My elderly uncle was charged £3184 by the council..

[Sony 10]

I am writing to confirm our proposed actions at the above site following my site survey on Thursday 7th January 2016.

 

Front Garden

 

* The conifer branch that is currently leaning against the property is to be removed.

 

Car Port

 

* All items to be removed (excluding the car).

 

Kitchen/Pantry

 

* All expired food, food-waste, soiled utensils/equipment and other domestic waste to be removed.

* The oven, two fridge-freezers and old washer machine to be removed.

* All kitchen units/worktops to be removed (excluding the cupboards fixed to the wall at head-height).

* The lino floor tiles to be removed.

* The kitchen tiles to be cleaned and disinfected.

* The sink-unit to be cleaned and disinfected.

* The kitchen window and frame (interior only) to be cleaned and disinfected.

* Any remaining soiled kitchen appliances (exteriors only) to be wiped clean.

* All woodwork, radiators, doors, sills, ledges and switches to be cleaned and disinfected.

* We will attempt to remove any grease or smear marks from the walls. Please note, as the walls are painted, the paint may smear when cleaning agents are applied.

* The floor will be scraped, swept, mopped and disinfected.

 

Living Room

 

* All domestic refuse and old medication to be removed.

* Both armchairs and the sofa to be removed.

* The broken dining chair to be removed.

* The carpet and any underlay to be removed.

* Any remaining papers or loose personal items to be bagged and retained. The bags to be stacked adjacent to the large unit.

* The room to be de-cobwebbed.

* The windows and frames (interiors only) to be cleaned and disinfected.

* The floor will be scraped, swept, mopped and disinfected.

* NO ADDITIONAL CLEANING WORKS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

 

Hallway/Stairs/Landing

 

* All items in the hallway to be bagged and retained. The bags to be stored in the current master bedroom. (Adjacent to the smallest bedroom).

* All items on the landing to be bagged and retained. The bags and items to be stored in the small bedroom opposite the bathroom.

* The carpet and any underlay to be removed.

* The areas to be de-cobwebbed.

* All woodwork, fixtures and fittings to have a quick wipe-down.

* The floor will be scraped, swept, mopped and disinfected.

* NO ADDITIONAL CLEANING WORKS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

 

Bathroom

 

* Any domestic refuse to be removed.

* All bathroom facilities to be cleaned and disinfected including the toilet, bath and sink.

* The tiles to be cleaned and disinfected.

* The bathroom window and frame (interior only) to be cleaned and disinfected.

* All woodwork, radiators, doors, sills, ledges and switches to be cleaned and disinfected.

* We will attempt to remove any grease, smear marks and faecal matter from the walls. Please note, as the walls are painted, the paint may smear when cleaning agents are applied.

* The floor will be scraped, swept, mopped and disinfected.

 

Bedroom 1 (Front Bedroom Adjacent to the Bathroom)

 

* Any domestic refuse and empty cardboard boxes to be removed.

* The carpet and any underlay to be removed.

* All remaining items to be stacked neatly near the window.

* The room to be tidied and smartened up.

* The areas to be de-cobwebbed.

* All woodwork, fixtures and fittings to have a quick wipe-down.

* The floor will be scraped, swept, mopped and disinfected.

* NO ADDITIONAL CLEANING WORKS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

 

Bedroom 2 (Current Master Bedroom)

 

* The urine bottle to be removed.

* NO ADDITIONAL CLEANING WORKS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

 

Bedroom 3 (Small Storage Room)

 

* No actions to be undertaken other than using this area for storage.

 

Additional Duties

 

* On completion of the above we will treat the property for insects/rodents if necessary.

 

* The property to be fully deodorised.

 

Our Requests

 

* As you are acting on behalf of a patient, please ensure you have shown them this proposal document and they are happy with the list of proposals. This document forms the basis of the job specifications and the Clearance Team will use the list above to complete the job. We cannot take any responsibility for items that have been removed etc. once the proposal has been agreed and the job completed.

 

* The occupant will need to complete the attached disclaimer document. This will need to be returned to me before work can commence.

 

* As the niece mentioned there had been a gas leak at the property but was unsure as to what action had been taken, we will require a gas engineer to visit prior to our arrival to certify that the gas supply has been disconnected and that the property is safe to work in.

 

* As we are removing the oven, we will require it to be disconnected by a gas engineer prior to our arrival

 

* We will require the car to be moved from the side of the property whilst work is being undertaken in order to ensure suitable access to the property.

 

* It would be helpful to have a member of the occupant’s family on site whilst the team are at work in order to help differentiate between waste and items to be retained.

 

All items will be disposed of via our registered waste disposal contractor.

 

The estimate for the work, including labour, tipping and materials is approximately £2653.00 plus VAT if applicable. The estimate is based on Environmental Services completing all tasks as listed above.

 

I hope this proposal is satisfactory, if so please contact me to arrange payment in order to complete the booking. If you do not agree with any of the actions proposed please contact me as soon as possible to suggest any amendments or to request any further information.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

---------- Post added 29-03-2016 at 17:13 ----------

 

The above seems such a complete list- the reality is that its a bit of clearing- barely anything has bene cleaned!

