End of lease cleaning

[Sallyh]

Am EXTREMELY happy (understatement) to report we won't be homeless in 2 weeks and now can get on with the details of moving. Have not enjoyed renting with our current agent and will be glad to see the back of them but also expecting possible funny business over the bond. Not because we are bad tenants but the condition of the house when we took it wasn't good (which is detailed in the inspection sheet, but the individual managing the property has changed and I don't trust her one little bit).

 

Anyway. We have 4 children and another one due in June and my mum has offered to pay for a professional end of lease clean so that we can move a bit more stress-free. Am liking this idea but want to make enquiries.

 

My main problem (and reason I think it may well be a good idea) is that we are moving out of this one and in to the other one on the same day. So I don't have the week of leisurely cleaning an empty house by myself that I was planning on.

 

Can anyone recommend end of lease cleaners, and let me know your experiences of how long they took, rough cost, and whatever else you think it might be good to mention?

 

Thanks!

[Guest Mitchell]

Hiya. I've just contacted Marcus Akermanis after a recommendation on here (search carpet cleaner thread from October) to clean my carpets. Mentioned I got a recommendation from Martin aka Heaps Good on here and he did me a good deal. Even happy to fit in round my busy moving day schedule AND come out to the far north suburbs. Can't tell how good a job he's done as he's not due till Friday.

[Sallyh]

Thanks that's helpful. I do need 2 rooms steam cleaned (carpets) and am just trying to work out what to do about the rest. I sort of don't really feel like I need to get professional cleaners in for EVERYTHING but there are things it will be far easier if we don't have to do. Not sure I like the superior "no-one knows how to clean properly except us" attitude of the people I spoke to today for an estimate (which they don't even seem to be able to give). The reason I might use end of lease cleaners is simply convenience, not because I don't know how to clean properly. And in my previous life I'd never in a million years expected a client to sign a blank cheque on the basis of me telling them what my hourly rate was but being unsure how long a job would take. When it's your job, you just do know these things. Or near as doesn't matter.

 

So I need recommendations as to decent not taking me for a ride cleaners, and then I will decide. Might have been able to bring moving day forward one day, which would also really help.

[Toni]

Firstly congratulations on getting a new place. That must be a huge relief. About end of lease cleaners, I think that the advantage of getting someone in like that is that they will look at it with a "landlord" type eye. Also when your furniture is out of the house then the real picture unfolds as there may be marks on walls that you can't see while there is furniture etc in the way. But some of them can be quite expensive. You could get them to quote for some bits, that you don't think you will have the time to do. The worse that can happen is if the agent is not happy with the cleaning then they have to tell you what to rectify and then you go back and complete the job. I think you have a certain amount of time that you need to rectify the issue or they can get it done professionally and charge you for it. It's probably worth contacting the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs as to what your rights are in this matter.

[Sallyh]

Thanks Kris. Yes agree that it will be important to look at the walls without the furniture there and inevitably there will be marks. Have been systematically getting rid of grubby bits on walls I can see (and getting the children to do a wall each when we've taken stuff down, oh the benefits of homeschool!!!). Last place my landlord's reference said we left in immaculate condition - I know I can do it but the timeframe is the bit that bothers me. Plus I don't trust the current bunch as far as I can throw them. But I think I like the idea of having a go and trying to do a good job, and rectifying whatever they don't like. If there's a problem, maybe our money will be better spent in retrospect (ie if they make us pay for cleaning - won't be as bad as the quote I was looking at today) if they are still fussy. Oh not sure.

[Guest Mitchell]

Hiya. I've just contacted Marcus Akermanis after a recommendation on here (search carpet cleaner thread from October) to clean my carpets. Mentioned I got a recommendation from Martin aka Heaps Good on here and he did me a good deal. Even happy to fit in round my busy moving day schedule AND come out to the far north suburbs. Can't tell how good a job he's done as he's not due till Friday.

 

Hiya quick update after moving. Marcus got called away to help with flood damage so he arranged for Glynn from Zig Zag carpets instead. Lovely bloke, also a pom, who did a great job as the carpets looked better than when I moved in. Glynn lives north of the CBD whereas Marcus lives south so may be easier to arrange with him if your a northerner. Had a lovely chat too, he even invited me to his church coffee morning and offered to introduce me to people.

[Sallyh]

Sounds good to me. Am I a Northerner now then>????? Never been a proper Northerner before, just continually accused of it by uni friends cos I was from the midlands!!!!!!

 

Please can you give me his number?

 

Gets more exciting here by the day. Got rid of a wardrobe in the hard rubbish (for which read, left it on the kerb this morning and this afternoon it has gone to a good home - I assume) and where we have moved it there's mould and wet behind it and I am thinking WE MIGHT GET AWAY WITH NOT HAVING TO STEAM CLEAN THAT ROOM!!! I am not paying to steam clean a room that has a carpet that has been ruined by a leaky wall!

 

Did I mention "glad to be moving???"

 

BTW Michelle, where have you moved to then? Are you in the city now, or still south and just happened to have someone come to you because he was a stand in for the job?

[Guest Mitchell]

Hiya Sally.

 

Glynn from zig zag is 0421 318 318. He cleaned my carpets in Craigmore and I've just moved to Brompton.

[Sallyh]

Thanks I will ring him today. He will have to be flexible about how much carpet we want cleaned because yesterday we put out our wardrobe for hard rubbish and behind it discovered a mould and damp and leak from outside problem. Hoping that gets me out of having to clean one of the 2 carpets that we need doing.

[Guest Guest75]

This is just plain wrong Sally.

Any rental property should be presented to you in at least a "Fair and habitable" condition.

 

Someone has been very lazy here.:skeptical:

 

I would have a real go at the agents for a start - with a big hint of at least a week's free rent to show good will and apologise.

 

Have you taken photos??

 

Certainly let them know you have - and promise to leave it in the same state when the lease ends.

 

 

Good luck.

[Sallyh]

Sorry Tyke, I'm not quite with you - the problems I have re cleaning are end of lease, but Michelle's problems are beginning of lease and yes I would hope that she can extract an appropriate remedy for her horrid moving in conditions... The mould we have found is in our spare room, used infrequently and I am hoping we can reduce what they expect of us re moving out.

 

But yes, we moved in to a dirty house (ie this house 2 years ago) and the inventory I have for the ingoing / outgoing inspection says so...

 

I am not expecting the same of the one we are going into, mostly because I think we are getting a far better class of agent who actually has standards...

[Guest Guest75]

Sorry Tyke, I'm not quite with you - the problems I have re cleaning are end of lease, but Michelle's problems are beginning of lease and yes I would hope that she can extract an appropriate remedy for her horrid moving in conditions... The mould we have found is in our spare room, used infrequently and I am hoping we can reduce what they expect of us re moving out.

 

But yes, we moved in to a dirty house (ie this house 2 years ago) and the inventory I have for the ingoing / outgoing inspection says so...

 

I am not expecting the same of the one we are going into, mostly because I think we are getting a far better class of agent who actually has standards...

 

Ooops - sorry - I need more coffee!!!!

:embarrassed::embarrassed:

 

Meant for Michelle's thread!

[Sallyh]

 

Here you go. Have one on me.