Deposit refund

[itsmehere1]

Hi all. Please help me out. We moved out of our earlier flat on 15th April and handed over the keys to the estate agent on the same. The last day or end of tenancy date was 20th April. Since then we have been trying to contact the landlord to return our deposit but he doesn’t respond to our emails or calls. We called the estate agent and they pretty much shook their hand off and said it’s between us and the landlord and they will release the deposit once they get confirmation from both. Our deposit is protected. What are my options as per law? How long does it take for landlords to agree to refund of deposit?

My agents do a ‘inventory check out’ service and send the report to both parties. If they agree then deposit (or part of) gets returned. Did the agent do an inventory when you moved in? I think if they may have some responsibility if they collected the deposit from you. You should also have had a document about where the deposit is held. I think you can apply direct to that body and they will get in touch with your landlord (I may be wrong in this bit). Check your lease.

I'm in a similar position. I'm buying the house I've rented. My landlady says I need to speak to the letting agent who originally managed it. As they still hold the deposit. When I popped in they didn't seem to know about it. She stopped using the agent years ago. So surely she would hold it. She's been an excellent landlord, so I don't think she's trying to pull a fast one at all.

OP, did you get proof of the deposit protection scheme you've been registered for? Whenever we've moved into rented flats, we've asked for our landlord to send information on which protection scheme our deposit is saved in. If you have this information, you can check what their complaints/refund procedure is. IIRC, by law, your landlord has to notify you of any deductions from your deposit within 14 days. After that, you can claim the full amount back.

The shelter website has lots of advice and template letters. Just start putting it in writing and get the legal process going.