Landlord Cleaning Checklist

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"For many landlords, searching for the perfect tenant is a difficult and time-consuming process. For move-out cleaning and carpet cleaning London lettings and managing agents are presented with numerous hurdles. These procedures are part of the usual rigmarole associated with a new tenancy and many landlords pay these expenses out of pocket. This doesn't need to happen and the following are just a few reasons why:

As a landlord, protect yourself. Be clear about your expectations for cleanliness and maintenance before, during and after a given tenancy. Stipulate in your lease that if professional cleaning is required, it will be the responsibility of the offending tenant to pay for it. Bills for costly cleaning processes can be deducted directly from the tenant's bond if they fail to meet the standards stipulated in the lease.
Landlord-tenant disputes are an unsavoury part of what it means to rent a property. Again, for protection's sake, it is a good idea to hire an inventory company for the beginning and end of a tenancy. The fees charged by such companies, like londonpropertyinventories.co.uk, are nominal and can end up saving you a significant amount of money. Inventory clerks will use written reportage and photographs to document the conditions of your property. This means that if there have been significant changes to the state of your property during a given tenancy, you will be able to refer to inventory company reporting and they will be able to accurately assign financial responsibility. This means that for costly end of tenancy cleaning London landlords can make their tenants legally responsible.

The most important thing is to make your expectations as a landlord clear to all prospective tenants. They should know their responsibilities, financial and otherwise, from the beginning, and this should be backed up with independent data from inventory reporting clerks. Communication is the essential ingredient in any successful property rental, and in ensuring a positive, hassle-free relationship between you and your tenants.

If you are unsure of what you should be demanding as a landlord in terms of cleanliness, do some research. Major lettings and estate agents publish cleaning checklists they use to determine whether a tenant has left one of their properties in satisfactory condition. Referring to such a list in your lease, or at the very least, in conversation with your potential tenants, should clear the air and make any of your landlordly expectations crystal clear."