What evidence to get money back from greedy landlord

[trackedtracedmaced]

helping himself to our money.

We were model tenants. Never had any issues in the 10 years we were there.

He said to me I won't clobber you for the deposit or some words to that affect. I guess he meant take too much of your money.

He did absolutely no decorating in all those years. He knew there was a ventilation problem but he did nothing about it. So the place needs full decorating. Even heard him telling the new tenants what he could do for them in terms of fixing ventilation but said later as he didn't want me to hear!

He is trying to take half of our money.

The usual scam saying that he needs £200 for cleaning. Although it was cleaned. With a few bits missed that would take a £15 pound hour cleaner no more than 2 hours absolutely tops.

Because the soap dish was missed in the washing machine and dishwasher needed a clean he is trying to charge a contribution for replacement of both. Although they are full functioning and pretty new.

Oh a he said there was a joke in the sink. Which we said we would pay for.

Deposit dispute scheme are now asking for evidence after the landlord submitted his.

What kind of evidence can we submit? We don't have any. Apart from to say £200 is a rip off and the whole place needs decorating and it was clean apart from a couple of cupboards and the appliances.

What evidence is there that can prove that the appliances don't need to be changed as the dish was missed but it works perfectly well?

Did you take photographs of how the place looked when you left to show that it wasn’t in need of a mammoth clean?
The dish was missed -sorry, do you mean it’s got soap gunk in it or that it’s missing?

Any photographs that you took and the checkin and checkout reports, including photographs. Copies of any requests for remedial works

You should have a report when you moved in and one when you moved out.

Just point the difference to the DPS. From my experience Deposit Protection Scheme usually side with the tenant. For every claim just justify your view point, that should be enough to get deposit back.

He will need to provide receipts from a registered company to show the work was done and how much he paid. He can’t just ask for £200. If it cost £198.75 then you pay exactly that amount to the penny. No receipt = you don’t pay.

Exactly that soap gunk. Not sure how that justifies buying 2 whole new appliances that where pretty new and fully functioning.

I asked for the Check in report that I can't find after 10 years in the property but the estate agent won't give it to us - repeatedly ignore the request.

We have the check about report that was done the day after we left.

It's good to know that we can justify our points and don't have to have photographic proof.

We had a great relationship with LL, I'm actually quite disappointed. I did feel that his comment about not clobbering fir our prosit money was a strange comment. A lot of landlords see it as theirs to help themselves to it seems. It just goes to show that when the chips are down, greedy scammers with greedily scam.

We had a great relationship with LL, I'm actually quite disappointed.

I bet this is all coming from the EA, and not the LL. They have been known to try to clobber tenants who are leaving to show off to landlords 'look, we got you £400 back' when the LL didn't even ask them to.

I've been through this recently although I had photographic evidence of how clean it was. He's trying to use your deposit to pay for redecoration or profit.

I too was a model tenant. The place was spotless all the time, I let tradespeople in and out of the communal grounds, I let the window cleaner use my outside tap. I thought we had a good relationship.

But he still tried to take £165 for cleaning! I had to call over to pick up a parcel and the apartment still smelt of my cleaning products!

I fought it via the deposit scheme and he only got £50 which I thought was still too much.

I think some landlords just do this. I've noticed that my landlord now has 2 empty apartments in the complex!

Fight it as hard as you can.

If they haven't uploaded the check in report to the TDS portal then they have no proof that the machines weren't in the state you left them, because obviously you had to clean them before they were used?

Also, if the machines were 10 years old, you point out that they were the same machines as when you moved in & hadn't been replaced. 10 years is beyond the expected lifespan of an appliance in a rental so the LL wouldn't be due any money at all to better them.

In my experience it was the landlord rather than the EA.

If they cannot give you the inventory for checking in they cannot prove what condition it was to start with so how can they say it's worse? You need that report and if they won't give it to you (or more likely it's gone missing) you're on unsteady ground.

It's good you've got the checking out report. I never saw mine.

I also think with mine he was in cahoots with a cleaning company because an empty 2 bed apartment would not need 10 additional hours cleaning on top of the 10 I already did.

Yes this happened to us recently as well. We had photos of the state it was in when we left (pristine) and used that to counter it. Even though the LL made the claim for the £500-odd, they only got awarded £100 which was for something we missed so that was fair enough.

Most of the issues they tried to claim on were there when we moved in - so they obviously had no intention of sorting them before the next tenant moved in as they never sorted them before we moved in and I did wonder after the case was closed if they'd claimed for those same issues from the prior tenant's deposit as well.

I had a professional cleaning company in before I departed my rental house. They were there 8 hours and it was immaculate - much better than when I moved in. They even took the oven apart to clean all the components, but the LL still tried to claim for some things. I managed to dispute some of them but I was still ripped off.

You say the appliances are pretty new. I would have thought the LL would have to prove you've damaged them in some way - over and above normal wear and tear - if he wants them replaced.

I think the LL definitely was the one who initiated it, but the Estate Agent told him the best way to scam. They just love the huge unjustified cleaning bills! You hear it time and time again. The place was a state because of the ventilation problem but we were served notice when we said about putting windows that open in all rooms to improve it. We were to scared to report it after that.

I argued the fact we had been there for 10 years and the Fridge/Freezer had never been changed and it was over the life span of an appliance. The deposit agent then claimed it was to replace 2 appliances that hadn't been cleaned!

Oh yes definitely for redecoration I knew that he would do this after the comment he made.

How unfair that you went to all that effort and you were still charged that. They definitely know. cleaning companies and trades to get dodgy receipt from.

That's a really good point.

Although I think that they have uploaded it onto the deposit scheme platform as evidence. I am willing to bet that the newer appliances were not uploaded onto the original inventory, as we usually did things without the agent. So if it only shows the old appliances, will he just be able to show new ones with a dirty soap dish and claim replacement money?

I used the 10 year excuse for the fridge/freezer and then was told no it's due the newer appliances. They probably changed tack there.

@user1471538283 @SisterMichaelsHabit @TicTacNicNak

Wow it's is unbelievable to hear your experiences. It is so unjust. No wonder they have such a bad name.

Wish I wasn't such a model tenant now. I'm starting to think some will get their karma with the next tenants finding legal loopholes for ceasing rent payments.

I had a landlord's agent try this a while back.

I told them I would gladly arrange for the professional clean and professional carpet clean they were insisting upon once they had provided me with the dated invoices for the same works from before we moved in.

I never heard from them again.

@KievLoverTwo That was a good shout!

Unfortunately mine are adamant they wanted to go ahead with their ridiculous claims. Can't see it good for the environment getting rid of 2 perfectly good appliances because a soap tray needed a wash out! My guess is his friends (new tenants), wanted to bring their own from the flat they own.

Oh yes and if anyone wants to know. Agents at some places get commission for any works orders for £500 and over. That's why they like to "help" the LL scam so much.

@trackedtracedmaced landlords now have to get any electrical appliance they provide with the property safety tested, so they are probably going to get rid of them entirely so they don't have to pay to do that.

I didn't know that re: work orders. Charming.