Comments on: My Landlord Won’t Give My Deposit Back http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/ DOCUMENTING ONE MAN'S JOURNEY TO BECOMING A PROPERTY MILLIONAIRE Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:13:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: carpet cleaning http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-4/#comment-177829 carpet cleaning Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:30:58 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-177829 Hi and thanks. It was indeed well worth the read. Hi and thanks. It was indeed well worth the read.

]]> By: carpet cleaning dublin http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-4/#comment-177817 carpet cleaning dublin Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:57:22 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-177817 Thank you. It was indeed definitely worth the read. Thank you. It was indeed definitely worth the read.

]]> By: Karunakaran http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-4/#comment-171411 Karunakaran Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:15:20 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-171411 Hi, I Made 6 months contract with my Landlord, and due to my personal reason and Bedbug issue on this flat, I need to vacate in 4 months, so informed my landlord my situation, He committed me by words that, when new tenancy come, then I will return my deposit Money, and he signed on my contract with date of leaving the flat and return my keys and all my holding on the flat to him. hen I Moved to different city, After this happened, the first 2 weeks he responded my call, and told that still no new tenancy come. then when ever I called him he is not picking my call, and not responding my voice mail as well. What Can I do now? how will I get my deposit from my land lord? Please advice or suggest me on this issue? Thanks karuna.ms gamil.com 07869634246 Hi,
I Made 6 months contract with my Landlord, and due to my personal reason and Bedbug issue on this flat, I need to vacate in 4 months, so informed my landlord my situation, He committed me by words that, when new tenancy come, then I will return my deposit Money, and he signed on my contract with date of leaving the flat and return my keys and all my holding on the flat to him. hen I Moved to different city, After this happened, the first 2 weeks he responded my call, and told that still no new tenancy come. then when ever I called him he is not picking my call, and not responding my voice mail as well.

What Can I do now? how will I get my deposit from my land lord?

Please advice or suggest me on this issue?

