Even harmonious tenancies can hit a snag at the end when it comes to cleaning up, moving out and recouping bond payments. Legally, vacating tenants are required to leave a rental premises ”reasonably” clean and landlords are obliged to accept ”fair” wear and tear. Defining these terms, however, can be difficult. The chief executive of the Tenants Union of Victoria, Mark O’Brien, says of the thousands of calls his organisation receives each year from tenants, requests for advice about bond disputes frequently top the list. Although many problems can be fixed through negotiation, about 15,500 bond claims end up each year at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). ”The main issue is that tenants in particular still have a perception that they’re just going to have trouble getting their bond back at the end so they don’t have a lot invested in it,” Mr O’Brien says. ”And that basically leads to doing all kinds of things, including not paying attention to the basics at the beginning of the tenancy.”

Tenants who assume their landlord will find a way to withhold bond money no matter what they do during their tenancy often don’t take condition reports seriously. In reality, tenants who don’t note every pre-existing spot on a wall or mark on a floor at the start of a tenancy will likely be held responsible for them at the end.average cost to change sand in pool filter Many people advise tenants to take photos as additional evidence but Mr O’Brien says with a water-tight condition report, photos or video are more useful at the end.best carpet cleaner in pittsburgh pa ”When you pay a bond, mostly it’s about two things: unpaid rent and failure to fulfil one of your obligations – usually around damage to the property,” Mr O’Brien says. ”best handheld steam cleaner consumer reports

At the front end, the existing condition of the property should be noted in the condition report” “At the back end, there’s quite often disputes about what damage has been caused to the property and what state of cleanliness the property is in at the end. ”So photographs can actually help if you’ve cleaned it up or fixed things and you’ve got evidence that they’re not problems at all.”best cordless vacuum cleaner uk So what’s ”reasonable” when it comes to cleaning? carpet cleaning supplies melbourneVacuuming, cleaning surfaces, tidying up and removing rubbish are par for the course but, interestingly, steam cleaning isn’t.swimming pool cleaning kent The real trouble often arises from differing ideas about what are acceptable signs of wear and tear (dirty carpet, perhaps) versus damage that should have been fixed (red wine stains, for example).

Landlords can’t blame tenants for damage caused by break-ins or natural disasters but nor can tenants claim no responsibility for damage caused by pets or party guests. Landlords who want to withhold bond money in part or full to address perceived problems with cleaning or damage have 10 business days to lodge the matter with VCAT. Mr O’Brien says many landlords get away with lodging claims far later, or simply stalling bond refunds for as long as possible. This leads some tenants to retaliate by withholding the last month’s rent. ”The truth of it is, as soon as you’re in dispute with your landlord [you] can apply to the tribunal to get [your] bond back,” Mr O’Brien says. 1. Fill out the condition report properly and keep a copy. 2. Add any repairs your landlord agrees to make at the start of a tenancy to either the condition report or lease agreement. 3. Do a reasonable clean at the end and fix any problems you think you’re responsible for.

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