QLD Is our standard of reasonably clean too high?

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by kitdoctor, 15th Mar, 2020.

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  1. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    We're are dealing with our fourth tenant exit in the last 8 months and decided that for each we'd attend to ensure timely exit, properties were left clean, gardens/lawns etc. were left in a satisfactory state etc. etc.

    We seem to be constantly at odds with our property manager over a range of issues like tenants being allowed to return to properties up to two weeks after their lease has finished to attend to repairs and cleaning. Tenants being permitted to do their own repairs like patching and painting internal walls when some skill is needed etc. Turf being put down (because a portable spa was installed without permission!) and being left with the responsibility of watering it. Entire lawns overrun by weeds.

    We have now been told our standard of reasonably clean is too high. The tenant paid for a bond clean by commercial cleaners. This is just a small sample of photos. It has taken my wife and I one week to clean a small three bedroom townhouse, so two weeks in full.

    Photo 1 : Top edge of bathroom tiles.
    Photo 2: Typical grubby light switch
    Photo 3: Dust on bathroom hand basin plumbing
    Photo 4: Dust etc. in wardrobe tracks
    Photo 5: Dust on top of internal door frame
    Photo 6: Dust at head of staircase
    Photo 7: Dust on fan blade

    We know it's time to move on but are we being unreasonable?

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    Many thanks for any comments.
     
  2. Joynz

    Joynz Well-Known Member

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    Very funny! No. 5 and 7!

    This has got to be a joke - expecting people to clean the top edge of the architrave above door frames! Or the top of fan blades...

    That’s also a pretty sloppy reno judging by the varnish splashes on the wardrobe door track in pic 4.
     
    Last edited: 15th Mar, 2020
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  3. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    What is considered "reasonably clean" can depend on a wider range of facts that aren't simply what it looks like in the photos.

    But if those pictures are the worst things in the whole house, I'd say your PM might have a point. How's the rest the house look?
     
  4. Michael Mitchell

    Michael Mitchell Well-Known Member

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    @kitdoctor - what does the entry report and photos say for those exact 7 examples you posted just out of interest?
     
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  5. Trainee

    Trainee Well-Known Member

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    Was it pristine when they moved in?
     
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  6. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    WTF? What does "reasonably" mean to you?
     
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  7. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    Those varnish splashes are the original finish when new. Agree, I wouldn't have accepted that if we had bought the property when new.
     
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  8. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    Like I said those photos were just a sample.

    Take a door as an example, the front and rear faces and sides have not been wiped down. So there is grime at the door handle level from being handled, spots, balls of dust etc. on faces. Handles are dirty as well. Frames are the same dusty, grime from handling, spots, marks etc. Easily removed by a wipe with a wet cloth. Seven doors in total. Other examples:

    -Shelves in wardrobes dusty.
    -Tops of overhead cupboards in kitchen not wiped.
    -Window glass (inside) not cleaned.
    -Window tracks not cleaned.
    -Window sills not wiped.
    -Skirting boards dusty
    -Internal polished timber staircase, apart from the stair treads, all other components like the hand rail, balustrade and stringers had not been wiped. Covered in dust.
    -Blu tack on walls

    Louvre windows dusty.
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    There was so much stuff in the wardrobe tracks the wheels have flat spots from wear.

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    Skirting boards.
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    Dust on floor under hand basin. Second photos shows what was pulled out with a first wipe.
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  9. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    We have owned nine IP long-term. Seen fans and top edge of door frames done as a matter of routine as part of an exit clean.
     
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  10. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    Just says "clean" and is not very specific.
     
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  11. chrish

    chrish Well-Known Member

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    I know it's disheartening, my tenant was a hospital cleaner and left the place less clean than I would have liked. If you want to persist, I would pick the top 3 (dusty window louvres would be one for me) and report them to your PM, rather than complain about everything. In the end, you might either need to just wear it or move on.
     
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  12. thatbum

    thatbum Well-Known Member

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    Is the second batch the worst of it? I still tend to think its likely to be reasonably clean so far.

    The legal test is 'reasonably clean' and not 'showroom clean'.
     
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  13. Tom Rivera

    Tom Rivera Property Manager Business Member

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    I don't think I'm overly fussy as far as Property Managers go, and I'd definitely expect those items to be cleaned.
     
  14. Jess Peletier

    Jess Peletier Mortgage Broker & Finance Strategy, Aus Wide! Business Member

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    This doesn't look clean to me. And I'm not crazy fussy. Light switch is and top of tiles is gross. There should not be dust balls after a house has been professionally cleaned.
     
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  15. Mel Morgan

    Mel Morgan Sydney Property Manager Business Member

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    A lot of this looks like its been built up over a period of time, but you've had 4 tenants in 8 months? It doesn't look like it was alone due to the most recent tenant, so you might need to set a standard this time, take lots of photos to show how everything is clean and ask the PM to uphold this level of cleanliness going forward.

    4 sets of tenants in 8 months is also a bit of a worry - are they breaking their lease to leave for any particular reason?
     
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  16. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    I think the variety/differing responses indicates it's not as black and white as you see it.
     
  17. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    @Mel Morgan the tenants were here three years.

    We are just wearing it and moving on because PM says this was satisfactory.
     
  18. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    Understand that.

    Take the set of louvres, not even wiped with a damp cloth, so covered in thick dust.

    Spotlessly cleaned is wiped over, glass polished with cutting compound to remove years of water marks, pollution etc., toot brush used to clean all louvre slots, mechanism etc. and then glass cleaned with metho.

    We had another house managed by same PM. If I have time I'll post photos. This one we had to scrape the grease off the kitchen cupboard doors with a scraper! Long-term tenant of 10 years and 7 years before we purchased.
     
  19. Scott No Mates

    Scott No Mates Well-Known Member

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    It's definitely not move in ready in my book.

    Maybe time for a new agent who has a better pair of glasses.
     
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  20. kitdoctor

    kitdoctor Well-Known Member

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    In fact, same PM last time around in January at another IP the tops of door frames were done but some were missed. PM said the missed ones would be done but they never were. This is another gripe, lack of follow through. We had another unit done last April, same PM, that place was spotless. Even the shower glass was like new. My wife and I could only fill in half a day cleaning. Best I have seen in 25 years of owning IPs.