Thanks
karuna.ms gamil.com
07869634246

]]> By: Fiona Graham http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-4/#comment-164793 Fiona Graham Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:05:08 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-164793 Well, I'm in shite right up to my eyebrows !! I signed a 6 month Fixed-Term AST in Dec 2008, having paid a Deposit of £1315. We did not receive a renewal at the end of the 6 months, so we carried on as usual. However, in January 2010 (13 months later), we received another 6 month Fixed Term AST, along with a Deposit Protection Certificate (dated 12.12.09 - 12 months after we moved in), but no explanation as to what it was. There were, however, some inconsistencies with the address on the Certificate and we refused to sign our copy. We also refused to sign the AST renewal, as they changed the Paragraph regarding pets (we had paid a £500 Bond to keep pets) and would not correct it. We moved out of that property on 8th September 2011 and used the 3 remaining days of our Tenancy to have the property professionally cleaned, including the carpets. The Landlord turned up on the morning of the 8th, with Decorators in tow and was pissed off to find us still in the process of moving (we had until the 11th !), as he wanted to carry out long-standing repairs (that he'd been promising us would be done for over a year !) and re-decorate the Bungalow, prior to the new tenant moving in on the 12th Sept. He had no intention of walking round with us and hadn't even brought a copy of the Inventory with him, but by turning up with his decorators in tow (having not seen the interior of the property for best part of a year), I fully believe he had every intention of re-decorating it, regardless of what it looked like. Anyway, having remarked that the Bathroom and Kitchen still looked as new as the day they were fitted (3 years previously), he did comment that a couple of carpets were grubby and I reminded him that we had booked and paid for a complete exit clean, including the carpets. (He has since acknowledged in writing that the 'carpets came up very well'). Having lived in the bungalow for just short of 3 years, with 2 adults, 2 teenage boys, a 9st Bullmastiff and 2 cats, I feel it is highly unlikely that magnolia paint will still look pristine, however the only areas of concern were in the main bedroom (where the bed had been against the wall) and the 2nd bedroom, under the windowsill (once again, where the bed had been). I pointed these out to the Landlord and offered to re-decorate them in time for the new Tenant on Monday (this was Thursday), but he stated it wasn't necessary, as his decorators were there anyway. I then offered to contribute towards the cost of the Magnolia Emulsion required to cover these two minor areas but, once again, the Landlord refused our offer, stating that the cost was 'negligible'. Before we left, we shook hands, thanked him for letting us live in the Bungalow and even joked that, should we return to Kent, he'd better have a house waiting for us !! We also asked him, at this point, about the return of Deposit. In return, he thanked us for being 'great Tenants' and told us 'not to worry' about the Deposit and it would be returned within 14 days. Therefore, we left the property believing (and rightly so) that everything was in order and, providing the carpets came up clean (which they did), that our Deposit would be returned in full. Having not heard a word for 14 days, I emailed the Landlord and, having not received a reply for 2 days, I phoned his office. I was told by the Office Assistant she was in the process of typing the letter and would email it to me (which she did). To my absolute horror, it stated that they were withholding £700 of our Deposit for 're-decoration costs' and that they were being generous 'because the Landlord liked us as people' !!! Fuck knows what it would've cost if he didn't like us !!! Equally, it said they were enclosing a cheque for £615, that being the remainder of our deposit (but it obviously couldn't be emailed !). I immediately emailed the Landlord's office and asked for a breakdown of the costs and an explanation, but didn't receive a reply. I then sent a further email, addressed directly to the Landlord, stating my displeasure and listing several questions to which I required answers. I also requested that we might negotiate on the amount withheld. I received a response stating, and I quote, 'When XX (his name) does a check out on a property he expects it to be ready for handover. His decision is final and he is not in a position to consult about this'. So, by now, I've 'lost' £700 and the Landlord states 'no comment' ... charming ! I emailed again and stated I was not in agreement with the amount withheld (£700) and requested that my Deposit remain protected until further notice. I also asked for clarification of when the undisputed amount of £615 was going to be returned to me. I received an email back stating I could only have the 'undisputed' £615 back IF I agreed in writing NOT to appeal about the £700. I emailed straight back and, once again, requested clarification, along the lines of "You are under obligation to return the undisputed amount of £615 to me within 10 days and I would like it back NOW .... are you seriously telling me that I can only have it back once I've declared in writing that I will NOT appeal against the withheld £700 ????" .... there's me thinking they CANNOT mean what they're saying, 'coz that's surely BLACKMAIL ?? The reply I received stated "We have your cheque for £615 waiting, but cannot send it to you until you confirm that this is the final settlement" .... so, YES, they are blackmailing me !! I then spoke to MyDeposits, who were alledgedly protecting the Deposit and (regettably) asked them for advice and how they react to Landlords that are blatantly abusing their rules. Having looked at the two AST's (one signed, the other unsigned), they asked me to get Legal Advice as to which AST was the legal one. I did as they asked and promptly received a letter from them stating that the Deposit had been illegally protected (as the first AST was the legally binding one and they don't protect deposits on rolling tenancies) and therefore my Deposit is no longer protected and will count as never having been. So now, I'm left in the position of being £1315 out of pocket, fighting a Landlord who obviously doesn't play by the rules and is blackmailing me into accepting ludicrous charges and having no deposit protection in place either. I have repeatedly tried to get advice - I even went to the CAB, but it seems my only option is to take the Landlord to Court and, despite all his dishonesty and apparent fraud, plus blackmail, I stand little chance of getting anything back, let alone prosecuting him. In fact, the Solictor I spoke to even told me to 'forget it - it'll cost more in Legal Fees than you'll ever get back via a Court'. How can this be possible ? This Landlord held onto my Deposit for 13 months, then fraudulently placed it into a Deposit Scheme (which has now washed its hands of it), knowingly gave falsified information to MyDeposits (and signed the Certificate stating it was correct to the best of his knowledge, when he knew it wasn't), is blackmailing me into accepting less than half of my deposit back (without justifying any charges at all) and yet I don't appear to have a leg to stand on, because I'm no longer in the property ! I thought this Tenancy Deposit Scheme was meant to protect Tenants, but it seems a complete load of shite to me ! I also thought MyDeposits would offer some backing, having taken the decision that the deposit was fraudulently protected, but it seems not ! They even stated on the phone that refusing to give me my 'Undisputed' £615 back was illegal and by making me choose between all or nothing was, indeed, blackmail (and against their rules), but I seem to be the only one who's being punished here, as they've cancelled my protection and left me high and dry. Has anyone got any ideas where I go from here ? How do I get to stop this Bastard from stitching other Tenants up too ? Do I have any legal rights, or should I just send him a nice letter asking for my money back (on top of the other 10) ? The only other option I can think of, is to settle for the £615 and let him keep the £700 ... thus letting him get away with all his fraudulent activities and bully-boy tactics. Why should I though ? I've done nothing wrong and didn't know he had, until we'd moved out and all this shit started to hit the fan :(( If anyone's got an ideas, PLEASE let me know. Thanks xxx Well, I’m in shite right up to my eyebrows !! I signed a 6 month Fixed-Term AST in Dec 2008, having paid a Deposit of £1315. We did not receive a renewal at the end of the 6 months, so we carried on as usual. However, in January 2010 (13 months later), we received another 6 month Fixed Term AST, along with a Deposit Protection Certificate (dated 12.12.09 – 12 months after we moved in), but no explanation as to what it was. There were, however, some inconsistencies with the address on the Certificate and we refused to sign our copy. We also refused to sign the AST renewal, as they changed the Paragraph regarding pets (we had paid a £500 Bond to keep pets) and would not correct it.

