Don't think deposit is in scheme

ally-bally_2

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and was looking for some advice.

We moved into a rented property approx two months ago. We rented privately through a website. We are very happy with the house and the couple who own it are very nice people.

We paid a deposit of £1000.00 pounds and although the tenancy states that the deposit will be placed in a scheme, we have nothing at all in writing. Should we have received something from the landlord or the scheme directly by now?

We also haven't received any kind of gas safety cert, which I understand is something we should have been given.

Now, I really don't want to rock the boat with the landlord. We were in a terrible position prior to getting the place and I am very thankful to have a roof above my head, but I am not sure what to do. Do we approach them and ask about the deposit? I just don't want them to take it the wrong way. They have trusted us with their house and I am sure they would expect us to trust them with our deposit.

Any advice you may have would be appreciated

pmlindyloo

No matter how lovely your landlords are they have certain responsibilities which they have to carry out.

Have a thorough read of this:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/renting_and_leasehold/rights_and_responsibilities

Yes, they should have provided you with information about the deposit protection scheme and yes, they should have provided you with a gas safety certificate.

A polite letter (keep a copy and the receipt from your post office) asking them for the information is all you need to do.

The regulations are there to protect you, so don't let your 'niceness' prevent you from asking for what they must provide you with.

I know you are feeling grateful but you are paying large sums of money to your landlord so protect your interests.

ally-bally_2

pmlindyloo wrote: »

No matter how lovely your landlords are they have certain responsibilities which they have to carry out.

Yes, they should have provided you with information about the deposit protection scheme and yes, they should have provided you with a gas safety certificate.

A polite letter (keep a copy and the receipt from your post office) asking them for the information is all you need to do.

The regulations are there to protect you, so don't let your 'niceness' prevent you from asking for what they must provide you with.

I know you are feeling grateful but you are paying large sums of money to your landlord so protect your interests.

Thanks for that. I have had a look at the link and it makes for interesting reading.

tbs624

ally-bally wrote: »

Hi guys,

I'm new to the forum and was looking for some advice.

We moved into a rented property approx two months ago. We rented privately through a website. We are very happy with the house and the couple who own it are very nice people.

We paid a deposit of £1000.00 pounds and although the tenancy states that the deposit will be placed in a scheme, we have nothing at all in writing. Should we have received something from the landlord or the scheme directly by now?

We also haven't received any kind of gas safety cert, which I understand is something we should have been given.

Now, I really don't want to rock the boat with the landlord. We were in a terrible position prior to getting the place and I am very thankful to have a roof above my head, but I am not sure what to do. Do we approach them and ask about the deposit? I just don't want them to take it the wrong way. They have trusted us with their house and I am sure they would expect us to trust them with our deposit.

Any advice you may have would be appreciated

It's not about you "trusting" the LL. The law requires that the LL

(a) ensures that any gas appliances at the property are subject to an annual check by a Gas Safe Registered heating engineer
(b) gives you the tenant copy of the current GSC ( and retains the LL copy for a min of 2 years)
(c) should have shown you an Energy Performance Certificate for the property
(d) scheme registers your tenancy deposit (within 30 days of receiving it)
(e) provides you with the scheme's prescribed information (again within 30days)

LLs can be fined for failing to do a and b, and may be hit with penalty payments for failing to do c, d and e.

Just as you are grateful for a roof over your head, the LL will be grateful to have a T in situ - a purely philanthropic LL would be a very rare beast indeed.

Start by checking with each of the three schemes for yourself - TDS, my deposits and TDS.