Updating post from Reddit.
Tenant in Trouble , so honest Landlord's advice please !
This is my first time renting in the UK, and I could use some advice on how to proceed with a situation I’m facing.
I recently vacated a flat in Peterborough after living there for 1.5 years. A few days later, I received an email from the letting agency with the following deductions the landlord wants to make from my deposit for what they claim are damages “beyond acceptable wear and tear”:
> New carpet to bedroom 1 following iron burns – £210 (less £150 for fair wear & tear)
New carpet to bedroom 2 following iron + round burns – £210 (less £150)
Damage to walls – £780 (less 20% for fair wear & tear = £624)
En-suite repair due to black mould and lack of cleaning – £75
Faulty en-suite light bulb – £25
Kitchen worktop damage (water under laminate) – £100
Re-seal behind kitchen sink – £30
Reseal bath due to black mould – £25
Flat clean – £120
Oven + hob + extractor clean – £55
Carpet clean – £120
Contribution towards new fridge freezer (rust) – £40
Total: £1,514
They’ve said I can either agree to these deductions or dispute them via the Tenant Deposit Scheme (TDS) within 90 days.
Here’s the issue: I genuinely believe I left the property in better condition than when I moved in. There was a change of both landlord and letting agency during my tenancy, so they may not be aware of the state it was in when I first moved in.
I have the initial inventory report from when I moved in, plus multiple emails sent to the letting agency at the start of my tenancy about the unacceptable condition of the property. For example:
I personally cleaned all of these. I also made numerous phone calls and in-person complaints during inspections about the poor paintwork and discolouration. Each time, I was told they would “liaise with the landlord” and send someone to fix it but that never happened.
Now, at the end of my tenancy, they are trying to charge me for these same issues. The property was cleaned to a very high standard before I handed over the keys.
The deposit was protected with the TDS, but five days after I returned the keys, I got an email saying my deposit was “no longer secured” due to my tenancy ending.
Sorry for the long post, but £1,500 is not a small amount, and I’m really concerned. I have plenty of photographic evidence (Inventory report and my complaint) and emails.
Has anyone been through something similar, and what’s the best way to proceed?
Update 1 @ 13/8/25 : I spoke to TDS and explained the situation. They said the landlord should not have discontinued the protection before any formal confirmation. They sent me a reactivation link, and I now have my account back up and running.
I am a landlord and have to keep the TDS up to date. You can go after them if they did not.
The tenancy ended 10 days ago. It should still be fine to raise a dispute, even if they’ve ended the TDS custodial service, correct? I’ve pasted the email I received below for reference.
Just raise the dispute with TDS. The email you got meant the landlord used the Insured service which means the landlord hold the deposit and pay a fee to TDS.
Did you not even read the last sentence of this image?
Fight it. You have documentation you will win
I plan to challenge it, but I’m not entirely sure how much weight my photos and emails will carry. The landlord has a professional report from Verismart for the end of the tenancy, but none from the beginning.
Without a beginning inventory they will very likely lose.
They did have an inventory report but not clear and detailed. It was bunch of photos in a PDF. My complaint document which I sent to them initially was more clearer to be honest. The check out report was on a different level , very professional with 360 degree photos link and detailed explanation of wear and tears.
That’s okay - you would be able to point all this out as part of the dispute, and submit your documentation proving that the landlord is attempt to unjustly enrich himself by charging you for issues which existed prior to you starting the tenancy, and additionally wanting to deduct for issues raised during the tenancy which the landlord subsequently failed to address.
Bear in mind that the people who did the check out review will not have any information on your contact with the agency, and possibly didn’t even see the check in report. So this would all be for you to explain.
If I were you I’d make a timeline table listing all dates you contacted, and what it was regarding. Double check what the T&C’s of your TDS are - we were obliged to make an attempt to communicate directly with our agent before it went to the TDS official review.
THIS ^ . Very good advice, follow this! As an ex-agent I agree that if everything is as you say and clearly laid out in a timeline with supporting emails and evidence, then it will be thrown out and deposit returned.
Your initial inventory and emails highlighting the same issues are gold dust - keep them very safe.
The onus is on the landlord / agent to prove condition at the start. Without a detailed inventory and with your emails early on flagging the same issues, I can't see how you can be held responsible.
Good luck!
They have to prove their case in respect of each deduction i.e. to deduct at all (namely, damage meaning something which wasn't there before you moved in and is beyond reasonable wear and tear), and the amount claimed (i.e. is the value actually diminished beyond reasonable wear and tear; what is like for like (rather than new for old) replacement cost, etc). They will have a hard time proving that damage wasn't there before given the differences in quality of the reports/photographs; plus all of your evidence will undermine their case. Go through the TDS.
If they have actually removed your deposit from the scheme and they still want to negotiate deductions, contact the charity Shelter or a community law centre that deals with housing advice because you will likely be able to file a small claim for the return of your deposit and get compensation (up to x3 the deposit amount).
Well thats not much use then !
it all depends on the the photos and videos (evidence) as it is reviewed by an independent person. So whoever that submits sufficient evidence to support their claim will win.
100% dispute. Emails and photos can be provided as evidence. And they are considered evidence too. Unless the ll can prove you damaged anything then they wont win anyway.
My ll tried claiming for blinds that were old and broken when we moved in and we lived there for 8 years..... they laughed that away and we got it back.
Is it the landlord, letting agent or TDS that is telling you the deposit is no-longer protected? You need to be dealing directly with the TDS and if the TDS doesn't have a record of having the deposit then things will go badly for you landlord.
