2 July 2010

- Top tips for students vacating rental properties -

The summer holidays are fast approaching and of the one million students living in rented accommodation in the UK, the majority won’t have any problems getting their deposit back. If, however, you have had some scrapes and caused some damage – maybe red wine stains that won’t shift or burn marks in the carpet – leading tenancy deposit protection scheme, my|deposits, has top tips to help you work with your landlord and ensure you check out of your rented property without any issues.

Spillages and damage will mean deductions from your deposit, which is only fair. But if you find yourself with a landlord or agent who you feel may be unfairly withholding deposit money, here are some simple steps you can take:

• First and foremost, speak to your landlord or agent directly – this is the easiest step to take and often resolves any issues straight away
• If an agreement over the deposit amount can’t be reached, then my|deposits can offer vital advice and information on what to do next
• As a tenant, you have three months from the end date of your tenancy to raise a deposit dispute, so don’t put it off until the end of the holidays! Act now
• If you have been sharing a property, decide who is going to lead and conduct all aspects of the deposit dispute - this person will need written authority to act on behalf of all the joint tenants
• The tenant raising the dispute will have to agree to fairly distribute the returned deposit money with the other joint tenants – you won’t be able to keep the money for yourself!
• Once my|deposits has been notified of a dispute you will have 10 working days in which to send in any remaining evidence either by post or email
• Evidence is crucial – keep as much evidence as possible to back up your case!
• To find out if your deposit is protected with mydeposits go to www.mydeposits.co.uk/tenants/tenant-isyourdepositprotected.htm

The last port of call is my|deposits free Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service to resolve your dispute. However both you and your landlord must agree to this. If party does not agree, then the dispute must be resolved through the Court.

Eddie Hooker, Chief Executive of mydeposits.co.uk said, “Although the majority of students do look after their rental properties, it’s worth remembering that a lack of care will be obvious to the landlord when the time comes to check out, and anything above and beyond fair wear and tear will result in deductions from the tenancy deposit.

“Agreeing on a deposit deduction in such a situation can be difficult for tenants at the best of times. Students are newer to the rentals market and should be aware that there is advice and support available to them, should they find themselves in a dispute with their landlord over a deposit.”

For more information about my|deposits and tenancy deposits, visit www.mydeposits.co.uk or call 0844 980 0290.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact the team at Spreckley Partners:

Nathalie Ballantine/Lena Keolian
E: lastname@spreckley.co.uk
T: 020 7388 9988

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About mydeposits.co.uk:

Mydeposits is the trading name of Tenancy Deposit Solutions Limited, a company jointly owned by the National Landlords Association and HFIS plc T/A Hamilton Fraser Insurance (the Scheme Administrator) to deliver an insurance-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme under contract from Communities & Local Government. Landlords and letting agents wishing to use this scheme are required to register with the Scheme Administrator. They can find out more and register by visiting www.mydeposits.co.uk. Registered members of the Scheme are able to protect and unprotect deposits at the beginning and end of tenancies. Fees are tax-deductible. In the event of a dispute at the end of the tenancy agreement, both parties are offered access to alternative dispute resolution (ADR). This procedure will be evidence-based, relying on documentation and records.

About CEDR Solve:

CEDR Solve, the UK’s leading commercial mediation provider, is CEDR’s dispute resolution and prevention service and has managed over 16,000 dispute enquiries covering every industry sector and a wide-raging cross section of disputes and case values. Case studies are available on CEDR’s website – www.cedrsolve.com.

CEDR (the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution) is the leader in the development of neutral-assisted dispute resolution. It is a non-profit organisation and its mission is to encourage and develop cost effective dispute prevention and dispute resolution in commercial and public sector disputes and in civil litigation. CEDR operates in the UK and internationally and has been instrumental in helping to bring mediation into the heart of business practice and into the judicial system. CEDR Mediator Accreditation is recognised as an international standard.