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Original poster

Estate agents ignoring me

22 replies

user00002 · 08/06/2021 13:21

Hello,

I recently left a property at the end of a 12 month fixed term contract, nearly 3 weeks ago. After, the estate agents did a checkout report and nothing major came back - they said there were some minor cleaning issues and a mark where our baby gate had been at the top of the stairs but this was pretty much the extent of it.

Since I received the check out report I feel like I have been chasing to find out when I will get my deposit back continuously. I have not been informed of any deductions - in fact I have not been informed of anything at all.

I have emailed 4 times now, I have rung 3 times. Twice, the phone wasn't answered and the third time I was told I would receive a call back as the relevant person was busy. I never got a call back. This was last week.

The property I was in has since been rented out again - I know because the tenant is a friend of a friend. They moved in the week after I left.

So my question is this - what do I do now? I have tried contacting the estate agents several different ways and no response. I work monday to friday so is difficult for me to physically go down there during their opening times. Also, if they were taking any serious deductions would this have been noted before a new tenant moved in? I just don't understand how this works - I assumed if there was anything major needing doing, and they were taking anything from my deposit they would of known about this by now esepcially as they have let the property again since.

Very frustrated.

OP posts:
daisyphase · 08/06/2021 13:26

Who is your deposit held with? Do you know? I only have experience of DPS, but with them, you need to know your deposit ref number, you log in and you start a claim to have your deposit reimbursed. Claim 100%, no deductions, and see what the response is. I think that lots of landlords / agents will leave it up to the tenant to start the process.

Original poster
user00002 · 08/06/2021 16:15

It is with TDS.

When I looked at their process it said they only get involved if we are unable to come to an agreement over the amount being returned/deducted.

I tried the estate agents again this afternoon about 1, was told I would get a call back around half 2 and still not heard back. I have raised a complaint and not heard back from that either. Genuinely at a loss of what to do, have never known such awful lack of communication and rudeness.

OP posts:
Leftphalange · 08/06/2021 16:19

I would start with TDS. You are unable to come to an agreement as the estate agents won't even speak to you.

MadeForThis · 08/06/2021 17:38

Deal with TDS

Tempusfudgeit · 08/06/2021 18:11

You just claim the full amount back from the deposit protection service. If they dispute, you negotiate. Easy.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep · 08/06/2021 18:13

Letting agent, not estate agent
You contact the deposit scheme directly. The letting agent will care precisely zero for you now. You don't represent any money to them now.

lastqueenofscotland · 08/06/2021 19:04

Estate agents will not want to deal with the paperwork from their end for the TDS
Tell them you need a response by COB Thursday or you’ll open a dispute

Livingintheclouds · 08/06/2021 19:08

I think (as a landlord) I logged in to DPS and said it was OK to release funds, and the tenant elogged in too and claimed them . Anyway I did it within 24 hours of him moving out.
If you can't get access and you can't get your deposit back then you are in dispute surely?

Original poster
user00002 · 09/06/2021 10:08

I have heard back now. They are claiming most of my deposit lol.

For the following:

  • a light bulb that has blown in the extractor fan (can I just say the extractor fan was fitted in the late 90s, also in the move in inventory it states only some of the light bulbs were working. so not really a reach that the last remaining on blew during our time there. I wasn't even aware of it as never bothered using the lights above the extractor)
  • a wobbly door knob that again were fitted years ago. Were wobbly at time of moving in.
  • a mark on the wall in the hallway. When we moved in, check in inventory states that all the walls in the apartment were marked and chipped, check out inventory is now saying that the one wall in the hallway has an extra mark on it. They want money to repaint the walls.
  • A chip in the paint on the banister where our baby gate was. This is the only one that I am in agreement with but again, not sure how this would take most of our deposit.

They are claiming 500 pounds for all of the above and 135 for cleaning.

So looks like it will be going to dispute. I anticipate this will take a little while.

OP posts:
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep · 09/06/2021 10:51

Good luck!
Twats

Dogsandbabies · 09/06/2021 10:55

We had similar. We emailed the letting agents explaining that we were not prepared to pay the proposed charges. Explaining normal wear and tear.

