AIBU to challenge the agent over the end of tenancy inventory?

Ask for return of the undisputed portion of the deposited (assuming they're not trying to keep all of it). Then keep arguing and going back to them for return of the rest. Don't give up!

Landlords only have a set period to put the money in a deposit scheme AND inform you which one. If they haven’t already told you which scheme it’s in then they can be fined.

I know this must be incredibly stressful for you, and trying to argue with organisations which are behaving badly is very unpleasant. But I think you are in a very strong position. You have a copy of the move-in checklist. If the landlord/agent tries to say it doesn't exist, they have no evidence of the condition of the property. And they are going to look stupid when you produce it. If they can't evidence the state of the property when it was handed over to you, how can they prove you left it in a worse state? And it reflects very badly on them as an organisation to have lost documentation.

It's not something I've dealt with personally but I've seen a lot of reports on here of people using the deposit scheme and it generally being fair and reasonable. It seems to be a system which usually works well.

I hope it's not a massive cashflow issue for you, but I think it will be a case of going through the process and getting your money back.

So what the agent is saying is incorrect. They cannot ignore the check in report. It’s a document that exists.
Explain that you would like you full deposit back. If they don’t give you that you can go to mediation. Shelter has a lot of good advice about this. A quick google and taking some notes is your friend. If when you moved in you checked the inventory, added to it and sent a copy back to either landlord or estate agents they are unlikely to to be successful.

Speaking as a landlord, I can't see you have anything to worry about.

Citizens' Advice has useful advice on reclaiming your deposit: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/getting-your-tenancy-deposit-back/
Helpfully including an example of a dispute over cleaning!
The landlord needs to return the undisputed portion of the deposit even if some is disputed.
Keep an eye on time - if you need to use the disputes resolution process you normally need to register your issue within 3 months of moving out, so don't let the agent/landlord stall.
Given the length of your tenancy, the useful life of carpets, decoration etc passed long ago and you are correct, you only have to return the property to its standard of cleanliness when you moved in.
Legally your landlord/agent should have given you details of your Deposit Protection Scheme. If it doesn't appear in any of the three schemes when you search, your landlord is in trouble and I would expect will be rushing to return your money...

Try not to worry, you're entitled to yor money back, the inventory is clear evidence of the state the place was let to you in, but if they want to claim there is no inventory, that's fine too, because then they cant prove anything in order to retain your deposit - cleanliness, damage or anything else.

Tell your agent that you are going to report them to whichever industry body they belong to.
Also have a look at Shelter's website.

Someone I know is a not great landlord and didn’t put the deposit in a scheme. When the tenants left she tried keeping their deposit for damage. They realised it wasn’t in a scheme and took her to,court. They got the deposit and landlord had to pay extra due to the deposit not being in a scheme.

If yours isn’t in a scheme OP then your landlord is fucked and in their shoes I’d be giving you your deposit back and hoping you bugger off quickly as you could make things bad for them. And yes, point out they don’t need to clean the cobwebs, or carpets if they’ve sold it!

iIs also illegal, you have 7 days from reciept of Inventory to make any amendments. They can't refuse

I'd ask them how is the landlord going to arrange for extra cleaning if the house has been sold.

Make sure, too, that no repairmen/contractors have been into the house between you cleaning and handing the keys back and the agent doing the inspection.

I always scrutinised the move in report because I always relied on it at check out.

Several times I insisted on the move in report being amended to show small amounts of damage and dirt that weren’t recorded - the letting agent always said “oh we won’t change the moving in inventory , that’s not how it works” and I would say “then I’m moving straight out again, because I know you’ll hold me accountable at the end.” And I’d argue and argue until they agreed to insert MY photos and comments on the true state of the house.

They hated me.

Keep arguing - they rely on the fact you’ll roll over and cough up. All property agents seem to be sly - cheaters and liars as a rule!

defo fight this.

have the new people moved in yet? if not can you get any photos through the windows?

It's because of greedy ass landlords like this that the government had to step in and protect peoples deposits. Go through the official chanel and object to the charges.

We had this, I went through the tenancy deposit dispute service. Landlord tried to say there were 2k of works to be done including recruitment of their front door and a downstairs cupboard which were how we found them when we moved in. We ended up paying 300 quid for a couple of issues that I still disagree with and wish I had taken my own pictures. It did take three months to get the money back though but we did get most of our deposit back in the end.

you can find the links to the 3 schemes to search here if you don't have your original paperwork

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/check-your-landlord-has-protected-your-deposit/

You could also ask the agent. They can't just retain your deposit, there is a procedure to follow.

This is assuming you're in England - if you're in Wales or Scotland you'll need to google to find the deposit schemes there.

The protected deposit scheme began in 2007 so if you have been there 15 years yours should have been
You should have had a certificate from The Agent or landlord within 14 days of your Tenancy starting, if that didn't happen its illegal

If they try anything, go to the deposit scheme your deposit is held in, and with the check-in report, check-out report, and the length of tenancy I don't think you'll have any trouble getting your deposit back.

My only advice is not to offer any amount - you've been fair, you have both reports. They can't just 'not use' the check-in report - that was the state you received the house in, that is the base-line they are working to, and have to evidence any damage between that and the checkout report, less reasonable wear and tear (which over 15 years is considerable leeway in your favour!)

After 15 years they can't claim anything really, its all fair wear and tear it would be expected to have new carpets and decorating done. Just claim your deposit back off the scheme.

Can you get in touch with the LL ?

Do you have a valid gas safety cert? Where is the deposit stored? You might be in for a windfall if this hasn’t been managed properly.

Yes, it is
Fair wear and tear is allowed, however there is no real definition of what fair wear and tear is, although most Agents will have an industry standard
I tend to use this Wear and tear in renting: What it means and how it is applied
They can certainly not decide to ignore the move in report though

Have they shown you the inventory? Most landlords use an independent agency that will include pictures, etc. If they've done their own and haven't included pictures, that's a red flag.

Did you take your own pictures when you moved out?

You'll just have to go through the deposit dispute resolution service when they let you know how much they want to take out of your deposit. It's quite simple and they are fair, although having your own evidence/photos helps a lot.