Tenancy Deposit Solicitors
If you’re leaving, or have recently left a rented property, you should be able to recover your deposit at the end of your tenancy, unless you breached the terms of your rental agreement, during your tenancy. Legal protection exists to help protect tenants against a landlord’s failure to return a deposit. We can help you determine whether or not you are entitled to the return of your deposit and how best to recover it.
Our specialist team advises clients in different languages on a wide range of Property Law matters. Call them on 0208 1111 911 or contact them through the website to discuss your circumstances with them.
What should happen to my deposit?
Since 2007, most private rentals have been covered by Government-approved tenancy deposit protection schemes. Within 30 days of starting your tenancy, your landlord should have paid your deposit into an approved scheme, and provided you with proof that it is protected.
After your tenancy ended, you should then have had your deposit returned by your landlord within 10 days, unless you breached your tenancy agreement. This can be breached by falling behind on your rent or bills or damaging the property.
If your landlord doesn’t return your deposit, they must substantiate their reasons for withholding it. The tenancy deposit protection scheme will retain the deposit until the dispute between you and your landlord is resolved.
What can I do if my landlord is withholding my deposit?
First you must determine how much you are entitled to receive. It could be the full amount, or they may have made deductions. To make deductions, they must be able to prove that you breached your agreement and that this resulted in a financial loss.
If you missed rent payments, their financial loss is straightforward to prove. If you caused damage to the property they should provide evidence of the costs they incurred – for example, bills for repairs or cleaning.
At the end of a tenancy, it is normal for wear and tear to carpets to have occurred and also for landlords to get the property professionally cleaned. However, they cannot withhold your deposit for cleaning or wear and tear, unless they can prove that this was excessive, such as badly-marked carpets or furnishings.
How do I get legal advice on recovering my rent deposit?
Call us on 0208 1111 911 or contact us through the website and we’ll discuss your circumstances with you. Whether your deposit was protected by a tenancy deposit protection scheme or not, we can advise on how best to proceed. If we think we can help you, we’ll advise you on the next steps to take and explain all of our fees fully, before you instruct us.