We moved out of that property on 8th September 2011 and used the 3 remaining days of our Tenancy to have the property professionally cleaned, including the carpets. The Landlord turned up on the morning of the 8th, with Decorators in tow and was pissed off to find us still in the process of moving (we had until the 11th !), as he wanted to carry out long-standing repairs (that he’d been promising us would be done for over a year !) and re-decorate the Bungalow, prior to the new tenant moving in on the 12th Sept. He had no intention of walking round with us and hadn’t even brought a copy of the Inventory with him, but by turning up with his decorators in tow (having not seen the interior of the property for best part of a year), I fully believe he had every intention of re-decorating it, regardless of what it looked like. Anyway, having remarked that the Bathroom and Kitchen still looked as new as the day they were fitted (3 years previously), he did comment that a couple of carpets were grubby and I reminded him that we had booked and paid for a complete exit clean, including the carpets. (He has since acknowledged in writing that the ‘carpets came up very well’). Having lived in the bungalow for just short of 3 years, with 2 adults, 2 teenage boys, a 9st Bullmastiff and 2 cats, I feel it is highly unlikely that magnolia paint will still look pristine, however the only areas of concern were in the main bedroom (where the bed had been against the wall) and the 2nd bedroom, under the windowsill (once again, where the bed had been). I pointed these out to the Landlord and offered to re-decorate them in time for the new Tenant on Monday (this was Thursday), but he stated it wasn’t necessary, as his decorators were there anyway. I then offered to contribute towards the cost of the Magnolia Emulsion required to cover these two minor areas but, once again, the Landlord refused our offer, stating that the cost was ‘negligible’. Before we left, we shook hands, thanked him for letting us live in the Bungalow and even joked that, should we return to Kent, he’d better have a house waiting for us !! We also asked him, at this point, about the return of Deposit. In return, he thanked us for being ‘great Tenants’ and told us ‘not to worry’ about the Deposit and it would be returned within 14 days. Therefore, we left the property believing (and rightly so) that everything was in order and, providing the carpets came up clean (which they did), that our Deposit would be returned in full.

Having not heard a word for 14 days, I emailed the Landlord and, having not received a reply for 2 days, I phoned his office. I was told by the Office Assistant she was in the process of typing the letter and would email it to me (which she did). To my absolute horror, it stated that they were withholding £700 of our Deposit for ‘re-decoration costs’ and that they were being generous ‘because the Landlord liked us as people’ !!! Fuck knows what it would’ve cost if he didn’t like us !!! Equally, it said they were enclosing a cheque for £615, that being the remainder of our deposit (but it obviously couldn’t be emailed !).

