Need advice

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

I recently moved out of a property that i'd been renting for 3 years.

It wasn't newly decorated & the carpets were 7 years old (they came free with the house when it was built).

They insisted I redecorate & have the carpets cleaned when I moved out or they would keep my deposit, I did this yet they have sent me a bill for over £4k today saying that the decorating was poorly done & that the carpets need deep cleaning.

I spent a week painting the whole house magnolia from top to bottom & spent 2 days cleaning the carpets with a rug doctor.

They are threatening to take me to court if I don't pay.

I'm fuming that I bothered wasting my time/money & now not only am I not getting my £1300 deposit back they want me to give them more money.

Where do I stand?

RAS

Was the deposit protected? Which scheme?

And no - they cannot claim this money, it is just a question of how you fight them.

abankerbutnotafatcat

Makes me angry hearing of things like this - gives LLs a bad name plus I can imagine the stress, frustration and anger you must be feeling.

If they can't prove that the flat was newly decorated when you moved in they can't demand you decorate it. You need only return the property in the condition you found it less reasonable wear and tear considering how long you've been there.

As already said, your first port of call is the deposit protection scheme. If that isn't an option (or if it is but it fails) then the small claims court - sounds scary but then this is a lot of money they are basically stealing from you.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

RAS wrote: »

Was the deposit protected? Which scheme?

And no - they cannot claim this money, it is just a question of how you fight them.

I'm presuming so as I rented the property through an agency.

They are even charging me £50 for light bulbs even though I replaced them all the day I moved out & even left them some spares. :eek:

pimento

I think you should name this agent.

RAS

Were you ever issued with the deposit scheme details? if so, which scheme?

BitterAndTwisted

They are having a laugh. Any decorating should have been carried out and paid for by the landlord not the outgoing tenant. After three years it could probably have done with freshening up but not total redecoration.

Was there a dual-signed check-in inventory at the start of your tenancy? Got a receipt for the carpet-cleaning?

If your tenancy started after April 2007 it was a legal requirement that your deposit was registered with one of the three schemes: DPS, TDS and MyDeposits. Please check with all three schemes online right now and then come back to us. Meanwhile do not respond to the agent or to the landlord at all.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

pimento wrote: »

I think you should name this agent.

Howkins and Harrison

RAS wrote: »

Were you ever issued with the deposit scheme details? if so, which scheme?

No.

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

They are having a laugh. Any decorating should have been carried out and paid for by the landlord not the outgoing tenant. After three years it could probably have done with freshening up but not total redecoration.

Was there a dual-signed check-in inventory at the start of your tenancy? Got a receipt for the carpet-cleaning?

If your tenancy started after April 2007 it was a legal requirement that your deposit was registered with one of the three schemes: DPS, TDS and MyDeposits. Please check with all three schemes online right now and then come back to us. Meanwhile do not respond to the agent or to the landlord at all.

I have the recipt for the rug doctor I rented, the cleaning fluid & paint.

Thanks for that, i'll get back to you.

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

My deposit is with TDS although the amount is different. I paid £1295 deposit but only £1170 is in the scheme.

Apparently I can raise a dispute for the remaining £1170 deposit although that doesn't stop them taking me to court for the whole £5494 they want.

BitterAndTwisted

For the moment I wouldn't worry about how they have managed to pocket £125 of your money.

Get onto the TDS site and claim the whole of your deposit back immediately. If they want to claim any deductions you dispute them on the site. That will force the ll/agent to justify their spurious and totally unfair claim with the scheme's arbitrators.

Don't let this one go and do not be discouraged.

Can you answer the question about the presence of a dual-signed check-in inventory, please?

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

For the moment I wouldn't worry about how they have managed to pocket £125 of your money.

Get onto the TDS site and claim the whole of your deposit back immediately. If they want to claim any deductions you dispute them on the site. That will force the ll/agent to justify their spurious and totally unfair claim with the scheme's arbitrators.

Don't let this one go and do not be discouraged.

Can you answer the question about the presence of a dual-signed check-in inventory, please?

I don't know what a seaadual signed check in inventory is.

They sent the inventory a week after i'd moved in so I made my comments & sent it back. Funnily enough they don't have they're copy anymore & printed an original off instead.