[hyper 10]

So, the price is agreeable - the dispute is with what was actually carried out?

[999tigger 10]

Did they give a recipt with terms and conditions on?

 

Not quite sure who you were dealing with , but check if the Consumer Rights Act applies and also talk to trading standards. If they didnt agree the price in advance then it has to be a reasonable price. Obviously you can say it was unreasonable but you have to provide evidence. Experts report. You cna then write to them and see what they say and base it upon the advice from TS.

 

You cna sue them if you wnat, but you will also have to find a way to deal with him signing.

 

---------- Post added 29-03-2016 at 17:45 ----------

 

Oh i didnt see that seems they did give you a detailed estimate and he signed.

[Dannyno 19]

You could have got it done cheaper, I'm sure, but for example this company charge £295 for 2 hours work:

 

http://www.clearanceandcleanup.co.uk/prices-house-clearance-sheffield/

 

So for 5 days work...

 

if your problem is that the work listed hasn't actually been done, then that's different.

[ECCOnoob 1,020]

Am I the only one who thinks that this fee is not extortionate at all.

 

Reading through the quotation its far more than a regular clean up. I am seeing carpet and lino removal, dismantling and removal of worktops and units, removal and disposal of several items of furniture, an oven unit, outdoor waste and work to remove parts of a tree from the side of the house.

 

Add on the actual cleaning work, disinfecting, rodent removal, general labour and any waste charges (which some places have to disposal of large goods) and the costs soon rack up.

 

I am not saying that it might not be done cheaper by others but its hardly through the roof in my opinion.

 

At the end of the day, the quotation is there is black and white. It offers time to be amended or rejected but seemingly was not.

 

I'm really not sure how valid a complaint against the council would be. What exactly have they done wrong?

 

Contractors cost money.

Edited March 29, 2016 by ECCOnoob

[Sony 10]

I'm really not sure how valid a complaint against the council would be. What exactly have they done wrong?

 

 

The house doesn't look overly dissimilar to how it looked pre 'work'. If you looked into this quote it's just basic cleaning and the odd bit of lino removal.

 

There is no way the work looks like £3200 worth of work.

[ECCOnoob 1,020]

The house doesn't look overly dissimilar to how it looked pre 'work'. If you looked into this quote it's just basic cleaning and the odd bit of lino removal.

 

There is no way the work looks like £3200 worth of work.

 

I disagree. Lino and carpet removal, dismantling of worktops and units, removal of large furniture, sorting through and bagging up selected belongings and tree cutting is not "basic cleaning"

 

IMO, "basic cleaning" is having Mrs Wilson come round with a feather duster, cif wipes and vacuum cleaner once a week.

 

A house clearance and total disinfect is a totally different ball game.

Edited March 29, 2016 by ECCOnoob

[LeMaquis 10]

If you looked into this quote it's just basic cleaning and the odd bit of lino removal.

 

There is no way the work looks like £3200 worth of work.

 

Which makes you wonder why anyone agreed to pay over £3,000 for some basic cleaning and the odd bit of lino removal. The contract looks however to be a lot more than that.

[denlin 12]

Sounds to me like your Uncle has given up the tenancy and the house has not been emptied otherwise why would the council be doing the work? If any of my relatives needed a bit of help clearing a bit of househod stuff both me and OH would help them free of charge because that's what families do. I certainly wouldn't be sending them a bill.

[Sony 10]

I disagree. Lino and carpet removal, dismantling of worktops and units, removal of large furniture, sorting through and bagging up selected belongings and tree cutting is not "basic cleaning"

 

IMO, "basic cleaning" is having Mrs Wilson come round with a feather duster, cif wipes and vacuum cleaner once a week.

 

A house clearance and total disinfect is a totally different ball game.

 

They've not sorted anything out. Just chucked them in a bag. The house had not be cleaned in 30 years- and it still looks like it hasn't beeen cleaned for 20.

 

There is only so much you can convey on a forum- believe me when I say, it wasn't a good job. And I'm not fussy.

 

---------- Post added 29-03-2016 at 21:32 ----------

 

Sounds to me like your Uncle has given up the tenancy and the house has not been emptied otherwise why would the council be doing the work? If any of my relatives needed a bit of help clearing a bit of househod stuff both me and OH would help them free of charge because that's what families do. I certainly wouldn't be sending them a bill.

 

It's his house and he doesn't want to leave. He is in care while the work is being done.

 

A bit of help I have no objection to- I did what I could for years but he refused help. Please do not judge.

[Narden Dee 10]

not sure what youre issues are it looks as though from the letter and your replies that he has gone into care ( and ill take a guess here) he cant look after himself as you said he hasnt cleaned for 30 years.

 

hes agreed to the charges whther you think its right is not your call, you've already said he didnt want you to help him so why are you getting involved now?

[Sony 10]

 

hes agreed to the charges whther you think its right is not your call, you've already said he didnt want you to help him so why are you getting involved now?

 

Because he is family and the social worker needs a point of contact- we are the only family he has.

 

He's 87 for crying out loud- that in itself is the reason why I would get involved anyway- he's a proud man and is probably the reason why he won't accept any help.