Hi all,
I just vacated a rental property last week and left the property in what I considered to be a very clean condition. It was certainly cleaner that when I moved in and in a cleaner state than my own IP's have ever been left! My partner and I spent several days cleaning inside and out and went as far as to clean inside all kitchen/bathroom/bedroom cupboards and wipe down walls - which many people do not do. We even re-arranged our work-week so that we could have the place cleaned prior to the agent opening it for a Saturday inspection!
Today I received an email from the property managers assistant who listed no less than 7 issues that must be addressed before the bond will be returned. Some of these are valid (eg: we forgot to clean the exhaust fan in the bathroom). However, most of the issues are about very small things (eg: some washing powder marks on the door below the laundry trough).
The unit wasn't particularly clean when we commenced the lease and I did note a few things on the condition report - but also assumed that the owner/agent would expect the property to be in a similar condition at the end of the lease so didn't go into excessive detail about every little thing. In fact, it seems that they expect me to return it to them in better condition than it was left for me!
Addressing these issues means taking time off work and travelling. I'm prepared to do this, but I feel somewhat disappointed that the agent isn't being reasonable about the required standard. If I refuse to address certain items (those which I believe were not caused during my tenanacy), is a VCAT tribunal likely to require me to pay cleaning costs for issues such as dust on the powerpoints and skirting boards??
Thanks,
pd
I just vacated a rental property last week and left the property in what I considered to be a very clean condition. It was certainly cleaner that when I moved in and in a cleaner state than my own IP's have ever been left! My partner and I spent several days cleaning inside and out and went as far as to clean inside all kitchen/bathroom/bedroom cupboards and wipe down walls - which many people do not do. We even re-arranged our work-week so that we could have the place cleaned prior to the agent opening it for a Saturday inspection!
Today I received an email from the property managers assistant who listed no less than 7 issues that must be addressed before the bond will be returned. Some of these are valid (eg: we forgot to clean the exhaust fan in the bathroom). However, most of the issues are about very small things (eg: some washing powder marks on the door below the laundry trough).
The unit wasn't particularly clean when we commenced the lease and I did note a few things on the condition report - but also assumed that the owner/agent would expect the property to be in a similar condition at the end of the lease so didn't go into excessive detail about every little thing. In fact, it seems that they expect me to return it to them in better condition than it was left for me!
Addressing these issues means taking time off work and travelling. I'm prepared to do this, but I feel somewhat disappointed that the agent isn't being reasonable about the required standard. If I refuse to address certain items (those which I believe were not caused during my tenanacy), is a VCAT tribunal likely to require me to pay cleaning costs for issues such as dust on the powerpoints and skirting boards??
Thanks,
pd