When prospective tenants are out and about looking for rental accommodation, they expect a property to be in liveable condition, with everything clean and tidy, including the carpets and floor coverings. No-one would look at a property that had rubbish strewn through it and was obviously not clean. So why is it that when many tenants vacate a property, that is just how they leave it? There seems to be no thought for the owner of the property, or for the cost of repairs, mowing and carpet cleaning involved to get the property back into rental condition.
This is one of the reasons why property owners use a reputable property management agency. They have systems in place to check tenant references, to perform inspections before, during and after the rental, to arrange for repairs or refurbishment of rental premises, and to seek recompense on behalf of the landlord where damage by the tenant has been through negligence or malicious intent.
Most landlords and agencies include the requirement for cleaning the property in the tenancy agreement at the outset. Once the tenant has signed the agreement, they are legally bound to ensure that when they finally vacate, the property will be cleaned. If the agreement has allowed them to keep a pet, they will usually be required to arrange flea control at the same time.
While some tenants may try to save money by doing the carpet cleaning themselves, this can be a problem if their cleaning effort falls short of what is expected, and can result in disputes with the landlord over the return of their bond, eventually costing them more in the long run. Professional carpet cleaners have powerful machines and cleaning products to get the best results, and also have the skills and stamina to back them up.
The other advantage in having the carpet cleaning done by a professional is that, in the event of a dispute over the state of the property at the final inspection, the tenants will be able to produce an invoice as evidence. The invoice will show the address, date and time the property was cleaned, and the contact details of the cleaner. If the carpet cleaner agrees to re-inspect the work, and finds that it wasn’t their best effort, usually they will re-do it at no extra charge to protect their reputation.
Many property management agencies have a register of service providers they contract to them to perform any repair and maintenance tasks on their portfolio of rental properties. Typically this register will include plumbers, carpenters, roofers, general handymen, window and floor covering specialists, gardeners, landscapers and floor and carpet cleaners. They use the same providers because they know their quality of their work.
There is really no excuse for a tenant to vacate a property without leaving it clean and tidy. If they don’t have the time or energy, perhaps through health issues, to do it themselves, they only have to contact the rental agency for referrals to competent people who will look after it for them.