I immediately emailed the Landlord’s office and asked for a breakdown of the costs and an explanation, but didn’t receive a reply. I then sent a further email, addressed directly to the Landlord, stating my displeasure and listing several questions to which I required answers. I also requested that we might negotiate on the amount withheld. I received a response stating, and I quote, ‘When XX (his name) does a check out on a property he expects it to be ready for handover. His decision is final and he is not in a position to consult about this’. So, by now, I’ve ‘lost’ £700 and the Landlord states ‘no comment’ … charming ! I emailed again and stated I was not in agreement with the amount withheld (£700) and requested that my Deposit remain protected until further notice. I also asked for clarification of when the undisputed amount of £615 was going to be returned to me.

I received an email back stating I could only have the ‘undisputed’ £615 back IF I agreed in writing NOT to appeal about the £700. I emailed straight back and, once again, requested clarification, along the lines of “You are under obligation to return the undisputed amount of £615 to me within 10 days and I would like it back NOW …. are you seriously telling me that I can only have it back once I’ve declared in writing that I will NOT appeal against the withheld £700 ????” …. there’s me thinking they CANNOT mean what they’re saying, ‘coz that’s surely BLACKMAIL ?? The reply I received stated “We have your cheque for £615 waiting, but cannot send it to you until you confirm that this is the final settlement” …. so, YES, they are blackmailing me !!

I then spoke to MyDeposits, who were alledgedly protecting the Deposit and (regettably) asked them for advice and how they react to Landlords that are blatantly abusing their rules. Having looked at the two AST’s (one signed, the other unsigned), they asked me to get Legal Advice as to which AST was the legal one. I did as they asked and promptly received a letter from them stating that the Deposit had been illegally protected (as the first AST was the legally binding one and they don’t protect deposits on rolling tenancies) and therefore my Deposit is no longer protected and will count as never having been.

So now, I’m left in the position of being £1315 out of pocket, fighting a Landlord who obviously doesn’t play by the rules and is blackmailing me into accepting ludicrous charges and having no deposit protection in place either.

I have repeatedly tried to get advice – I even went to the CAB, but it seems my only option is to take the Landlord to Court and, despite all his dishonesty and apparent fraud, plus blackmail, I stand little chance of getting anything back, let alone prosecuting him. In fact, the Solictor I spoke to even told me to ‘forget it – it’ll cost more in Legal Fees than you’ll ever get back via a Court’.

How can this be possible ? This Landlord held onto my Deposit for 13 months, then fraudulently placed it into a Deposit Scheme (which has now washed its hands of it), knowingly gave falsified information to MyDeposits (and signed the Certificate stating it was correct to the best of his knowledge, when he knew it wasn’t), is blackmailing me into accepting less than half of my deposit back (without justifying any charges at all) and yet I don’t appear to have a leg to stand on, because I’m no longer in the property !

I thought this Tenancy Deposit Scheme was meant to protect Tenants, but it seems a complete load of shite to me ! I also thought MyDeposits would offer some backing, having taken the decision that the deposit was fraudulently protected, but it seems not ! They even stated on the phone that refusing to give me my ‘Undisputed’ £615 back was illegal and by making me choose between all or nothing was, indeed, blackmail (and against their rules), but I seem to be the only one who’s being punished here, as they’ve cancelled my protection and left me high and dry.

Has anyone got any ideas where I go from here ? How do I get to stop this Bastard from stitching other Tenants up too ? Do I have any legal rights, or should I just send him a nice letter asking for my money back (on top of the other 10) ? The only other option I can think of, is to settle for the £615 and let him keep the £700 … thus letting him get away with all his fraudulent activities and bully-boy tactics. Why should I though ? I’ve done nothing wrong and didn’t know he had, until we’d moved out and all this shit started to hit the fan :((

If anyone’s got an ideas, PLEASE let me know.

Thanks xxx

]]> By: Nigel http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-4/#comment-163481 Nigel Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:11:26 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-163481 Hi, Here's my story. I signed a 12months contract for a 7 bedroom house with my landlord for sub-letting the property with £1800 rent per month and £1800 deposit. I have completed the 12 month period and decided not to renew the contract. The owner has deducted around £1200 claiming for damages which I feel is very unfair. My main question is that the owner did not register my deposit under the new government scheme. What are my chances of winning the case on that basis? and finally how long do I have to file a case against him as I am going out of country for 3 months. Please reply back with your words of wisdom, I would really really appreciate any help from you. Regards, Nigel Hi,

Here’s my story.

