No deposit pursuit of costs from contract-holder/guarantor
An important reminder for contract-holders with no deposit on your responsibility to leave your property in an acceptable condition when it's time to move out.
Please remember that even if you didn't pay a deposit, your landlord is still entitled to request that you pay the cost of anything over wear & tear and, if needed, pursue it via the small claims court (before getting in touch with a query regarding these potential claims, check the answer isn't already covered in our frequently asked questions).
We'll email you this reminder well in advance, in order to give you plenty of early opportunity to rectify any issues, saving both you and us the hassle of organising any repairs and having to pursue you for the cost once you've left the property.
Contractors aren't cheap
If we have to instruct a contractor to attend, their minimum call-out cost is going to be £50*, and that’s just for visiting. Painting a wall, for example, will take several visits when you factor in matching the same colour of paint, purchasing it, moving the furniture out of the room, doing the painting, then moving the furniture back in. It's a bigger job than it sounds and we work off a standard contractor price list of £120 for a single wall, or £250 for the four walls of a room*.
We want to help you minimise any claims - here's what we'll be doing
In the first two weeks of July we’ll attend your property and photo-document its condition into a report, which is then reviewed back in the office and any required work instructed.
At this point, we review the move-in inventory alongside the recent state of condition and designate liability for each item, along with instructing repairs, renewals and cleaning.
You will get a copy of the report and the original report will be available to you too, so the file is completely transparent. It's not our favourite work and we don’t wish to pursue you for costs, but we do have a duty of care to the owner of the property.
Being proactive now = avoiding potential claims further down the line
Avoiding claims can be easily swerved. Below are the most common issues we encounter that result in landlords making a claim against contract-holders. Please do your best to make sure that none of them are a problem by the time it gets to handing back the keys.
- Leaving the property unclean. Please make sure to keep on top of regular cleaning; plan ahead and be ready to leave it in the same standard as it was when you moved in. (Some useful guidance: Cleaning at the end of your tenancy)
- Failure to remove rubbish. As a contract-holder, it’s your responsibility to make every effort to dispose of your own household waste; once you’ve left, nobody will be available to put your bins out on the street for the Council or bring them back in, so use tip if need be. (Find out more: Rubbish, recycling and unwanted belongings)
- Damaged furniture and décor. If something’s become loose and tightening the odd screw will sort it, this is your responsibility under ‘contract-holder-like manner’.
Please report any maintenance issues ASAP, in advance of vacating the property
Strong communication between yourselves and us at CPS Homes is key. We want you to know that we’re here if you have any concerns; we want to act fast and put your mind at ease. Think something needs a repair but not sure if it’s your responsibility? Please send a photo of the issue to us, along with a description of what you're reporting, and we'll be sure to take a look. Or we can take video calls over WhatsApp, if you’d prefer. If anything is your responsibility, we have a list of contractors we can share with you, including our cleaners who will guarantee to indemnify you against any cleaning-related charges that may arise from your check-out, so you’ll have the peace of mind that there won’t be any further costs.
If you have any further questions on this topic, please email maintenance@cpshomes.co.uk.
*Whilst these are standard charges, they are always circumstantial and subject to change.