I paid the deposit plus first months rent to a letting agent so I would have thought they would have done.
Despite taking my money though, thanks to good old data protection, they won't tell me and I don't think my daughter or any of her housemates know either!
Ask them for a written statement detailing the grounds for withholding the deposit.
Then write and threaten small claims if the reasons are not justified.
Did you take any pictures of the place befoer you (your daughter left) this is always a good idea so you can prove the condition of the property. If it was bad when you move in take someof those too.
When this happened to me i got the university housing department involved and with their help got all our money back (eventually)
Once they start threatening to remove the landlord's student friendly status the landlord starts to listen
This is worth doing ... I had a problem a few years back with a landlord when my daughter was at Canterbury ... landlord soon backed down ... and repaid ... when I mentioned that the Uni would be informed.
I paid the deposit plus first months rent to a letting agent so I would have thought they would have done.
Despite taking my money though, thanks to good old data protection, they won't tell me and I don't think my daughter or any of her housemates know either!
Len,
If it was placed in one of those schemes a deposit certificate should have been issued.
The landlord doesnt see the money, it is held in the letting agents name. All details of who has to pay back the deposit are on the certificate.
If you dont have a certificate I would threaten the agent with small claims action.
If you placed your deposit through an agency then they are legally obliged to be involved in the process of it's return.
Go round to their office and sit there, telling people loudly on your mobile why you are there, and tell anyone who comes into the office too.
If they say they will call the cops - say good, that's what I want !
I have seen his from the other side though, and landlords get left with all kinds of stuff to deal with, but the deposit protection scheme is there to handle these kind of problems.
As for the BBC1 show, just ask yourself this.............
If you were a landlord and had a problem-free tenant, why would you ever want them to be unhappy and leave ?
A friend had a DSS tenant for 3 years - not a single problem, and was gutted when they married and moved-on.
Data protection is b*llocks. The landlord is legally obliged to hold your deposit in one of three registered government deposit protection schemes. If you don't receive notification from one of these bodies within 14 days of paying your deposit, then the landlord is liable to pay you the deposit back plus three times compensation.
I sent a letter to my landlord a couple of months ago threatening them this when I realised they hadn't done it even though I've been living in my place for 18months. I got an email from the Deposit Protection Service within a week confirming that it had been paid. If you send me a whisper Ill send you the letter I sent in case it helps.
When the deposit is with one of the schemes, it is registered in your names as well as their's, so if anybody wants to take it out, it needs the agreement of BOTH parties.
Try this. RICS confirms that the deposit should have been protected within one of the authorised schemes. If you continue to have trouble, contact the Dispute Service Ltd (details are on p.2 of the link).
NEVER pay them your last month's rent when you know that you will be leaving - they already have your deposit and most landlords are scumbags that have no intention of ever giving it you back....assume that they will keep it and withold the necessary funds.
NEVER pay them your last month's rent when you know that you will be leaving - they already have your deposit and most landlords are scumbags that have no intention of ever giving it you back....assume that they will keep it and withold the necessary funds.
Risky, if you are hoping for any sort of reference.
Even mortgage brokers are asking landlords for references now.
The landlords eventual offer was better than originally mooted. She took £110 (£27.50 from each of them) in the end.
We thought about contesting it but the landlord threatened to deduct more if we did and I'm afraid after a recent experience with the Financial Ombudsman Service where they took a year to tell us they couldn't investigate our complaint therefore they found in favour of the business I didn't have sufficient faith in the regulatory body to go chasing after £27.50.
The stress and mental wear and tear to my health could be costed at more than that!
Comments
did they put the deposit in a tenancy deposit protection scheme
http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/h_tenancy_deposits.pdf
We won.
I think so.
I paid the deposit plus first months rent to a letting agent so I would have thought they would have done.
Despite taking my money though, thanks to good old data protection, they won't tell me and I don't think my daughter or any of her housemates know either!
Once they start threatening to remove the landlord's student friendly status the landlord starts to listen
Ask them for a written statement detailing the grounds for withholding the deposit.
Then write and threaten small claims if the reasons are not justified.
Did you take any pictures of the place befoer you (your daughter left) this is always a good idea so you can prove the condition of the property. If it was bad when you move in take someof those too.
This is worth doing ... I had a problem a few years back with a landlord when my daughter was at Canterbury ... landlord soon backed down ... and repaid ... when I mentioned that the Uni would be informed.
Len,
If it was placed in one of those schemes a deposit certificate should have been issued.
The landlord doesnt see the money, it is held in the letting agents name. All details of who has to pay back the deposit are on the certificate.
If you dont have a certificate I would threaten the agent with small claims action.
Don't know why they get such a bad name.
Len,
Try this. RICS confirms that the deposit should have been protected within one of the authorised schemes. If you continue to have trouble, contact the Dispute Service Ltd (details are on p.2 of the link).
http://www.rics.org/site/download_feed.aspx?fileID=6227&fileExtension=PDF
Good luck
Tel
The landlords eventual offer was better than originally mooted. She took £110 (£27.50 from each of them) in the end.
We thought about contesting it but the landlord threatened to deduct more if we did and I'm afraid after a recent experience with the Financial Ombudsman Service where they took a year to tell us they couldn't investigate our complaint therefore they found in favour of the business I didn't have sufficient faith in the regulatory body to go chasing after £27.50.
The stress and mental wear and tear to my health could be costed at more than that!
Thanks to all who responded.