| How to get all
your Deposit Back |
Start Now not Later
Without wanting to be too motherly, the process of ensuring
that you get your deposit back starts when you hand over
your deposit to your landlord, not the day before you move
out! With the grown up bit done, here are our recommendations.
Before you sign the contract make sure that you know what
the deposit you are paying is for, and make sure you have
this in writing. In particular you should ensure that fair
wear and tear is excluded from your liabilities. Pay either
by cheque or credit card so you have evidence of having
paid. Also make sure that you get a receipt for it.
When you Move In
When you move in make it a priority to get and check
your inventory thoroughly. A good landlord/agent will
provide
you with a very detailed report. It will not only list
every item but will also list the condition of the item.
Check that each item listed is in fact in the house,
and if it is not, inform the landlord. If you disagree
with
the description of the condition of something then amend
your inventory accordingly. Similarly if no descriptions
of condition are added and something is in poor condition
then make a note of it. This also applies to fittings
and woodwork/décor, fag burns in carpets/furniture.
You should ensure that the marked up inventory is returned
to your agent/landlord within a week of picking up the
keys. Keep a copy of the amendments for your own records
(trust us it will be very, very useful at the end of the
tenancy). Ask the landlord/agent to confirm in writing
that they have received and agreed to your amendments.
During your tenancy, should you at any point decide that,
actually, you would quite like your landlord to be able
to keep your deposit at the end of your tenancy then we
recommend the following top tips for giving your landlord
every justification to retain it:
| • |
Painting your walls in abstract colours, especially
without getting permission to do so will ensure
that you lose at least £100. |
| • |
Put big nails in every wall and use blue tack
every where. This goes down particularly well when
you have made absolutely no effort to clean up
the blue tack marks. |
| • |
One of our favorites is removing the landlord's
furniture into the garden shed so you can make
room for your surround sound 42" screen TV
system. Leave said furniture in there over the
winter and come the end of your tenancy - voila,
mildew - inspired! |
| • |
Don't bother buying ash trays - sofas and carpets
are ideal for stubbing out cigarettes (this is
particularly appealing to your mates at 4 'o' clock
in the morning after your house warming) |
| • |
Break the tasteless sculpture sitting in the
corner of the sitting room. We definitely don't
recommend politely asking your landlord to remove
it at the start of the tenancy, as this would really
remove a golden opportunity to loose a few quid. |
| • |
Red wine stains are a sure winner. If you think
you have already used up all your deposit and you
don't want your landlord to have to pay out too
much to get the place into a fit state for next
years gullible mugs, then try the following: Soak
up as much as possible and cover (not just sprinkle)
the stain in salt (as soon as it happens rather
than the morning after). |
| • |
Let the garden grow into a natural habitat suitable
for guerillas. |
| • |
Break a crystal vase and replace it with a pint
glass borrowed from the pub. |
| • |
Baking Potatoes in the Microwave for 45 minutes
really helps the microwave to break itself. |
| • |
Food fights are pretty effective, especially
when you leave that banana on the ceiling for a
few days before thinking about clearing up. |
| • |
Forget to inform the landlord when one of his
ropey chairs gives away because someone actually
dared sit on it. |
| • |
Never defrosting the fridge so the ice compartment
door breaks. Putting three cases of beer in the
fridge so all the shelves bend beyond the limit
of elasticity isn't a bad idea either. |
| • |
Ensuring the place looks like a recycling plant
every time the landlord comes round. |
Getting Ready to Move Out
D-Day is Approaching - don't get stuffed by your flat mates
O.K. so you are coming to the end of your tenancy and
you have sensibly decided to ignore our recommendations
above
so your place is not looking too bad. You are moving
out in two days time and all of a sudden you realise
that all
5 of your flat mates have moved out…and the clean
up still needs doing! Oh ****.
