It's cheaper to sort it yourself!
We wanted to help you understand how sorting common maintenance problems prior to your checkout can be significantly cheaper than leaving it to be deducted from your bond.
We're not trained contractors, so if work needs to be done at your property we have to employ someone to get that job done properly. With demand being so high for contractors in student areas during summer months, the cost of employing them is not cheap; call out charges, hourly rates and cost for materials does add up – and that's not a surprise anyone wants at the end of their tenancy.
| Contractor | Average Costs |
| Rubbish Removal | Up to 4 Bags: £55 5-7 Bags: £85 8-11 Bags: £110 12-15 Bags: £140 16+ Bags: At least £165 |
| Handyman | Call out Charge: £35 Hourly Rate: £35 |
| Cleaners Carpet Clean |
Minimum Charge: £45 Hourly Rate: £16-£18 £30-£45 per room |
| Decorator | 1 Wall and Paint Match: £80 3-4 Walls in one room (1 Coat of Paint, Paint Matched, Furniture Moved Twice): £240 Entire Room (Inc. Walls, Woodwork and Ceiling): £400 Woodwork per room: £200 |
| Key Cutting | Call out Charge: £30 (+ the cost of keys) |
| Electrician/Plumber/Gas Engineer/Builder/Carpenter/Appliance Technician/Pest Control etc |
Call out Charge: £45 + VAT minimum. Rate: £45 + VAT per half hour thereafter. |
*Whilst these are standard charges, they are always circumstantial and subject to change.
To put this into perspective, typical bond claims can range from new lightbulbs being needed to repairing holes in walls. The table below shows how, if you sort the problem yourself before the checkout, you could make significant savings!
| Issue | Contractor Charge | Charge for Sorting Yourself |
| Dirty Oven | £45 | £5 for Cleaning Products |
| Removing 2 Bags of Rubbish | £55 | £0 if taken to your Local Tip |
| Missing Spotlight | £40 | £5 for a Lightbulb |
| Carpet Stain | £45 | £5 for Carpet Shampoo |
| Missing 1 Bedroom Key | £33 | £3 at a Locksmith |
*Whilst these are standard charges, they are always circumstantial and subject to change.
Naturally, accidents do happen sometimes which can be hard to resolve. If you've dropped your cup of tea on your mattress for example, it could prove very difficult to get that stain out. Whilst we won’t charge you for a complete replacement, the lifespan of that mattress has been shortened by this happening. In these cases, tenants would be expected to pay a percentage to the eventual cost of a replacement, as a form of 'compensation' to the Landlord.
If you have any queries regarding any Maintenance issues it's best to let us know as soon as possible by emailing maintenance@cpshomes.co.uk with photos of the problem. We don't want to claim from any tenants deposit and we do not profit from any claims that are made. If you get ahead of us and sort these issues prior to your checkout, you're likely to receive most, if not all, of your deposit back this summer!