To give you an insight into the sort of deductions tenants face during the deposit process, here are the top five most common deductions we experience at Redbrick Properties during deposit return time:
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Cleaning – An obvious one you would think, but tenants often underestimate the costs of cleaning a property. Some cleaning companies will charge up to £35.00+VAT per cleaner per hour for an end of tenancy clean, and will often have a team of 4 cleaners per property. For a six bed student house a full clean could be up to £700.00+VAT. An oven alone will cost around £80.00 to clean. Dust is the major offender, so clean behind the furniture and make sure you wash down all skirting-boards too!
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Carpets – Look after them like they were your own. By that I mean clean up any spillages immediately. Vacuum them weekly. Also, carpets were never designed to act as a rest for your GHD’s or clothes iron. How do we know? By the severity of the burn they will leave when you pick them up again. To have one carpet cleaned can cost around £70.00+VAT. To have one replaced will be around £350.00+VAT.
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Mattresses – The best advice I can give here is invest in a good mattress protector. You’re only human, you leak at night, for whatever reason, whether sweat or anything else. I’ll leave it there. To replace a double mattress you are looking anywhere between £150.00+VAT to £200.00+VAT.
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Blu-Tack Damage – Just don’t use it, nor White-Tack. Why? Because they leave great big greasy stains which cannot be removed. The only remedy is to re-paint the wall, with two coats, and can end up costing you £80.00 per wall, mostly in labour. There are alternatives out there but nothing seems to be failproof.
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Bulbs – You’re responsible for replacing bulbs in your house during your tenancy. And yes, they can be expensive, but they will be far more expensive if your landlord has to pay a handyman to replace them at the end of your tenancy. What may only cost you £4.00 per bulb during your tenancy can end up costing you £10.00 per bulb at the end of your tenancy.
So there you have it. I’m hoping that by taking this in, it will go someway to ensuring a speedy and efficient return of your deposit come the end of your tenancy with Redbrick Properties.
