Deposit claiming from the tenant

anselld

Yes go to DPS, that is what it is for.  There should certainly be some cost to the T.  Should it be for cleaning or decorating is debatable, but certainly some cost.

Morglin

Sounds like wear and tear. 🤷‍♀️

Tabieth

It sounds like normal wear and tear to me. But let the DPS decide. The tenants are well within their rights to go there.

theartfullodger

Sounds like wear 'n tear. Odd that as a landlord you perhaps appear as unfamiliar with so many things, some basic. I could be wrong, if so sorry.

Not your decision to "let tenant" go to TDS. He has an absolute right to, just as you do (sounds fairer like that).

Done and training or read any guides to being a landlord, if I might humbly ask? I ask as when I started in 2000 I thought knew everything, did no research or education, big mistakes - complex, long-drawn out, expensive, painful, definitely own goals: Oh my stupidity, oh the hubris.

Deposit protection was brought in to help landlords not rip tenants off. Through parliament a second time to more than double the time for landlords to handle some paperwork matters.

Good luck, please let us know your progress!

Ps -still a landlord, still learning....

BikingBud

Unsure where some people would set the bar for deliberate damage given that drawing on walls and scratched paintwork has apparently been left by the departing tenant and many see it only as fair wear and tear. Would a dog scratching a door be similarly classed as FW&T? Or work surfaces cut due to tenants not using chopping boards.

Even if it were viewed so leniently as to be fair, it is still dirty and should have been addressed by cleaning undertaken or commissioned by the outgoing tenant.

Seems like they were lazy, lazy parents for allowing their offspring to disrespect property and lazy as they could not be bothered to clean up after themselves and their offspring and therefore appear to have failed to meet the terms of the contract.

Many comments about it doesn't need a full redecorate but we have not seen the evidence and those assertions can only be viewed as assumptions.

The OP should take the move in and move out reports to the TDS and seek to retain funds from the deposit to cover the damage to their property.

And people wonder why landlords are moving on!

saajan_12

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81855643#Comment_81855643

Eh? Unnecessarily bashing when the OP's comments absoutely do have basis, the TDS's own product lifespan guidelines suggest internal decoration should last 3-5 years. So after 15 months the LL could charge for between 58% and 75% lost useful lifespan of the painting. So 50% is indeed 'only'

OP, there is the question of whether a full repaint was necessary vs say cleaning the walls (which would be chargeable in full) plus repainting only what couldn't be cleaned off (at 58-75% of the cost of painting to avoid betterment).