Vacate Cleaning and Bond Refund - How Much Is 'enough' ?

Abhiju20 on 08/03/2017 - 10:07

Hi Fello Ozbargainers,
So now I have this age old dilemma about cleaning my rental property which I have come out very recently.

I am sure this question may have been asked many times before. Long story short - I just moved out of my rental property and shifted to my own house. As part of my tenancy agreement, I have cleaned the property through professional cleaners in a reasonably clean condition. Spent around 240 plus my own sweet time.

There are still marks in the walls as I have been living in the property for last 4.5 years. Some of them could be corrected but some of them is hard to get rid off - purely because it is part of the normal wear and tear ( at least that's what I think). The owners didn't think so and is demanding money for those marks etc. And has asked the agent to go to VCAT.

Now - what are my options ? I know we kept the property in the best possible condition, literally cleaning every single day while we stayed. I feel this is is a but too much and his demand is not reasonable.

Any Thoughts / ideas ?

Cheers,
Abhijit

Home & Garden

Comments

  • KaTst3R on 08/03/2017 - 10:17
    +2

    Rule number one is always use the agent's recommended cleaning company although it might cost slightly more. If there is any issue, point the finger at the agent and say your contractor sucks, not my problem. As for marks on the wall, we cant tell unless you post some pictures.

    • Pumpkin_rrr on 08/03/2017 - 16:05
      +1

      Totally agree, do use the recommended cleaners. Saves time and hassle.
      Proof of wear-and-tear is subjective. But 4.5 years is a long time. Was there any routine inspection done? If one was done recently without issue, probably unfair to now claim that you've damaged the property.

  • blonky on 08/03/2017 - 10:32
    +1

    Personally a few marks on the wall isn't a big issue to me and I agree sounds like wear and tear

    Having the kitchen and bathroom cleaned thoroughly is more important, especially the oven and rangehood which people tend to forget about. If these are good there shouldn't be a problem

    • Abhiju20 on 08/03/2017 - 11:07

      Yes, I have cleaned the whole through a professional cleaner including kitchen and bathrooms.!thy couldn't fibd any fault there - but it's the wallls which are part of the discussion. It includes few stickers and couple of pencil marks by my kid. This guy is demanding 300 which I think is ridiculous where Ai have already spent a good amount of money.

      • ozhunter on 08/03/2017 - 11:13
        +5

        It includes few stickers and couple of pencil marks by my kid

        Dunno if I'd consider that normal wear and tear, but it shouldn't be that hard to clean.

        • blonky on 08/03/2017 - 11:27
          +1

          Stickers do need to come off, and unfortunately they will probably take chunks of wall paint with them.
          The thing is most of the time it's difficult to paint just the one spot on the wall as the paint will look different (due to the wall paint changing with age and the new paint being matched and mixed differently) - so often the whole wall will be painted.

          Without seeing it, it would be hard to estimate the cost to fix - but one wall should not cost $300

        • nikhi24 on 09/03/2017 - 07:51

          Eucalyptus oil

        • Emli on 09/03/2017 - 09:52

          Why didn't the professional cleaners notice them? Shouldn't they have noticed them when the rental was empty?

      • crift85 on 08/03/2017 - 11:22
        +4

        Chux magic erasers will get rid of stick and pencil marks. If there still there, just touch the wall up using with a brush or if you are want a better job use a sponge. Having just had a new home built I am not entirely happy with, it's only a defect if it can be seen standing 1.5m away under normal light, I can't possibly see how the same standards wouldn't apply in this case.

        • sane on 08/03/2017 - 12:25
          +1

          +1 for Chux magic erasers - they will get rid of many things you don't think can be shifted.

  • roundnumbersonly on 08/03/2017 - 11:12

    How big/bad are the marks? Are they scuffs from chairs, or are they actual chunks out of the wall? I agree that it's wear and tear, but when you have fusspots as landlords then I recommend seeing what you can do to shut them up.

    I use magic erasers every couple of months around the house and they work quite well. Not sure if it would work for you?

  • Euphemistic on 08/03/2017 - 11:40
    +11

    As a landlord I'd be annoyed by stickers being left on walls and pencil marks. These are not normal wear and tear like the odd bump from a chair or similar.

    • Gunther on 08/03/2017 - 13:07
      +1

      100% agree and I am only a renter.

  • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2017 - 15:43

    Not sure about Victoria, but in NSW:

    1. Always submit your bond claim with a NIL amount before landlord/agent. This puts the landlord on the back foot, having to take you to NCAT (and pay the fees), rather than the other way around. Most landlords/agents will give up at this point, because it costs $50 for a NCAT dispute and the amount they'll win probably wont cover the costs of preparing a case.

    If you wait for the agent to submit the form with a non-zero amount, you'll have to start NCAT proceedings and pay the fees.

    1. Find the cheapest cleaner possible and make sure you get a receipt. NCAT will probably split the difference between what you paid and what the landlord wants.

    2. How much is the owner demanding for the marks on the walls? Ask for an actual quote? If he's expecting a full repaint, he's dreaming. Say it's $600 to repaint a wall, NCAT would probably only award $200-$300. They will take into account the expected lifespan of the paint and when it was previously painted. Of course the owner still needs to prove that it's damaged beyond fair wear and tear.

    IMO, go to NCAT … the owner will probably back down. All the proceedings are highly skewed in favour of the tenant (short of rent arrears and malicious damage).

  • [Deactivated] on 08/03/2017 - 15:46

    This guy is demanding 300 which I think is ridiculous where Ai have already spent a good amount of money.

    Ask for a written quote from the owner. Phone up the person who provided the quote, see what they're actually doing for $300. It has to be a lot more than removing some marks from the walls.

  • Odin on 09/03/2017 - 10:14
    1. Lodge your bond claim.
    2. Tell the Owner that you will take THEM to VCAT.

    They don't have a leg to stand on, marks to the walls after 4.5 years is wear and tear.

    • paulieau on 09/03/2017 - 19:15

      Completely agree, lodge it and be prepared to attend the hearing, although I'm confident once they receive the notification they you lodged vcat claim hearing they'll realise you're serious and will likely back down. If they're property manager is any good they'll talk them out of going to vcat, as they tend to lean towards favoring tenants as long as it's not malicious damage.

      Also I'd start recording all communication with the landlord and property manager. when I had a bond dispute I sent the agent a letter demanding all future communication be in writing (email or letter) to make it easier to achieve that.

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