Letting agency deposit

ethelion

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if I have a leg to stand on with getting my deposit back?

When we moved in the living room and bedroom were decorated in greys and blacks, this was decorated by the previous tenant.
We changed it to more lighter colours, but not white.

The agency is saying the landlord wants to redecorate the whole flat and wants some of the deposit to do those 2 rooms.
My argument is that it wasn't in white when we arrived, so why do I have to pay for the other tenants choice to decorate, when I would of left it how it was if it was white?

I have pictures of before and after and I was thinking of turning it over to the deposit protection scheme. Just wondered if it's worth doing or might they just discard it? I know no one can really tell what the scheme will say, I'm just wondering if I'm right in not paying for the redecoration?

Thanks for any help!

G_M

ethelion wrote: »

....

When we moved in the living room and bedroom were decorated in greys and blacks,[STRIKE] this was decorated by the previous tenant.[/STRIKE]
We changed it to more lighter colours, but not white.
Did you get the LL's (ideally written) consent to change the colour?

The agency is saying the landlord wants to redecorate the whole flat and wants some of the deposit to do those 2 rooms.
If you did not leave the flat the same colour as when you moved in, you are liable (unless you got consent for the change you made).

My argument is that it wasn't in white when we arrived, so why do I have to pay for the other tenants choice to decorate, when I would of left it how it was if it was white?
It was greys and blacks when you moved in.
It should be greys and blacks when you move out.
What the LL decides to do in the future in terms of colour (eg return it to greys and blacks, change to rainbow effect, whatever) is up to him.

You (appear to have) made unauthorised changes to the colour scheme.

ethelion

Thanks for your reply.

But why is it ok for the previous tenant to decorate it and get his deposit back but not us?

G_M

The contract and any agreement made between the landlord and the previous tenant is unrelated to you.


All that matters to you, is your contract with the landlord, relating to your tenancy.

ethelion

Fair enough.
But it is unfair that 1 tenant can decorate and another cannot. Wouldn't you call that discrimination anywhere else?

G_M

ethelion wrote: »

Fair enough.
But it is unfair that 1 tenant can decorate and another cannot. Wouldn't you call that discrimination anywhere else?

Good grief! Who said life is fair?


is it fair that one person can walk to Aldi and pay 23p for a can of beans but I have to drive as there's no shops here and petrol costs me £5 and then I have to pay Tesco 31p for the same beans?


'Discrimination'? You'll be quoting human rights next...........!


Different landlords charge different tenants different rents. Is that fair?


And anyway - how do you know the previous tenants did not have some other arrangement with the LL?



Worry about your own contract, stop comparing with anyone else's.

ethelion

Trust me, I know life is not fair, and I never said it was.

23p is a bit different then hundreds of pounds.

And yes, there are laws that are now coming to protect tenants more over corrupt LLs. I have always paid my rent on time, left the flat clean, no damage and even did a favour for the landlord were the fence blew down and he burnt it all in the garden and I bought grass seeds and redid the massive bare patch as well as taking all the rusty nails out of the ground.

One of the people that showed us round said we could redecorate if we wanted (because it was dark horrible colours) but there is no proof of them saying it in writing. They never said we couldn't redecorate and the state it was in, it looks like you can. One of the rooms was bright red from the other guy, but they are moaning about pale colours.

At first they said everything was fine, now because the landlord decided to re decorate then we have to give up our deposit.

If there's nothing I can do then it doesn't matter. I just won't do any favours for any LLs again and keep on moaning at them until they finish there jobs in the future.
Thanks for your help.

ethelion

I will have a look in my agreement if it says that I have to leave the walls in the same way I found them. If it doesn't, is there a way of avoiding paying the deposit.

G_M

ethelion wrote: »

I will have a look in my agreement if it says that I have to leave the walls in the same way I found them. If it doesn't, is there a way of avoiding paying the deposit.

It does not need to say this in the agreement.

Nor does it need to say you have to leave the roof, the sink, or the kitchen taps in the same way as you found them. Or anything else.

It is implicit that you leave everything as you found it, less fair wear and tear.

itchyfeet123

ethelion wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.

But why is it ok for the previous tenant to decorate it and get his deposit back but not us?

How do you know the previous tenant got their deposit back?

Lokolo

And do you know if the previous tenants asked the LL if they could repaint?