0 hour contracts and deposits

[TheDudePhish]

Any advice to help with this please? Have a friend that has gone to rent a room and has paid 500 pounds as a deposit. She believed it was a deposit for the property [as in one that would be secured the Deposit Protection Scheme], however, it transpires it's a "holding deposit" She has since been refused the property due to having a zero hours contract [which she says she was honest about as she stated she was working seasonally]. The form says the deposit [not holding deposit] would be returnable if the landlord chose not to proceed, however, it also goes on to say "he/she will forfeit all money if the reference is not acceptable"... It feels dodgy as hell to me. Any advice as to getting the 500 pounds back, thank you in advance.

I've NCed as I posted this elsewhere (Hi HM!).

I'm presuming the "form" was actually a contract and your friend signed it before handing over the money? If so did she not read it?

But yes if the LL decided not to go ahead she should get her £ back. She needs to write a formal letter before action.

@19lottie82 Yes. It's a receipt style form so probably contractual.

Nothing about employment was mentioned to her - she had said that she was seasonal and looking for a permanent position. Her references checked out fine otherwise.

That is well fucking dodge

Very very common scam- down to the £500! Although not unlawful as such- it isn't very often that the money is paid back to the proposed tenant.
www.tpos.co.uk/news-media-and-press-releases/case-studies/item/a-tale-of-two-tenacies

MN thread from last year- www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2697992-Ive-been-scammed-out-500-by-a-rental-scam

www.actionfraud.police.uk/students-urged-to-watch-out-for-rental-scams-aug12

They all do it, it's a holding deposit, which you pay to them while they do checks on you, if you fail you lose the money.

I've been looking to move for a long time, and this holds me back as I'm not a great prospect, so potentially would fail the test. I asked what the checks involved but they 'couldn't' tell me, and wouldnt say if they had similar people with the same circumstances pass the test.

Some agencies will let you use it against anothe property but she would just fail the check again.

It's not a scam (daylight robbery) but all agencies do it, they often have different amounts. It's all about maximising profit

It seems crazy.

If people don't want people as tennants who have zero hour contracts then surely they should say upfront and before they take the deposit?