If you’re a tenant renting an HMO property (House in Multiple Occupation) you have as much responsibility as your landlord to keep the house safe and clean whilst living at the property and at the end of your tenancy.
Above all, it’ll be within your interest as tenants to ensure the house is as clean and well-kept as it was when you moved in in order to receive your deposit back in full. According to the Deposit Protection Scheme, more than half of deposit disputes are because of insufficient cleaning on behalf of the tenants, or have cleaning as part of a more complex dispute.
Although there should be allowances within your contract for general wear and tear around the property (this may involve small marks on walls and furniture or the wearing away of furniture coverings – check your contract and check-in inventory!), the tenants must keep the property in the same condition it was given to them, or, better still, in an improved condition.
This will include a deep clean of the entire property and carrying out small maintenance jobs such as replacing light bulbs. It could also include external cleaning and gardening if the property features an outside space – again, this will be made clear in your contract and check-in inventory.
Tenants can also be held liable if they allow a lack of hygiene to cause a rise and spread of health hazard diseases, pest infestations and mould; this is why it is important to maintain cleanliness throughout the tenancy and not just at the end.
However, whilst living in an HMO it can prove difficult to maintain high standards of cleanliness throughout the property, especially with larger numbers of tenants and, in reality, most HMO tenants don’t do deep cleaning on a weekly basis. When leaving the property there will likely be double the amount of cleaning to be done in order to ensure the property is in a presentable state.
Cleaning the entire property yourself to the standard of cleanliness it needs to be is an enormous and time-consuming task. End-of-tenancy cleaning is what Remora Cleaning does best, working with major estate agents and property managers across London and offering themselves out to private tenants.
As well as a thorough deep-clean, Remora can offer interior cleans including soft-furnishings and carpet cleaning as well as window cleaning and external cleaning (which can involve stone washing, gardening and patio cleaning).
Considering most tenants need a quick return of their deposit in order to put a new one down on their new rental, it is important that the cleaning be done to the highest possible standard. Remora’s expertise and experience in end-of-tenancy cleaning will guarantee a stress free move out and is the best way to avoid any loss of deposits or disputes.
Remora is a London-based cleaning and property services company, offering the highest levels of customer service and flexibility across our range of services. Find out more about what we can do for your property here.