Rental house deposit argument - help please
Discussion
Chaps, your help please.
I have been renting a house since December on a 12 month contract.
I asked the landlady if she could find new tennants asap in January, and she has some moving in on 1st May.
Now it comes to returning the deposit, she is making some deductions I don't agree with.
1. £130 for a replacement window pane to replace one that was broken during a burglary a month or so back.
2. £135 to repair some laminate flooring that is lifting.
She is also charging me the re-advertisement fee even though she verbally agreed not to, as compensation for her taking 6 weeks in Jan/Feb to get the heating working.
Now, my contract says that I am liable to replace/repair anything that I break through negligence or carelessness, and so the window is her responsibility, no?
Also there was never an inventory or anything to confirm the condition of the house, or the contents, and so nothing to show that the laminate was in good repair at the start of the tennancy.
I'm not trying to stiff her out of anything I'm responsible for, but she's turned into a money-grabbing bint overnight which has pissed me off as I've bent over backwards to be accomodating.
I have been renting a house since December on a 12 month contract.
I asked the landlady if she could find new tennants asap in January, and she has some moving in on 1st May.
Now it comes to returning the deposit, she is making some deductions I don't agree with.
1. £130 for a replacement window pane to replace one that was broken during a burglary a month or so back.
2. £135 to repair some laminate flooring that is lifting.
She is also charging me the re-advertisement fee even though she verbally agreed not to, as compensation for her taking 6 weeks in Jan/Feb to get the heating working.
Now, my contract says that I am liable to replace/repair anything that I break through negligence or carelessness, and so the window is her responsibility, no?
Also there was never an inventory or anything to confirm the condition of the house, or the contents, and so nothing to show that the laminate was in good repair at the start of the tennancy.
I'm not trying to stiff her out of anything I'm responsible for, but she's turned into a money-grabbing bint overnight which has pissed me off as I've bent over backwards to be accomodating.
Window seems fair, as you had responsibility for the property when it got broken.
Floor seems harsh, unless you both know it was fine before, and yo know you've spilt water there
Re-advertising you need to discuss further. On first glance, you've broken the contract, suck it up. It oughtn't to be tied to another incident.
Floor seems harsh, unless you both know it was fine before, and yo know you've spilt water there

Re-advertising you need to discuss further. On first glance, you've broken the contract, suck it up. It oughtn't to be tied to another incident.
Would the window not be covered by her buildings insurance?
If the floor was damaged by you then fair enough! but if its a problem with the property then its down to her, though if caused by a leak and you have not reported it, you will be at fault.
If she has agreed not to charge you an advertisement fee then she should not!
If the floor was damaged by you then fair enough! but if its a problem with the property then its down to her, though if caused by a leak and you have not reported it, you will be at fault.
If she has agreed not to charge you an advertisement fee then she should not!
As a landlord myself, I would not have made any of the deductions that the OP’s money-grabbing bint landlady is attempting to make.
The first deduction, for the cost of the replacement of glass due to criminal activity by an unknown person, should either been accountable to the landlady, her insurers or the person responsible for the damage, so not the OP.
Laminate flooring lifting, again without an inventory, and depending where in the property that type of flooring is placed, then again the costs for repairs should not be met (deducted from Deposit) by the OP.
The Deposit, on receipt by the landlady or her agent, then the monies received should be registered within 14 days with a Deposit Protection Scheme, see under section 213
of the Housing Act 2004. Following registration of the Deposit, then the Landlady is duty bound to inform her tenant/OP, the authorised scheme that the Deposit is registered/protected with.
Failure of the Landlady to either register or inform the tenant/OP of the scheme, leaves the Landlady open to Court proceedings under sect. 214 of the above Housing Act. The Act allows the Courts to impose penalties against a landlord/landlady for non compliance.
Where at the end of the tenancy there is a dispute similar to the OP, then dependent on which Tenancy Deposit Scheme the Deposit is registered with, then the dispute should be directed, processed and resolved through that scheme.
The first deduction, for the cost of the replacement of glass due to criminal activity by an unknown person, should either been accountable to the landlady, her insurers or the person responsible for the damage, so not the OP.
Laminate flooring lifting, again without an inventory, and depending where in the property that type of flooring is placed, then again the costs for repairs should not be met (deducted from Deposit) by the OP.
The Deposit, on receipt by the landlady or her agent, then the monies received should be registered within 14 days with a Deposit Protection Scheme, see under section 213
of the Housing Act 2004. Following registration of the Deposit, then the Landlady is duty bound to inform her tenant/OP, the authorised scheme that the Deposit is registered/protected with.
Failure of the Landlady to either register or inform the tenant/OP of the scheme, leaves the Landlady open to Court proceedings under sect. 214 of the above Housing Act. The Act allows the Courts to impose penalties against a landlord/landlady for non compliance.
Where at the end of the tenancy there is a dispute similar to the OP, then dependent on which Tenancy Deposit Scheme the Deposit is registered with, then the dispute should be directed, processed and resolved through that scheme.
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