UK Landlord Forum / Life

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Too many landlords are not protecting their tenants' deposits, warn Citizens Advice and the housing charity Shelter.

Since last April, landlords in England and Wales offering new assured shorthold tenancy agreements must join one of three official schemes.

These safeguard deposit money in the event of a dispute, but some landlords are failing to comply.

The government insists the schemes are working well, and have so far protected almost a million deposits worth £900m.

If a landlord does not sign up to a scheme, it is up to the tenant to take their landlord or agent to the county court, which has the powers to award a tenant three times their deposit. At least one tenant has already successfully taken her landlord to court.

John Socha is vice chair of the National Landlords Association and director of another scheme called mydeposits. He believes the majority of landlords are signing up, and expects that legal action of this sort will become less necessary:

"You'll have to find a tenant who didn't know about the scheme, and a landlord who didn't know about the scheme, so that will become increasingly less and less."

Are you a landlord? Have you signed up the scheme?
Are you a tenant? Has your landlord signed up to the scheme?

It will be interesting to know how widespread this is.

I've put my tenants deposit in the free scheme the govt runs. Doesnt cost anyone anything and is funded by the interest the deposits make. Anyone else used this?

www.depositprotection.com

Quote from: grahamC on September 09, 2008, 07:54:10 AM
I've put my tenants deposit in the free scheme the govt runs. Doesnt cost anyone anything and is funded by the interest the deposits make. Anyone else used this?

www.depositprotection.com

I know a few people that have used that scheme. Seems pretty decent.

All my tenants moved in before the tenancy deposit scheme became a required service, so next time I get new tenants, I'll probably use that website.

My tenants cash is under my pillow safe and sound

Quote from: grahamC on September 09, 2008, 07:54:10 AM
I've put my tenants deposit in the free scheme the govt runs. Doesnt cost anyone anything and is funded by the interest the deposits make. Anyone else used this?

www.depositprotection.com

I'm using this one also, although I'm based in Scotland and not sure this is the law up here yet