There is no way out of it. If you want your deposit back
you have got to clean the place from top to bottom. It
isn't just a quick hoover and a quick wash up. It's a serious
scrub of every corner, tile, work surface, skirting boards
etc. It is a pain and it will be considerably more painful
if you have to do it on your own.
Try to agree a day or even two shortly before the tenancy
ends when all your flat mates will be around to clean
up. Normally, with exams having finished people tend
to go
home before the end of the tenancy. The clean up will
always take longer than you think so if flat mates are
threatening
not to be around then try to make them see the light.
Your flat mates that disappeared early may not be quite
so pleased
if you just did your "share" and then everybody
ends up losing their deposits. Whilst on the subject of "shares",
do not under estimate how much time the last minute jobs
will take!
If you can't agree on a day make sure that those leaving
early are assigned the worst jobs like cleaning out the
cupboards in the kitchen, de-greasing the pots and pans,
beating the rugs, weeding the garden, cleaning the windows
etc. Each person should be responsible for their bedroom
but make sure they do not leave until the rest of you are
happy that it has been left in a fit state. If you have
set up a shared bank account this could be used as an incentive
measure to ensure an equal contribution from a really troublesome
flat mate.
Oh you didn't trash it, did you?
Did you demolish some shelves back at the house warming?
Or perhaps you took a marker pen to the kitchen wall when
trying to point out the washing up to a flat mate? It will
almost always be cheaper to sort out problems yourself.
This may even mean getting a tradesman in yourself (Homepro.com
should be able to find you a reputable company). It is
amazing how expensive agency or landlords favoured maintenance
people can be!
Passing the Inspection before running to the bank
If you are really keen you might want to consider asking
your landlord to carry out an inspection a couple of weeks
before you move out. He/She should be able to point out
what needs sorting out before you leave.
Below are a list of the little jobs that are frequently
forgotten and lead to bills against your deposit:
| • |
Cleaning cupboards in the kitchen. |
| • |
Removing your own furniture - you might
think next years students would like it, but your
landlord may charge you to remove it. |
| • |
Likewise, don't leave any food in cupboards,
even if it hasn't passed
its sell by date. |
| • |
Using that brush that has been sitting by your
toilet all year. |
| • |
Defrosting the fridge/freezer - make sure you
leave the door open. |
| • |
Cleaning the oven - Mr.Muscle's oven cleaner
works a treat. |
| • |
Weeding the garden. |
| • |
Failing to secure the property when you leave.
(window locks) |
| • |
Returning all the Keys. |
Should you receive a visit from your electricity/gas
supplier(s) DO NOT allow them to disconnect the supplies
without first
getting permission from your landlord/agent. You may
get charged for the reconnection!
Check the inventory thoroughly. Replace things with items
of similar quality and if they are part of a matching set,
do your best to replace it with the same set. Again the
price you will pay will be much less than the landlord
is likely to charge. Make sure that all items are put back
into the room that they are listed as being in.
Arrange for the inspection to be carried out as soon as
possible after you move out, or preferably, as you move
out as you may be held responsible if somebody breaks-in
in the interim.
It is a good idea, if practical, to accompany the landlord
on his inspection. Whilst you will probably end up having
to do a little bit more work as a result of it, at least
it gives you the opportunity to sort out a problem before
the very expensive industrial cleaners are called in. It
will also make it more difficult for a landlord to make
up dubious claims against you.
Despite your best efforts, your Landlord is a ****
You have sweated more liquid than you managed to drink
during freshers week to get the place up to scratch before
leaving but your landlord is still refusing to return your
deposit. What can you do?
Step 1 is to get him/her to detail, in writing, the reasons
for not returning your deposit. This should include a
cost against each item. e.g. £35 to replace broken table, £100
for cleaning. Ask for receipts to substantiate each item.
Your next port of call should be your accommodation office.
They should be able to advise you on how to proceed to
the small claims court to recover your costs.
This article is courtesy of pastures-new,
a leading source of student accommodation throughout the
UK |
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