It was an email from TDS containing the details of the property I just vacated. I quote: “We have been informed by your landlord or letting agent that the tenancy deposit protection, registered with TDS Insured relating to XX XX , has now ended. As a result, your tenancy deposit protection has been removed from our live database and is no longer protected with TDS" This happened 10 days after vacating.
You have the 3 month period so just go direct to them and lodge the complaint with all supporting docs etc etc
Similar situation a few months back, landlord evicted me with S21 due to reporting the lack of repairs which led to windows been drafty and letting cold air ,when the council got involved I was evicted.
Now with the deposit they wanted a huge sum i rejected saying I cleaned it thoroughly, I took it too TDS with simple pictures and emails documenting everything.
It took a whole 3 months but I won the case flatly, I was paid back the full amount
That good to know. At least there is some justice in the system!
All you need is the incoming and outgoing inventories.
That’s a huge deduction. They would need very strong evidence of very significant damage. Remember they can’t claim old for new or for fair ware and tear
If the only evidence from the start of the tenancy is yours that shows the flat in a filthy state, then definitely dispute with TDS.
If they had secured the deposit with TDS custodial, it doesn’t matter if the tenancy has ended. As long as you haven’t agreed to the deduction then TDS should still have your deposit funds. He’s trying his luck to see if you’ll just agree and move on.
Dispute it directly with TDS, send them your evidence, especially any photo evidence you have of when you first moved in and the condition of the flat when you vacated. TDS may ask for evidence that you’ve tried to solve the issue directly with the landlord so an email with the same evidence to the landlord should work in your favour.
It should be an open and shut case in your favour as, for good reason, the scheme exists to protect tenants rather than landlords.
Dispute everything. With the documentation you have described and their lack of a good starting inventory the landlord is in a very weak position. Just submit everything you have from your initial complaints about condition.
Dispute away. Some may be allowed but at a lot less than they are claiming.
Example carpet burn. Just tell them you wish to avail of the dispute process.
Presumably they have a signed inventory so should make it easier if so.
To my surprise, the carpet burn was also noted in the check-in report. So it will be easy to dispute.
They would need to prove it , the onus tends to be on the Landlord to do this with the government schemes . Unless they have good photographic /video evidence on day of check in , the likelihood of you getting your money back are high , especially if you have texts and emails telling them the condition. Just having the check out inventory is not enough for them .
Make sure you add everything to your report to the deposit scheme and make sure if they ask for further information get it in on time . Always ask first confirmation they have received your info .
Sure, thanks for telling me this. Should I tell the letting agency that I had decided to put in a dispute without negotiating or will TDS inform them of this ?
They can’t just say your deposit is not protected because your tenancy has ended, that’s utter nonsense .
Legally they needed to give you prescribed information about the deposit for eg , which agency , how much , how to contact them etc at the beginning of the tenancy , this would have explained the checkout procedure and how you claim the deposit back and when . Ask the agency for the initial paperwork (for the deposit ) seeing as the landlord is being so unhelpful .
Incidentally , if they haven’t protected it , you can claim three times the deposit back off the landlord .
You now need to ring the TDS , and tell them the situation and they will talk you through it all . Make sure it’s done quickly , they have time limits for certain things .
You should have been given a special number/reference code with all the details on it the beginning , so it would be easy to contact them at the end of the tenancy .
P.S. if they have protected it , there is no way they have claimed that back within 10 days , there are legal forms the landlord would have to fill in to claim it back , one is to say they don’t know how to contact you by any means ,two , they have certain time periods that they have to wait in between claiming , three they have to get it signed by a professional for eg,a solicitor to say they are telling the truth , a kind of sworn statement .
The TDS has been intact for the duration of the tenancy, it got removed 10 days after I gave the keys back at the end of tenancy.
Dispute the landlords claim with the deposit protection scheme.
State they never had an issue when you gave them keys back.
All was done and dusted. Now they are suddenly making claims.
Dispute via the TDS - damage to carpets - oldest trick in the book. Not unheard of for the LL to know nothing about these “Defects” and the agent is trying their luck and trousering the £.
They have to make the request through Deposit Protect Scheme. Without your consent through the system they can’t deduct the amount. If you receive such a notification just reject it. Request all of deposit back. If it goes ti dispute settlement prepare all your evidence, Moving in report, moving out report. Photos from the time you moved in and moved out. All your correspondence with the agent and the landlord. If your deposit is not protected in the scheme as it is required by law then you can make them pay a bigger cost follr not abiding the rules.
Tenants should always take pictures and or video when they move in or leave a property
Was it not lodged in a tenants deposit scheme? We have to in NIreland as its the law.
Initially, the deposit was protected by the TDS, and I believe I can still raise a dispute now. I received an email stating that, as my tenancy has ended, the deposit is no longer protected. Is it normal for protection to end immediately after the tenancy finishes? This is my first time renting in the UK, so I’m not entirely sure how the system works.
That's normal. You still have 90 days or so to raise a dispute.
If it was protected initially then they can’t take your money without you at least interacting first.
Put in a dispute. Go to the dps website independently via google and sign in, or phone them they are extremely helpful.
I’ve just been through this myself with a very shitty landlord who wanted £800 from my £1600 deposit.
I got the full amount back through dps.
Thats really helpful, I will do that tomorrow!
If you’re going to use AI to write a post on here, remove the tell tale signs.
The tell tale signs were already in the email that the letting agency wrote to me, so I think copying and pasting the exact phrases from the original email might have given you that impression.
You downvoting me for spotting you’re using AI to generate content for fake internet points? Cool man
