Deposit Dispute: deduction before notification

[ILoveCheese]

Hi All,

We've recently moved out of our two bed house. We cleaned up decently before leaving and left it in the same state we entered (decently clean but not perfect as noted by inventories moving in and out).

The landlord has hired a cleaner etc and wants to deduct from our deposit. My query is shouldn't he notify us first before taking action and conducting the work? We live locally and would of been happy to discuss and rectify any problems if there were any.

Is his practice lawful?

I'm in the UK if it's relevant.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mightymoose]

Usually once your move out date has passed you have lost your chance to clean the apartment. If the landlord should choose to hire a cleaning service then they may- however anything that is deducted from your deposit should be shown to you on an itemized statement. Anything deducted from your deposit should not be for standard wear and tear, such as carpet cleaning (unless there are unreasonable stains to remove), painting, etc.