Query about deposit return at the end of tenancy

J89eu

Hi all

So I bought a house and I'm currently in the process of getting the old house tidied up to hand back to the letting agency

We've had issues with mould, damp etc in the house which gave us the kick to move out as the letting agent didn't seem interested. Now the house isn't in the best condition because of this, there's mould on the skirting edging and stuff. I'm going to clean it as best I can but I'm worried about my deposit.

When we got the house my father who was supposed to be the guarantor was on holiday so was unable to sign so I ended up paying 3 months rent as deposit, £1425. Originally this was supposed to be a month and a half.

How does this leave me with what to expect back from the deposit? Is it taken as a percentage of my deposit meaning I will potentially lose less than I would had I paid the lower amount? I've paid more but could potentially lose more than others...

Advise appreciated!

SparksAlive

When you say the letting agent wasn't interested in the damp, how much contact did you have with them about it? Did you tell them mould was growing? What was their response? Is this affecting the whole house, or just certain rooms like the bathroom?

Pixie5740

Deposit deductions aren't based on percentages. For example, if you caused £200 worth of damage it does not matter if your deposit was £500, £2000 or £0, you owe the landlord £200.

See G_M's guide to Deposits for more information.

How did you alert the letting agent to the damp and mould problems? In WRITING? Did you cause the damp and mould by not ventilating the property properly?

Guest101

Is the deposit in a scheme?

saajan_12

You seem to indicate you were in a house share – did you each have individual contracts or one joint and several contract? LL makes deductions based on damages beyond fair wear & tear, from the TOTAL deposit amount and returns the rest to (one of) the tenant(s). How the returned portion is divided between the tenants is based on the agreement between the tenants. You may have decided to equally split the return, or split by percentage paid in, if some of the damage was caused by one housemate or in one person’s room, you could decide to apply the deduction to that person’s ‘portion’ so they get back less. However you decide, the split is between the tenants. The only question with the LL is whether the property has been damaged by the tenants and the cost to remedy those.