Q: Can my landlord charge an extra fee for cleaning even though we followed the the terms of the lease?
We were required to hire a cleaning company at move out, which we did. My landlord was not happy with the work, so the cleaning company offered to come back and clean the places she was not happy with. She declined and said she would do it herself. She is now trying to charge us $100.00 for her time spent cleaning. She claims $25.00 per hour would be a fair rate. Is this legal?
A: A Landlord is not permitted to charge a tenant for the Landlord's own time cleaning the premises. It must be an out of pocket payment for the Landlord to have a right to charge the Tenant for cleaning the premises. You will have to sue the Landlord in small claims court for the $100.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
