Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Landlord wants to take £300 from our deposit

147 replies

Beatrice11 · 25/03/2020 07:38

Hi everyone, just wanted to ask what’s everybody’s opinion.
Long story short, we moved out of the previous accomodation and want to get our deposit back. Landlord has been a bit difficult throughout the tenancy, but now he’s saying that he wants to take £300 from the deposit, the reasons are: we moved out one day later then we supposed to, because our son wasn’t well. We cleared the garage a week later. Now he is saying that it is £100 for being one day late with moving out and £200 for keeping our stuff in the garage for one more week. The rent we were paying was £1275/per month. The cost of renting out a garage in that area is £100/ month top- and starts from £50/ month.
We have been asking him to return the deposit for the last 3 weeks. Last week he texted us to come to his house and he will pay cash- he then didn’t open the door. Next day I’ve sent an email saying that we will take further steps- he replied that he didn’t open the door as he had a suspicious of COVID 19! He knew that we were coming ( we texted him a couple of hours before) and he didn’t warn us that he was feeling ill!
He refused to make an inventory check when we were moving out; we left the house in a much better condition then it was when we were moving in.
I think if he asked for £100 althogether, it would be fair, but not £300! He is saying that it is favourable to us!
We are now considering taking this to the deposit insurance scheme he used to protect the deposit.
Also, he is refusing to make a bank transfer, he want’s to give us cash- my understanding is that the current goverment statement urges everyone to stay at home emplies that we should not go to his house- any idea on that matter and where I could report him?
Sorry for a long post, but I am just getting sick of him.

OP posts:
WhenISnappedAndFarted · 25/03/2020 07:59

I also agree that you still had your stuff in the garage for another week. If I was moving in and still had the previous tenants property in the garage I wouldn't be happy because I couldn't put my stuff in.

I do think £300 is about right.

MsSquiz · 25/03/2020 08:00

You kept your stuff in his garage for a week after you moved out, and you left the property a day late.
An extra day's rent on the property would be £41.92 and the remaining money he has asked for would be for storage fees, as I presume you have nothing written to say it was agreed that you could use the garage for storage a week after you left?

Why do you think you should be allowed a week's free storage in his garage and an extra day at the property?

TKAAHUARTG · 25/03/2020 08:00

The DPS will side with him, you stayed longer in the property (even if it was only the garage) so you need to pay rent for that. I am surprised he is even discussing this with you though. The DPS will take it from the deposit and give it to him and then give you any left over. You are massively in the wrong here though. Just leave it up to the deposit protection service.

madcatladyforever · 25/03/2020 08:01

i can't really see what your problem is. Your stuff was there for over another week, 8 days. That's another weeks rent.
When i moved out of rented last year I moved all my stuff into storage straight away as I wasn't going to be moving into the house I bought for another 2 weeks as I was off to stay with relatives (before coronavirus).
If all my stuff had been left in the garage I would have expected to have paid for another 2 weeks rent. I had to be out on a certain day and all my stuff had to be off the premises the same day including the garage.
WEhy do you think it's ok to store your stuff there and not pay?

user1493413286 · 25/03/2020 08:02

I would go through the scheme; we’ve had to go through it twice and it’s very simple and always been very fair. He sounds dodgy.

MsSquiz · 25/03/2020 08:03

He also has no need to give you cash, as the DPS will return whatever portion is agreed to you.
I would recommend you only communicate via the DPS resolution service. Suggest to them a figure you are happy to pay for the storage costs and additional rent and the DPS will work as arbitration between you

DontBe · 25/03/2020 08:03

Do you think it’s reasonable to have left your stuff in the garage for a week after you moved out?

Original poster
Beatrice11 · 25/03/2020 08:03

Forgot to mention, he repeteadly said- that at first he had no intention of deducting anything- he said that in his texts and emails too. After over 2 weeks when I have sent him an email saying I will take further action- he changed his mind Hmm

OP posts:
NailsNeedDoing · 25/03/2020 08:04

He sounds like a crap landlord, but you effectively moved out of the house a week late. It’s irrelevant that your stuff was mostly in the garage, you weren’t fully out of the property as you should have been.

Treat it as a loss and don’t let it happen next time.

WhenISnappedAndFarted · 25/03/2020 08:04

What we're you going to take action for?

Original poster
Beatrice11 · 25/03/2020 08:06

Of course I do not think it was ok for us to stay longer and keep our stuff in the garage and I am not saying that! I am happy to pay, but think £300 is too much, hence I am asking what everyone’s opinion is

OP posts:
TARSCOUT · 25/03/2020 08:08

Sorry but you didn't fully vacate. He couldn't rent house and garage as one so you are due that.money. my tenant wants a days rent refunded because they moved ed out a day early which I would have given them if they weren't disputing the cleaning fee or the fact they drilled in to two doors or wrecked the blinds by putting them in washing machine. House will not be rented again. Leaving empty till able to sell.

