Wave the Sails

Just wondering if anyone had any tips for ensuring we get our (large £2K) deposit back. Rather inexperienced in such matters but we are paying a lot per month to be here, plus we are looking after the place as we would our own.

Having heard all sorts of horror stories about renting, we would appreciate any advice on optimising our chances

Thanks all

PS Thus far, no damages or breakages.............

Jacko1

I own a property that we rent out in the UK and I am "amazed" that a landlord can get away with a £2K deposit!!!

Probably best to see if you can get the deposit held in a trust account, easy if you are through an agent, might be dificult if private.

Good Luck

Paul J

Bix

Prepare an inventory of the property and list the physical condition of every room.
If there are any small damages like paint flaking or any cracked tiles make sure you include them.
Submit this to the landlord now so there is no come-back later.
If I was you I would also camcorder every room in the property as back-up evidence which hopefully will not be required.
If the landlord does try to claim anything other than normal wear and tear you should have a watertight case = evidence.

Wave the Sails

Aah yes we have a full inventory, and have listed every single falking bit of paint. (The bonus of having a perfectionist tradesman for a husband).
Funnily enough my Mother-in-Law said we should Camcorder everything, which was good advice.

Hopefully we'll be ok.

Is there any reason why we shouldn't get it on the day?

We have had nothing but trouble with the house, dodgy boiler, no heating/hot water for days on end. Although the agent has been helpful in trying to get things fixed, to date nothing has worked and we are still coping with the same problems. We're also going to lose our final months rent because I have to fly at the end of feb (high risk pregnancy - did not know would be high risk before we agreed to tenancy). Our agreement runs until the end of March. We've been really nice to the Landlord, allowing people to view the property as potential buyers even though our contract says we don't have to do this. The Landlord said he might consider allowing us to get out of contract if we did this. Of course, nothing has come of it!

We've been mugs..............

bal56

Is it too late to withold rent for the last couple of months? I remember this trick from my student days.
We're about to be in the same boat, so your post is useful. Our buyers will be moving in in 3 weeks-ish and we're looking to rent up to the May deadline for being in Oz (whlist frantically applying for jobs/making contact with potential employers). If the May move is for good (rather than a holiday to keep the visas valid) I'd like a rental contract that's shorter than 6 months...... methinks there's negotiating to be done.... not to mention the early year period when everyone wants to sell rather than rent...

Wave the Sails

Hi there,
We made the mistake of paying for the whole lot up front for 6 months. Don't say anything. We thought it might help with budgeting etc, plus it was diffciult for me to get a reference as I have my own business, but one which has been running less than 3 years. I would have had to ask my parents to be guarantors, and they in turn would have had to prove their income levels. All this and we're sat here with the balance from the sale of our home in a Jersey offshore account. Ridiculous.
I stupidly expect people to be as fair and honest as we are (and no I don't think I'm naive ) and they just aren't.
Good luck, let me know if I an help in any other way. Where are you headed anyway?

spalen

Evidence is important - so video / photo / signed condition statements (that are ACCEPTED by the landlord now - not when your'e arguing!).

One other thing - find out who will do the exit inspection , we got stitched up once because a friend of the owner did it - and had no idea what the place was like when we moved in (food in fridge, filthy, ) we lost whole deposit.

The Agent is key - get their help , ask their advice, tell them you dont want to lose it and you want it back and how can they help you make sure you dont do anything to compromise that situation.