Who is liable for cleaning costs?
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Who is liable for cleaning costs?
I recently vacated a rental property; the house was shared by 4 guys. The rental agency asked for the house to be cleaned professionally but at the time I didn’t have the money to pay for that. 2 of the guys then went and got cleaning done without consulting me and are now trying to bill me. Am I liable to incur that cost?
Asked on March 14, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Alaska
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
In order to determine who is responsible for the cleaning costs of your former rental, you need to carefully read the written lease for it. If there is a provision that the tenants need to have it cleaned upon it being returned to the landlord, then all tenants who signed the agreement would seem to be responsible for the costs equally.
If there is no provision in the lease for cleaning, then equity under the laws of all states in this country would suggest that all tenant would equally pay the costs of its cleaning since they all shared in its use. The result would be that you owe 25% of the costs of the cleaning.
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