing me in advance if there was anything that was damaged by you or your housemates so that we can deal with this amicably and quickly. The distinction between fair wear and tear and damage can often be confusing to our tenants. As a general rule, wear and tear refers to the deterioration that happens slowly over time and cannot be avoided. For example, carpets eventually get worn out after a few years and mattresses start dipping over time. However, rusty microwaves, marks on walls or mould growth around the bath cannot be classed as wear and tear as these can be avoided through careful actions and/or regular cleaning.
If you are leaving before your housemates you can leave your keys in your room’s door lock. The last person to leave the house can lock the door from outside then put their keys in the letterbox. Please note that these are incredibly busy times for us and it is unlikely that someone can come to the house to lock up after you so it’s very important that you ensure the house is locked before you leave.
After you have all moved out, a thorough checkout inspection of your room and communal areas will be done. The inspection takes around 3-4 hours in total. I endeavour to get the checkout inspection done as soon as possible after the last tenant moves out – normally within a week. Please let me know when the last tenant is moving out so that we can schedule the checkout inspection. Soon after the checkout has been completed, you will receive an email with the report. If everything is ok, we will send you the quote from the cleaners and deduct this from the deposit. If some items are found to be damaged then we will obtain quotes for the repair/replacement and provide you with a list of deductions.
I understand that you’d like to get your deposit returned immediately and I genuinely endeavour to do this. However, it can sometimes take a bit of time to receive the quotes from cleaners and tradesmen. I aim for your deposit to be returned within 4 weeks or sooner from the date the last tenant moves out/end of contract. The deposit will be returned to one bank account so if you could please agree between your housemates who will be receiving the deposit and send me the bank details via email when you have moved out.