UK Landlord Forum / Life

We are writing with regards to your deposit to the value of £975.00 which is currently being held by
the DPS (Deposit Protection Service), for the above named property.
Following our final inspection of the property on 2

the Landlord is proposing the following charges against the deposit:

Kitchen
2x Replacement Spotlight Bulbs £12.00
Replace 1x Cooker Hood Bulb £6.00
Treat Mould in Corner Above Kitchen Cupboard £15.00
Clean Grout On Kitchen Splashback £20.00
Living Room
Treat Mould and refix wall paper (some Staining may remain) £45.00

Bathroom
Treat Heavy Mould To Ceiling
Treat Mould to Grout Around Bath Area
Clean Mould From Grout Around Bath Area
Repaint Ceiling with 2 coats white mould resistant paint.
Clean or Replace Sealant where mould present
£325.00
Scratch On Living Room Floor – I can improve it but it won't be invisible £25.00
Remove Rubbish for Property including old Kitchen cupboard £30.00
Cleaning has come in at £220 plus an additional £50 for cleaning the oven and oven extractor hood –
Cleaning Total £270
Total claim against deposit: £748.00

Nearly all my deposit is taken in unfair charges by the landlord. The mould problem was mentioned to the estate agent and I have asked for extractor fan to be installed in the bathroom to ventilate the area. The property is quite old and the walls aren't properly insulated as it is mentioned also in the EPC rating.

Can someone please help me in fighting the unfair charge on a 1 bed flat?

Thanks

The deposit is a pure paperwork based system.

Respond to the agent or landlord and state your case for each deduction.  If you cannot come to an agreement then you can go to a free deposit dispute.

If you're not confident that you can negotiate your deposit then you could try https://depositnegotiators.co.uk/ You pay them a small fee and they will negotiate your deposit for you if they feel your case is strong.

If you wish to contest this,do you have photographs of the state of the place when you moved in? The charges themselves don't seem excessive if you have failed to clean fully before leaving and rectify mould. Mould usually comes from inside,due to lack of ventillation (open windows work as well as fans) and lack of heating.I don't think the insulation of the walls would make a difference. 

Quote from: heavykarma on July 07, 2021, 01:05:04 PM
If you wish to contest this,do you have photographs of the state of the place when you moved in? The charges themselves don't seem excessive if you have failed to clean fully before leaving and rectify mould. Mould usually comes from inside,due to lack of ventillation (open windows work as well as fans) and lack of heating.I don't think the insulation of the walls would make a difference.

If the landlord wants to make a successful claim then they should have a 3rd party inventory with photos.

This is framed quite well... note the "proposing"... it might be the case (or do I just feel positive towards people until I'm proven wrong time after time?) that the Tenant going back with some suggestions (a suggestion that is different to - "I accept nothing, I will pay nothing") might be received pragmatically. It's always going to be best - for both parties - to come to an agreement. Generally this means neither side is happy with the outcome... but no-one feels like they lost out too much.

Presumably the Tenant doesn't hold the position that all of the charges are unfair. It would be good to know which to focus on in trying to reach an amicable solution. If the Tenant truly didn't replace bulbs and left their rubbish in the property and didn't clean the oven... then can we take a guess at what kind of Tenant they are, and will be? Of course evidence is key... but once you draw that weapon there's no amiableness remaining. I have always tried to agree any Deposit deductions on the day... I am happy to give way a little bit if I feel the Tenant is also willing to be reasonable. This is better than doing all the admin. relating to Deposit arguments.

Thanks for the replies guys. Really appreciate it. I have left the property in clean condition other issues were reported time and time again to the property agents but were ignored like installing Extractor fans in bathroom or removing the rubbish left by the contractors who came in to carry out the work. The marks were done by them on the floor for which I am getting penalized. They even broke one of my dining chair which were also reported but no refund was offered. I have leaved in that property for over 3 years and never did once did a late payment even during pandemic. 

The comment that ends this last post somehow tries to imply the OP is an excellent Tenant because - "I have leaved in that property for over 3 years and never did once did a late payment even during pandemic." - and this truly exemplifies what I don't understand about some attitudes... this fact doesn't put you, somehow, into the top-tier of most desirable Tenants that Landlords would be climbing over themselves to get... why would it? Paying the rent - in full and on time, regardless of any 'outside' situations - is actually the bare minimum a[ny] Tenant should be doing.

Why it's included here as some kind of noteworthy behaviour, deserving of a Gold Star?, is something I don't understand.

I know,it's like saying "Every time I go to the supermarket I make sure I go to the checkout and pay for my groceries".