Full deposit retention

BurtBanana

We have just moved out of a rented property that we have 2.5 years in. We spent 2 full days plus 3 evenings cleaning, scrubbing, gardening etc, making sure the house was gleaming. We had a slight disaster with touching up scuffs and dents in the hall; used the wrong shade of white paint and ended up having to repaint the whole hall, stairs and landing, and only had time to put one coat on, but it seemed to look ok, and like I say the rest of the house and garden were pretty much perfect. In addition we had spent the previous 3 months being extremely accommodating with viewings of the house and always made sure it was clean and tidy before a viewing even with a couple of hours notice.

We requested the repayment of our deposit online and have seen that the landlord is disputing the full £820.00.

Is this normal?? Has anyone else had to go through a disputed claim? I had read through the procedure and it seems like a long process. He fills in forms and evidence etc, this is sent to us, we respond etc, and then they decide. Does that sound about right?

If the paint job was terrible - would it cost £820.00 to repaint?

Feeling fairly angry and upset.

BitterAndTwisted

Was there a dual-signed inventory at the start of your tenancy? Have you received an itemised list of these proposed deductions yet? If so, just go through the deposit-scheme's arbitration process if you dispute the landlord's proposed deductions. The landlord cannot just charge you what they feel like, they will have to justify it.