u/megwach

We hired the cleaner that a neighbor uses to do our end of tenancy cleaning. She never expressed that she was uncomfortable with it, and accepted the job. Well, we’ve heard back from the landlady today, and we’ve failed our end of tenancy cleaning. We failed for things like rubbish under the furniture, the cupboards and drawers not wiped out inside and outside, the furniture not wiped out down on the top. Shelves not wiped down. The top of the microwave being dirty. The floor having spots under the fridge, the couch not being vacuumed, etc.

To me, these seem like things that should have been done, knowing that I had asked specifically for an end of tenancy cleaning. Am I right in thinking that if she couldn’t do it, then she should have told me that in the first place so I could hire someone who could? Looking back, I should have just hired a company in the first place, but it’s too late now.

What should I expect to do from this? I’m considering just hiring a cleaning company, but now I’m out an extra £140 for the first failed cleaning. She also took all the cleaning supplies that I left behind, even though that was never discussed. It was so much stuff that she even took out grocery trolley to take it all home with her. I was really confused by this, but figured that the job was done, and it didn’t matter much. Now, I’m just annoyed.

What do I do now? Thanks!

We moved from the US to London in July of last year. My husband’s work (US and UK offices) asked us to move here, and then fought tooth and nail to pay for the least amount they possibly could. They paid for my husband’s sponsorship, visa and NHS fees, 3 months of the rent of our flat, our three flights, and then a $10,000 “bonus” to help offset costs of my daughter’s and my visas. We came over with two suitcases each, and nothing else. Originally, we were told we would stay two years, but they ended up only get us year visas instead. Now the time has come to renew our visas, and they want us to pay the £5,000 out of pocket, and they refuse to pay for anything else.

We got rid of almost everything we had in the US and moved our entire lives here for them, and they’re fighting us over £5,000. They make millions in profit and yet they’d screw us when it’s such a small amount for them. We’re already living paycheck to paycheck, and an extra £5,000 is going to cause us to need to make life changes, like moving to a new flat and new area to pay less rent.

We don’t know what we’re doing. I just needed to vent. I keep hearing about all these people who move over here, and their companies pay for their rent the whole time, and move their whole house, and yet here we are, begging. I’m just angry. I don’t want to leave London, but I’m also sick of this.

Thanks for coming to my vent.