So I have moved house in the past couple of weeks, and have had nothing but problems with the old landlord and estate agent that fronted him.
At first, we were told that the incoming tenants wanted any furniture we were leaving behind, and as we were looking to replace it ask anyway that was fine. We also used professional cleaning products to give the place a going over and the estate agent came round to check everything was fine.
He said it was and we'd be due the full deposit within 24 hours
48 hours past and no deposit was forthcoming, when we contacted him again he then claimed we needed to get rid of the furniture, as the tenants didn't want it and it's an unfurnished flat. So, slightly bemused, me and my partner went over, took apart the flimsy shit we left there and threw it all away, and even cleaned again just to make sure it was hunky dory.
We then get another text a day later saying the blinds to the windows were dusty (baring in mind the place hasn't been lived in for 2 weeks now and these Venetian blinds were a complete dust magnet) and the landlord's wife wasn't happy as she had to clean them herself. We said take it out of the deposit if you want, as cleaning products and labour for the cleaning of 3 window blinds is hardly going to break the bank.
Then after another 2 days the estate agent tells us everything is fine, thanks for being reliable tenants and sends us the deposit.
Now, today, 2 days afterwards, he has just text me to tell me the landlord is unhappy with the cleanliness of the oven and expects me to get someone to come over and professionally deep clean it...
I have my deposit back
I have no keys to the old flat
I have already sorted out my new place and don't need a reference or anything from the old estate agent
They had already inspected the entire flat twice and said all is fine
So what should I do? Technically, I don't have to do anything, right? We are no longer his tenants, I have my money and we don't have a legal contract or anything with them any more. Is the landlord and his wife just trying to take the piss? Any advice would help!
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However I would have thought that return of the deposit ends any contractual relationship that existed between you and you would be quite within your rights to simply ignore the estate agent.
If you make the point firmly that you won't be sending them money or coming back to clean it, then I'd just ignore any emails they send to you demanding things if they don't let it go.
Even if they wanted to be ridiculous and go legal on you (which they probably couldn't even do based upon your post), the cost of that vs just giving the oven a scrub would be made clear to them by whoever they spoke to.
You're in the good position that they haven't got your deposit to ransom with, so 'tough tits' if they don't like what the oven is like now. Lesson learned for them.
while they are waiting there get loads of takeaways delivered.
1) Replace the oven for your landlord and thank him for his understanding, or
2) Get you partner to sleep with him as cleaning in kind - normal business practice, or
3) Tell him to feck off.
The landlord should now take up any issues with the estate agent if they didn't authorise the release of the funds to you.
In a nut she'll, f**k em.
Ovens get dirty during cooking. The fact the agent has signed off your leaving and returned the deposit means the contract is at an end in my view.
If I were you, I'd write a letter to the landlord, sealed, and give it to the estate agent. I the letter,
1. explain that the cooker was clean when you left
2. explain that the estate agent confirmed the flat was in suitable condition, twice
3. suggest the landlord thinks about who might have messed up the cooker in the interim, since you haven't been there and the estate agent has keys
If the landlord gets that letter, I don't think you'll hear from the agent again. If the estate agents opens it, I don't think it will get as far as the landlord.
Good luck!
I mean the oven is 15 years old, one of the hob rings doesn't work and the oven itself was basically a massive grill, it only cooked the top of things since we moved in, 2 and a half years ago, and we even ovenbrite and hobbrited the fecking thing, he'd be better off buying a new one to be honest.
Going through dealings with a lettings agent myself at the moment. They really are a disgrace. If you are the renter they honestly believe you work for them, not the other way round. There needs to be a complete overhaul of the system with proper regulation put in place to stop some of the cowboy behaviour that is going on. Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread.
The main one being never move into a property previously occupied by sam3110 and his partner because they never do any proactive cleaning.
Cash of course.
It would now be, technically, possible for someone else to have been in used the cooker and left it in a mess. The Agent, who presumably, held the deposit was the one that should have checked it before returning the deposit. If there is any liability now it will be with the Agent who, I expect, was paid a fee to arrange it all for the landlord.