DPS dispute

Sabrina2000

The agent asked me if I would agree on £200 taken out of the deposit for work done, I agreed to this in Email. A few emails later about different things he again repeated the same sort of thing as the first email. I again agreed confirmed as already agreed to £200 to be taken out of the deposit.

He then sneakily took £400. Now very agresive and intimidating phone call he seems to be threatening me,saying I agreed to £400 in the emails.

Sabrina2000

He doesnt want it to go to dispute, very intimidating phone calls and emails.

He is saying he will try and charge me for extra things he didnt mention before, I said very calmly we have already agreed on £200 for all work done, this is the evidence I will present. It cant be changed can it?

We have indisputable emails we both agreed on £200. He says if it goes to dispute he will try and get all my deposit back. Trying to intimidate me.

Can he change the agreed on amount and try and get even more?

Pixie5740

What justification does the landlord have for deducting £400 or even £200? Are there any rent arrears? Did the check-out inventory indicate that you had left the property in a worse state than it was in at the start of your tenancy?

Sod the LL/LA, if you think that £400 is an unjustifiable deduction from your deposit raise a dispute with the deposit scheme.

slopemaster

Sabrina2000 wrote: »

The agent asked me if I would agree on £200 taken out of the deposit ...I agreed to this in Email.
A few emails later about different things ...I again agreed to £200 to be taken out of the deposit.
He then sneakily took £400. Now...saying I agreed to £400 in the emails.

Sound to me like a genuine misunderstanding.
You thought you were agreeing to the same £200, twice.
He thought you were agreeing to 2 x £200, for different things

fishpond

Raise a dispute with the DPS, assuming the LA/LL are not pulling the wool over your eyes and the deposit has been protected?

slopemaster

Sabrina2000 wrote: »

Can he change the agreed on amount and try and get even more?

Yes he can.
But he has no chance of winning unless he has proper reasons, and proper evidence.
If you think that the £400 is unreasonable, dispute it.

Sabrina2000

looks like its going to dispute, they will not back down an inch, I tried being reasonable, they didnt.

Any good links I can study before filling out all the boxes and what evidence is best for me to show.

The greedy agent is very experienced at this, they know what to say and how to gt every penny squeezed out of us.

I know shelter are a good place, any other links please?

anselld

https://www.depositprotection.com/documents/a-guide-to-tenancy-deposits-disputes-and-damages.pdf

jjlandlord

You clearly agreed to £200, so that they don't need evidence beyond the fact that you agreed.

From what you wrote it is quite possible that you agreed to a further £200. You need to be clear when you reply to such request.
If it is not clear you can dispute those extra £200.

Sometimes it is easy to blame the agent...

Sabrina2000

jjlandlord wrote: »

You clearly agreed to £200, so that they don't need evidence beyond the fact that you agreed.

From what you wrote it is quite possible that you agreed to a further £200. You need to be clear when you reply to such request.
If it is not clear you can dispute those extra £200.

Sometimes it is easy to blame the agent...

Its actually £600 they are after now.

He openly told me on the phone if I go to dispute he will try and claim even more.

I think they view it as push for even more to get what they originally wanted.

Is that the way it works? So if I think £200 is fair for me to pay for repainting etc, then I should also change what I agreed to, now I will try and claim all my deposit back.

Then I hope the adjudication people will settle on about halfway.

I so wish I took picture before we handed the keys over, let this be a lesson for every tenant moving out, if you went to as much effort to clean the place as we did, then for heavens sake take pictures. Our agent has taken some very deceptive pictures making it look far worse than it is, all the things he took pictures of were there before we moved in but I cant prove it.

I have started the dispute, but still trying one more time to agree out of court as it were. If they would agree to the £200 taken out of the deposit as we already agreed then there is no need for all the unpleasantness. I would even go a little higher if they were polite and showed a tiny bit of reasonableness. But they are not giving an inch.

This agent doesnt care about whats fair, they seem to just want to squeeze every possible penny no matter what is right or wrong.