Question about leaving a rental property

[seren_ccd]

Okay, I have a question about something that is really, really bugging me.

When I left the house I was renting, I made sure to clean it. I scrubbed the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, refrigerator, vacuumed, etc. I did everything that I could in a limited amount of time and with only my two hands.

Was it professional-grade clean? Probably not, but it was certainly liveable.

My former landlady is planning to take out £360 out of my rental deposit for the cleaning of two professional cleaners over the course of two days. Basically, she's charging me for a professional cleaning.

This is not sitting well with me. I was under the impression that landlords were obliged to clean the rental property under their own steam. There was no damage and I don't think comparing the job I did with that of professional cleaners is fair.

What does everyone else think?

Comments

[tanyareed.livejournal.com]

When I left the last apartment I lived it, it was my responsibility to have it professionally cleaned, but it was specifically stated in the lease when I moved in, so it wasn't a surprise. Of course, my stepfather came up to 'kidnap' me in the middle of the night a week earlier than I had planned and I didn't get it done. I called him up and told him it was okay to take the money out of my damage deposit (because it was my fault.)

[seren-ccd.livejournal.com]

See I'd be perfectly fine with that kind of situation, this one just seems to have come out of the blue. Argh!