They wanted £600. We proposed that we accepted one charge of £20 and then for the remainder we were offering them £50 as a gesture of good will otherwise we would start the arbitration process. They accepted the £70 and we got the remainder of our deposit in a few days.

Arbitration tends to favour the tenant. In addition, if a letting agent is managing the process then that is costing the landlord further so they may end up in the red either way.

Original poster
user00002 · 09/06/2021 12:36

@Dogsandbabies I am glad to hear you got most of your deposit back. Do you mind sharing the sorts of things they were trying to claim for in terms of damages but what you said was wear and tear please?

I am just trying to ascertain my chances of getting them down on the 500, it seems incredibly excessive.

OP posts:
murbblurb · 09/06/2021 12:38

Raise a dispute. There's no chance of any of that - they don't get betterment. Btw your contract is with landlord, not letting agent.

LemonSwan · 09/06/2021 12:44

Just go straight to TDS.

They are proper dodgy these agents. I had one and was negotiating and during negotiations they moved deposit protection service and theres nothing you can do.

Dont tell them you are going to TDS. Just start it today and tell them when claim is in.

areallthenamesusedup · 09/06/2021 12:51

I am a landlord. Just read the list of dilapidations. Your letting agents are bonkers and trying it on.
Please raise a dispute. There is no way they can keep so much of the deposit. Please fight this.
Both the Citizens Advice and Shelter websites give very clear instructions of what and how to do it. Keep a note of everything. eg how many times you called etc. Good luck!!!!

Dogsandbabies · 09/06/2021 13:21

@user00002

Of course, the tried to claim for the following:

Shelf that fell off the wall (we had raised that as soon as we moved in as it was hanging from the plugs).

Repainting of bathrooms - no splash backs were in place so of course water marks appeared in both bathrooms

Blutac marks on one wall in DDs room.

A wobbly doorknob Confused like you it had always been wobbly.

Skirting board had come off the wall. But that was obviously due to a damp problem that we alerted them about and they repaired.

The only thing we did pay for was a professional clean. But that was largely due to the fact we have 2 kids and I am heavily pregnant so decided to pay rather than do it ourselves. And again, we arranged that ourselves as the price they quoted was outrageous (£370).

Definitely do not accept what they have suggested!

Thecatsawinner · 09/06/2021 13:46

Did you get a receipt for dvd of tenancy clean? If so dispute that cost?

Original poster
user00002 · 09/06/2021 13:51

I have sat down and gone through the check in and check out reports.

Some of the marked walls etc. they are claiming is our negligence, there is no before pictures. There is comments that state the wall was marked though, now they have updated it to 'heavily' marked.

I have gone through every thing they have stated we are responsible for, damage wise, and have looked in detail at the comments and pictures in a side by side comparison. In a lot of areas, there are no before photos, and often it states in the comments things are marked and chipped. They have just added heavily marked and chipped now.

Thanks for comments, I have sent them a written document of my own findings in the before and after check outs and a direct comparison of them.

Hopefully, this will not drag on too long.

OP posts:
Hallyup6 · 09/06/2021 14:24

All of that sounds like fair wear and tear. I've learned from experience to photograph everything when you move into a place. Our landlord tried to charge us for 'stealing the tiles off the back of the fireplace' (I mean, why would we do that?!) and replacing them with a cheap board. Fortunately I could prove it was like that when we moved in, and he was left red faced.

Good luck, landlords can be absolute twats sometimes.

surreygirl1987 · 09/06/2021 21:29

What on earth?! What a disgrace! Sorry that is happening to you!

krj2688 · 10/06/2021 09:45

Oh no sorry this has happened. We had the same twice and disputed it. We received our full deposits back both times. If you are renting again do your own in depth inventory, make sure every little mark is photographed. We did this the second time and were able to prove everything they claimed for.

Original poster
user00002 · 10/06/2021 11:27

I have not actually received a breakdown of their claims yet, they sent me this random figure of around 500 pounds for damages which I am assuming is for the things I have noted in this thread as those are the things they have flagged in the check out report as 'damages'. I asked for a breakdown of how they got to this figure as soon as I received it.

The letting agents I am with have been extremely slow in everything to do with me leaving this property so I think it will take some time.

OP posts:
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