help

threesacrowd

hi i am looking for help regarding my bond from a property i have just left. i was renting this property through a letting agent for four years and moved out. the rent was paid in full none owing , and i scrubbed and cleaned for days to get it looking amazing i even repainted the walls in the same magnolia as when i moved in .
it has been over a month since i left so i queried why they were taking so long returning my money (five hundred pounds) i recieved an email telling me that the property had been repainted badly and that there was A childs handprint in one of the doors in the paint work. i have told them i am unhappy with this and that i wish to deal with the landlord directly and asked for the address . they gave me the address of another agent who is acting on behalf of the landlord and told me that this is the only address they have.
the other agent has said deal with me or deal with nobody but i would like to deal directly with the landlord, i have photographs of the condition i left the property in and it is way cleaner than when i moved in i would like the landlord to see these photograghs and justify withholding my bond, we have three children andd really need this money.
the letting agents also stated that the landlord would get a quote for the work and then charge me!
yet they are advertising this property on their website as available now, (they have not changed a thing as i drive past every day)
help wanted please:mad:

moneysavinmonkey

Hi there. Have a look at your tenancy agreement... it should have the landlords address on it - this is a legal requirement.

I would then write to the landlord and explain the agent is withholding the rent and you do not agree and have evidence (photos) to proove the condition the property was left in. Give them 14 days to respond...

If you don't like their answer (or don't get one) send a 'letter before action' and give them another 14 days to respond..

If you still don't have a satisfactory response file a small claims case online using moneygram - this isn't very expensive and you can claim the cost of it against the landlord. If everything you say is correct you should have no trouble winning your case and probably won't even have to go to court.

Do everything in writing and signed for/recorded delivery.

See EagerLearners thread as this will cover what you need to do and she also had problems finding the landladys address so if this turns out to be a problem then this is the place to look too... be warned this thread is very long!!!

moneysavinmonkey

The link to the EagerLearner thread....
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=227606

threesacrowd

Thanks for the advice Hampsons letting agency are still saying that the only address they have for the landlord is through another agency. the link to the thread was really useful and i was up all night reading it, I am feeling quite confident this morning and am so glad i took photos of everthing before i left.

threesacrowd

oh forgot to say, The contract i have states the landlords name but the address is down as c/o hampsons letting agents bla bla no other address.

threesacrowd

i recieved a letter from the other agency (the ones i have never heard of who are acting on behalf of the landlord) this morning with a list of why they were not returning my bond. this included an iron mark on the carpet of the dinnig room which was already there when i moved in three and a half years ago. and a tear in the bedroom carpet . this carpet is the cheap blue cord stuff which has been layed onto concrete with no underlay and not glued down. the end of the letter states. "it is not our usual policy to sue tenants for monies in excess of thier deposits but, of course, we would have to defend any suit against us and we would ounter claim for the excess"
does anyone have any advice?

moneysavinmonkey

Hi there... sorry to hear you are still having problems. Can't believe that attitude of some letting agents - hope you are going to report them! Have you checked if they are memebrs of ARLA?

We need a bit more information to give you the next stage of advice...

How much was your bond?
How are they trying to keep?
Is the list itemised + have they provided quotes for the work they say needs doing?
Did you have an inventory done when you moved in?
Does it mention the iron mark?

The carpet damage sounds like wear and tear due to it being poorly fitted... hard to tell without seeing it I suppose. In any case they can not charge you for a brand new carpet as that one would have been at least 4 years old by the end of your tenancy....

threesacrowd

hi the bond is four hundred and twenty five pounds. they have provided me with no qoutes just an initial email sent a month after i moved out and kept asking where my bond was.
this email stated the house needed reecorating due to poor painting (the walls and borders are the same colour as when i moved in.
the anti space was dirty anti space?
there was A childs handprint in the paintwork
and a cobweb by the back door.

the letter i recieved this morning stated that about the carpet this was there when i moved in but is not on the inventory and stated i had "slapped paint around causing damage to the walls". ridiculous it also says the house needs cleaning in several areas but does not state these areas. as i said i luckily took photos.
the letter states that the house needs entirely redecorating but is on thier website as available now having had nothing done.
the letter ends with what i stated in my last post. the only thing near a quote they have supplied is " the carpet will evaporate a large part of your deposit say two hundred pounds" and "we estimate an eight hundred pounds contribution to the redecorating costs "
this is on top of my bond they say that if this goes to court and they counter sue i will be left with a bill of 567.69 plus costs ??????