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My landlord has taken part of my deposit as I did not have the carpets professionally cleaned. My contract only states the carpets should be "cleaned" and I cleaned them myself. Is this acceptable?
I have recently just finished my tenancy of a one bed flat (rented through estate agents). They have taken money from my deposit for not professionally cleaning the carpets. Now in my contract it states the following: "keep blankets, carpets, curtains and soft furnishings (if any) clean and to have them cleaned at the end of the tenancy". I did not have the carpets cleaned professionally but did clean them with my own personal carpet cleaner. Is this acceptable as my contract does not state they should be professionally cleaned?
You do not say when you signed up to your Tenancy Agreement. If it was after 6th April 2007, then your Landlord, whether through a letting agent or in person is obliged to ensure that any deposit taken from you is deposited in one of three approved schemes. At the conclusion of the tenancy, the landlord or agent and tenant must agree how the deposit is to be divided, if at all. The deposit or part thereof, is then refunded to the tenant. If the amount is disputed, the landlord or agent must pay the disputed amount to the scheme provider, who will keep it until the dispute is resolved. In your case, there is an argument that you have complied with the terms of the tenancy as nothing stated that it had to be 'professionally cleaned' and they cannot seek to introduce such a stipulation retrospectively.
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