Avoiding any dispute over tenancy deposit

SALES AND LETTINGS:

Orchard Property Services’ Ickenham office at 11 Long Lane, Ickenham.

DEPOSIT disputes can be very time consuming and worrying for both tenants and landlords, often causing delays to onward moves and having distressing financial implications, according to Orchard Property Services.

Of course, all landlords are now required by law to register deposits with a government scheme which protects both parties by appointing a third party adjudicator to assess the evidence with an objective viewpoint should a dispute arise.

There are some common causes of tenancy disputes which crop up again and again. Here, the team from Orchard Property Services – with some 37 years’ combined experience in such matters – focus on areas that spark disputes and how to avoid them happening.

Decoration

If, as a tenant, you have changed the decoration in any way while living at the property then you may well have to return it back to its original colour/ condition. Landlords: remember you have to allow for a certain amount of wear and tear in a property, which is judged on the length of tenancy and the occupants with whom you have agreed a tenancy.

The longer the tenancy then the greater the wear and tear you need to allow for.

Cleaning

Landlords should make sure they have had the property professionally cleaned before tenants move in and keep the receipts.This, along with a thorough inventory with photographs prior to occupation will mean that there is no question as to what condition the property should be handed back in.

If a landlord has no inventory then it will be very difficult to prove the level of cleanliness when the tenant/s moved in.

Damages

As a tenant you should leave the property in the same condition as you found it, allowing for wear and tear. Damages are very different to wear and tear.The landlord can deduct the cost of items from the deposit in relation to damages but not from normal wear and tear.With regards to damages, the landlord does not need to replace the item for something better.

Items should always be replaced on a like-for-like basis and the age and expected lifespan of the item should also be factored in.

For example, if a carpet has been damaged but is eight years old a landlord cannot expect to claim, for a whole replacement carpet.

Orchards’ Property Management team are extremely well versed when it comes to dealing with disputes which can happen upon the end of a tenancy and have guided hundreds of landlords and tenants to amicable resolutions.

you would like some guidance in letting your property, then please contact Orchard Property Services on: 01895 623 626 (Ickenham) or 01895 623 666.

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