Help needed with deposit deductions, any advice appreciated

Jmc2210

Hi, hope someone can help. My sister left a house which she was forced to leave by section 21. It was an old house which was horrible and dusty when she moved in. She had to clean the oven and generally clean and Hoover the whole house. She left it in same if not better condition when she left. They acknowledge on the checkout that the oven was grimy on the original inventory and that it was cleaner when she left but say it still needs a light clean due to some food debris. They also detailed dusty light shades which my sister missed aswell as finger prints on patio door and the capret needing a Hoover when it had been hoovered before she left. They are deducting £125 for cleaning to cover the above petty things. They don't break down what the cleaning is for.

Secondly nowhere in her tenancy agreement does it mention garden Maintenence . There were weeds in the garden when she moved in. They are saying she should have weeded the garden and they mention the garden wall had chalk marks from her children which she acknowledges. They want £100 for some weeds and chalk marks. They mentioned a broken garage door in the checkout but this door was ancient and falling apart when she moved in and the wood snapped when she pulled it open one day. They haven't mentioned the door so can they put an old damaged door down for repair if that's what they've done as £100 for weeds and chalk sounds extreme.

The house smelled and looked nicer when she moved out. In my opinion it was better condition. Can she dispute these ridiculous charges? To make matters worse she has already lost over £400 of her deposit due to the landlord costs to evict because the council told her to stay put. To lose anymore would be terrible.

Thanks in advance.

AdrianC

Was the deposit properly protected? If so, then it's not down to the landlord to decide what's a fair deduction, it's down to the deposit scheme's arbitrators and whether the inventories support their claim.

If not, then the landlord cannot take any of her deposit at all.

Pixie5740

The landlord isn't entitled to betterment so if the property was left in better condition compared with the condition at the start of the tenancy then the LL is entitled to diddly squat.

However, he is probably entitled to something for the state of the garden. The garden formed part of the property and so it was for your sister to look after in the same way she looked after the inside of the property.

If the deposit hasn't been protected correctly then the LL could be up the proverbial creek.

Boatdweller

Is there a check in and check out? Property should be returned in the same condition she got it. Tenancy agreements don't specify you have to clean but you do it. If the garden is not in the same condition that she took it she sould expect dedutions. Same with cleanliness.

Did she report the door? If not how was anyone to know?