england-and-wales landlord tenant tenancy-rules
Is there a limit to how much a landlord can charge for cleaning fees? (England)
<p>My friend lives in atrocious conditions in social housing. The conditions are tenant inflicted and cover pet faeces on the floor, fly infestations, blocked up plumbing etc.</p>

<p>My friend is moving house soon and feels completely incapable of cleaning the house by herself. She knows there will be a hefty bill for the landlord's cleaning services, but she wants to know if that is capped and, if so, at what amount?</p>

<p>N.B. please do not comment on the inappropriateness of the cleanliness of the property. I agree that such a standard is unsafe and unusual.</p>

<p>The tenant is responsible for damage beyond “fair wear and tear” which this obviously is.</p>

<p>If it is as bad as you suggest then it may require professional forensic cleaning which can run to thousands of pounds. At some point, things like carpets etc. can be cheaper to replace than to repair.</p>

<p>There is no upper limit (beyond, at the extreme, the cost of demolition and rebuilding the dwelling), however, there may be a practical limit being the amount the tenant can pay before going bankrupt.</p>

<p>The amount is not capped, and a social housing landlord is quite likely to use a cleaning contractor.</p>

<p>It <em>may</em> be cheaper for your friend to pay a cleaner directly rather than waiting for the landlord to use their contractor. </p>

<p>This is the sort of cleaning contractor that deals with vacated property cleans</p>

<p><a href="http://www.cleansafeservices.co.uk/commercial-cleaning/squatter-vacant-property-cleaning/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cleansafeservices.co.uk/commercial-cleaning/squatter-vacant-property-cleaning/</a></p>

<p>Your friend needs a cleaning company that can deal with biological waste and lift and remove soiled carpets, not one of the cleaners who wave a duster around. </p>
