I moved out of a property, and I'm in dispute with the LL for deposit deductions over various things in the flat. I'm using a sock account just to protect my full acc.
Upon leaving I:
Got the carpets professionally cleaned a second time - When I moved in, one of the carpets had dried faeces and what looked like blood on it. They must of known it was there, because in the inventory photos, there is an air freshener plugged in and a rug over it. I had it professionally cleaned then as the LL refused to do anything about it, saying it was rented 'as is' and that this was in my contract.
Got a professional cleaner in to deep clean the flat
Ensured all rooms were empty, tidy, free of dust, debris etc.
Replaced all light bulbs with new ones.
Had the windows cleaned.
Took photos of the place once I left.
Left the keys in the key safe as asked.
The landlord has come back to me, and stated that in the independant inventory, from two years ago, there was some toilet roll in the medicine cupboard in the bathroom and it's no longer there. I looked at the inventory that was done about two weeks before I moved in and sure enough, there was a photo of some toilet roll. A roll and about a quarter, to be exact. Lord knows where it's gone, used most likely, it was toilet roll. They want to charge me for this, and are charging a £50 'restocking fee.'
The inventory also showed photos of junk mail, like flyers, pizza menus etc, piled on a shelf and in a draw. When I moved in, I simply put them in the recycling. They had no names on them, so I just assumed it had been put there by the letting agent when they visited the property to stop it jamming up against the front door. They want to charge me £150 for 'discarding previous tenants post'. It literally had no name on it, and the previous tenant was the LL's own father who had died.
The inventory also took photos of the black bin, green and blue bins and noted 'appropriate household waste - not clean'. The landlord took photos of the full black bin when I left and wrote 'Black bin full - will need emptying' and is trying to charge me for this, saying they had to pay to have it taken away. They want to charge me £250 for this.
In the last year, I ended up with a tenant above me (This is a converted house to two flats), who also uses the bins. I tried to get a second black bin, but the council refused even when I paid for one, to give me another. So there are two of us using one bin.
To me, this absolutely insane, but they are pushing hard on it. I've stated my case and said I would bring some more toilet roll but I am not paying a restocking fee. I also explained about the junk mail and the person above using the bin. I also mentioned some other issues with the flat. For example, when I moved in, I found hundreds of tabs of heart medication tucked into a kitchen cupboard, with a box that had the LL's father's name and details on. I took it all to the pharmacy, as there were literally hundreds of tablets. The LL also left old paintings, mirrors etc behind. I think their father literally died and they moved me in pretty soon after.
Please tell me they haven't got a leg to stand on with these claims? :/