Delayed deposit return. Please advise!

Nawin

I moved out of my rented flat on 23rd Febuary but the deposit is still withheld. The agent has sent me the Damage Assessment Report and the reduction of my deposit is very scandalous. My deposit of £1740 has been reduced to £1255.. I am not sure its the agents or the landlord that is trying to rob my money.

What I wanted to ask is that there is an inventory charge of £123.38 to be deducted from my deposit. Is this suppose to be there?

Also, it has been two months now and the issue is not yet resolved, it seems that the agent or the landlord is trying to delay. As everytime I nag, they always give me a useless response such as, "we will contact the Landlord and get back to you as soon as possible", but each time they disappear! What should I do? Should I raise a dispute claim to the Dispute Service?

Cheers

Nawin

In detail the reductions are:

Full professional clean service: £150
Remake wall: £100
Scratches to coffee table, TV, radiator cover: £50
Lost keys: £30
etc etc etc............

And most of these are false claims...

Sammy85_2

Did you have a signed inventory? Were you there during the checkout? Have you returned all keys? Does your agreement specify a checkout charge or professional cleaning required?

Nawin

I do have the check-in inventory, but I do not have the check-out inventory.
I wasn't there during the checkout.
I have returned all the keys to the porter of the building, but no evidence of returning them because usually it is not required to sign anything on returning of keys.
The agreement does not specify a checkout charge, but does require a professional clean service which I will send them the invoice.

This looks bad....

Sammy85_2

If you have a signed check in inventory and the LL can prove that the house was left in a different condition (other than fair wear and tear) then im afraid you dont have much choice. You really ought to have been there at the check out to ensure that nothing was amiss.

Keys - you should have got a receipt for the keys being returned. Were you supposed to leave them with the porter? Check that they have been passed on. If they have gone astray and you werent meant to leave them with the porter then you have effectively lost them and will have to pay for replacements.

I would send them a copy of your cleaning bill, so that should remove the charge for that against your deposit.

As for the checkout charge, did the agent give you a list of fees at all when you signed up?

Finally, is your deposit lodged with a deposit scheme? If it is then when they give the deductions to the scheme you can contest them. It will be up to the LL/LA to prove that the deductions are valid.