With cleaning costs topping the bill of reasons why a tenancy deposit is withheld* – a whopping 78% of landlords and agents who withheld deposit money at the end of a tenancy claimed the money was used to pay for cleaning costs – No Letting Go, the UK’s leading brand in inventory management has introduced a unique ‘cleanliness’ scale for its client base.
The new ‘cleanliness parameters’ are designed to provide enhanced clarity for both the tenant and the landlord, in relation to the agreed standard of cleanliness which exists pre and post the tenancy period. All No Letting Go inventory and check in / check out reports now detail the level of cleanliness ranging from a poorly or not cleaned condition through the various states of cleanliness to a professionally cleaned property, supported by a formal dated receipt from the cleaning contractor.
The thorny issue of cleanliness has traditionally been a subjective matter with opposing views on what actually constitutes a ‘clean’ property But just as VisitBritain, the umbrella organisation for British tourism, specifies its absolute standards of cleanliness in a handbook for the holiday properties it regularly inspects (A cleanliness level of 40 per cent is awarded One Star, whereas 90 per cent cleanliness merits a Five Star rating), No Letting Go is now also able to offer landlords a clear, consistent and ultimately fair means of judging the cleanliness of a property both at the start and end of a tenancy agreement.
Commenting on the initiative, Nick Lyons, managing director says “Our role is to provide an independent, consistent and fair assessment of a property which will serve to protect the rights of both the landlord and the tenant. Over the years, we have witnessed many disputes and the cleanliness or lack of cleanliness of a property has always been a contentious issue between landlords / letting agents and tenants. As a national brand and leading provider of inventories and check in / check out reports, we pride ourselves on delivering a service which sets the benchmark for excellence within our sector and by introducing this means of formally evaluating degrees of cleanliness, we are once again paving the way for the industry to adopt a fresh new protocol to accurately record the standard of cleanliness at any rented property”.
