landlord shafting us on deposit

blue_lantern

have recently moved out (after 2 years) of staying in the property where we had a £900+ deposit.

before leaving we did a good job of cleaning etc... even shampooing the carpets (rugdoctor from B&Q).

however on inspection got a letter saying £600+ will be deducted from deposit. such things as:

carpet clean - £250
professional clean - £150
wear and tear - £150

and petty things like £25 for a lightbulb, £50 for blinds (that were thrown away by the builders when new windows were fitted). and many others.

we disputed these points, stating that the cleaning / carpets had already been done etc...

we then received a letter stating the new deductions £900+ :mad: the full deposit. stating that after a week (of having builders in) they found £300+ of bull###t damages to the property.

we have again disputed these deductions but don't know where we stand or what to do next. any advice would be welcome.

robpw2

who is your deposit protected with ?
you need to go through them , it will be then up to ll to proove all these damages etc

blue_lantern

robpw2 wrote: »

who is your deposit protected with ?
you need to go through them , it will be then up to ll to proove all these damages etc

not sure who the deposit is protected by, we rented through a letting agent so know it is protected. we asked for proof as soon as we received the deductions letter (about a week after moving out) but were told we couldnt gain access to see the damage. the property has since been let and damages apparently fixed - though they wouldnt provide us with proof the work had been done.

robpw2

blue_lantern wrote: »

not sure who the deposit is protected by, we rented through a letting agent so know it is protected. .

no guarentee it is protected , they should have given you within 14 days of protecting it documentaton to proove they had secured it and you should have information on how to dispute the deposit ... i suggest you ring letting agent and find out quickly

and as i say if he has had work done etc he will have reciepts and proof that it needed doing but he will need to provide this to the deposit protection scheme

00ec25

blue_lantern wrote: »

not sure who the deposit is protected by, .

then its time you got active and found out for yourself - there are 3 possibilities, the links and explanations are here
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Privaterenting/Tenancies/DG_189120

blue_lantern wrote: »

though they wouldnt provide us with proof the work had been done.

its not you they have to convince its the relevant TDS
you urgently need to sort out where your deposit is and lodge a dispute with that scheme otherwsie the LL could launch a single sided claim and if you don't reply in time he can claim all your money anyway

please note - deductions are compensation to the LL, there is no legal requirement that the LL actually has to spend the money on any works at all so stop worrying about proof of work done, that is utterly irrelevant. The LL has to prove to the TDS that work needs doing so that he can claim a deduction. he does not need to prove that it has been done. your role is to convince the TDS that the works do not need doing so the deduction cannot be made

Yorkie1

Are you in England / Wales?

Did you sign an inventory at the start of your tenancy, outlining the condition of the property?

blue_lantern

in England. we did sign an inventory and i will find out and call the relevant TDS in the morning.