"Redecoration" charges upon vacation of property?

[irisetta]

So we are currently in a dispute with our ex-landlord re: tenancy deposit. The dispute has now been lodged with TDS, but just interested to hear your thoughts - is it legal for a landlord to claim anything whatsoever re: "Contribution to redecoration throughout"?

• Property was lived in for 2 years, family of 4
• Some wear and tear, but we cleaned to a high standard, removed all stains from carpets, touched up throughout (with the original colours) - even fixed some bits that had been broken before we even moved in! No damage.

Thanks for any thoughts!

Yes it is legal, the question is as to the extent of your liability. What does it say in your tenancy agreement? Was there any schedule of condition or photos taken at the start of the tenancy?

Hello, did you take photographs? I would dispute it, as your deposit is held in a safe system, you should be able to contest this. I would definitely go ahead and do that, and keep pushing against it, Don't let it go, as it sounds unreasonable.

Are they claiming you damaged the decor in some way?

Do you know when it was last redecorated? What's the reason given for the need to redecorate?

This might help

www.thedisputeservice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Case-studies-on-disputes-involving-redecoration.pdf

The level of reasonable wear and tear depends on a number of factors including how long you have lived there etc. Did you take pictures before you left?