NailsNeedDoing · 25/03/2020 08:11

£300 is roughly an extra weeks rent. As you vacated a week late, £300 is about right according to your monthly rent.

What makes you think it’s too much?

8by8 · 25/03/2020 08:12

Go through the scheme so that it’s all official and no more messing around with collecting cash etc.

But tbh his suns are right, and you should expect to lose about £300 from your deposit.

You kept part of the property for an extra week. That means he couldn’t rent out any of the property, so you have to pay rent for that week.

Sn0tnose · 25/03/2020 08:12

I’m surprised you think you’re entitled to the whole deposit back, to be honest.

Your sick child is not his problem. You not having anywhere to store a garage full of stuff is not his problem. If he’d wanted to move a new tenant in the day after you were supposed to leave, he’d have been absolutely stuffed. And if a garage comes with the property, what’s he supposed to do? Tell a new tenant that it’s out of bounds because the previous tenant was taking massive liberties?

I think £300 isn’t unreasonable for a week of still using the facilities of the property. I also think you should hope he doesn’t meet your new landlord and tell them that when you move out, you do it in stages and at your own convenience.

TKAAHUARTG · 25/03/2020 08:14

How is £300 too much (for the extra week) when the rent for the month was 1200? I actually think that technically he could charge for the full month, so 300 is pretty reasonable.

Whalette · 25/03/2020 08:14

He's effectively lost more than a week's rental income - it's right that you pick up the price for some of it.

What payment did you agree when he said you could leave your possessions in the garage?

LolaSmiles · 25/03/2020 08:15

Since you only stayed 1 day longer and used the garage (which is a top up for a week longer) I'd only be asking for £67.50 which is 1/30th of the house rent plus 25% of the garage rent. Basically exactly what you owe for using them longer

Or alternatively, the property was rented as a whole property so the whole property was being used for a week longer, therefore a week's rent is reasonable.

If the OP wanted to store things in a garage then she could have rented a garage and paid the required rent for a garage, but she didn't. She didn't vacate a rental property so the rent is for the whole property.

I'm not saying the OP should have moved to a garage by the way, just disputing the idea that because it was just the garage somehow paying rent on the property is unfair.

Whatisthisfuckery · 25/03/2020 08:16

OP, take it to the DPS resolution service. If you made a prior agreement about moving out late and leaving your stuff and you have evidence of texts etc then submit those.

If he registered with the DPS you should have had an email. If you have no email then chances are he hasn’t put the deposit in the scheme. He should not be paying you back in cash unless for some reason you both made an agreement to that effect, although I’d never recommend doing that, for the reasons you’re finding out now.

The DPS resolution scheme will decide what is fair for him to deduct however if you have evidence of him telling you he wouldn’t then they’ll probably come out in your favour. If he’s not put the money into the DPS he’s in the shit.

RedHelenB · 25/03/2020 08:17

Go through the scheme.

Sparklfairy · 25/03/2020 08:17

Just go through the DPS and let them decide. You both sound like a couple of chancers.

FamilyOfAliens · 25/03/2020 08:17

So two things here:

  1. Sounds like he’s entitled to recoup his loss because you prevented him from moving in new tenants for 8 days.
  1. The whole thing needs to be done properly, through the DPS that’s holding your deposit. Not by handing over rolls of cash on the landlords doorstep. If he came back and said you never gave him anything and claimed the £300 from the DPS on top of what you’d already given him in cash, you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
PotteringAlong · 25/03/2020 08:18

Keeping £300 is fine. I think you’re lucky he didn’t charge you for the full month

Quickquestion2020 · 25/03/2020 08:18

I agree that 300 is fair. You cant just leave your stuff in someone elses house. Or stay there longer than agreed. You could have cost him much more if tenants had refused to wait or live with your stuff.
Bit weird about the cash request, I'm guessing he has more cash than he has in his account and doesn't want to go to the bank.

Accept the 300 charge but insist on bank transfer.

rottiemum88 · 25/03/2020 08:20

£300 seems more than fair for your week's overstay, based on your monthly rent. Problem is, you talk about the price of renting a garage locally being £100/month, but you didn't rent a separate garage for a month. You rented a garage attached to a house... ergo you rented the whole house. I think it's a bit cheeky to expect that money back and even moreso to have overstayed in the first place