Tenancy deposit paid no date for moving in

Mrs_pbradley936

I urgently need help for my friend’s daughter. She has paid 1 months rent and 1 months deposit plus £120 for reference checks for herself and her partner. The house they want to rent is occupied by the owners who are waiting to exchange on another property. They cannot give her a date for the tenancy to commence and this has been going on for about 6 weeks.

She asked the agent for a refund and they have said no. What are the rights of the proposed tenants?

Fire_Fox

These things can drag on for months why did she agree to that? What timescale was agreed at the start? Has she signed an Assured Shorthold Tenancy or got any kind of receipt or confirmation or signed anything to say the acceptable circumstances for refund?

Mrs_pbradley936

Fire_Fox wrote: »

These things can drag on for months why did she agree to that? What timescale was agreed at the start? Has she signed an Assured Shorthold Tenancy or got any kind of receipt or confirmation or signed anything to say the acceptable circumstances for refund?

No she has not signed a tenancy agreement. She has signed for permission for her references to be checked. The problem is that the current occupiers who are the owners are waiting to exchange but this has been going on for several weeks. The couple want to move in there or look at other properties.