I signed a 12months contract for a 7 bedroom house with my landlord for sub-letting the property with £1800 rent per month and £1800 deposit. I have completed the 12 month period and decided not to renew the contract. The owner has deducted around £1200 claiming for damages which I feel is very unfair.

My main question is that the owner did not register my deposit under the new government scheme. What are my chances of winning the case on that basis? and finally how long do I have to file a case against him as I am going out of country for 3 months.

Please reply back with your words of wisdom, I would really really appreciate any help from you.

Regards,
Nigel

]]> By: lisa http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-3/#comment-160060 lisa Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:21:48 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-160060 i left my rented property my landlord wrote me a cheque for my bond which later bounced he will not answer my calls which is strange i want to take him to court but dont know were to start i also found out he stopped protecting my bond which i was charged to protect it what can i do i left my rented property my landlord wrote me a cheque for my bond which later bounced he will not answer my calls which is strange i want to take him to court but dont know were to start i also found out he stopped protecting my bond which i was charged to protect it what can i do

]]> By: leanne lewis http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-3/#comment-159928 leanne lewis Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:24:43 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-159928 hi i dont know if we have a claim i took out one year tenancy and all has been fine that year wen we moved in ewe took pics of all repairs aND NOTIFIED LANDLADY AND SHE SAID ALL WOULD BE REAPIRED ASAP SO WE SIGNED AND PAID A £550 DEPOSIT then time rolled around this may to re sign so we did we are 4 months in to our 2nd year and our landlady is becoming horrible with us british gas came to fit new meters and showed us that there was live wires exposed and gas boiler needed fixing so wen i repeatedly demanded this stuff to be done as i have a 6 month old snd a 6 yr old in the house she said she was giving us a months notice to get out as we are costing her to much money..l. i said ok kick us out and we will take you to court as we know this house is not covered by insurance or safty certificate. which wefound out is true as we were bluffing and she dumped herself and rang back half hour later and arranged to fix wires n boiler. but now we have misplaced our tenancy agreement but my hubbys work hours have been cut in half so now we need to claim some financial help from benefits til his hours pick up again so we can pay the rent but she is refusing to send a copy of agreement or even fax a letter to them as and i quote "she doesnt have time". so now she keeps holding the threat over us to kick us out n im sick of it. so if she cant help us i dont wanna be therepay her another months rent and then be kicked out so we were going to say we pay a month in advance so we will just leave early but she is saying she wont give us deposit back ...is she allowed to do that if it is her stubborness to give us copy for benefit claim that has made us not able to pay the rent? xxxc hi i dont know if we have a claim i took out one year tenancy and all has been fine that year wen we moved in ewe took pics of all repairs aND NOTIFIED LANDLADY AND SHE SAID ALL WOULD BE REAPIRED ASAP SO WE SIGNED AND PAID A £550 DEPOSIT then time rolled around this may to re sign so we did we are 4 months in to our 2nd year and our landlady is becoming horrible with us british gas came to fit new meters and showed us that there was live wires exposed and gas boiler needed fixing so wen i repeatedly demanded this stuff to be done as i have a 6 month old snd a 6 yr old in the house she said she was giving us a months notice to get out as we are costing her to much money..l. i said ok kick us out and we will take you to court as we know this house is not covered by insurance or safty certificate. which wefound out is true as we were bluffing and she dumped herself and rang back half hour later and arranged to fix wires n boiler. but now we have misplaced our tenancy agreement but my hubbys work hours have been cut in half so now we need to claim some financial help from benefits til his hours pick up again so we can pay the rent but she is refusing to send a copy of agreement or even fax a letter to them as and i quote “she doesnt have time”. so now she keeps holding the threat over us to kick us out n im sick of it. so if she cant help us i dont wanna be therepay her another months rent and then be kicked out so we were going to say we pay a month in advance so we will just leave early but she is saying she wont give us deposit back …is she allowed to do that if it is her stubborness to give us copy for benefit claim that has made us not able to pay the rent? xxxc

]]> By: JCL http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-3/#comment-156111 JCL Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:30:38 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-156111 I was moving to Reading for a new job and needed to find a place to stay. I viewed this one property and decided to take the room. All of this has happened in the last week, starting on the 17th of August 2011. The tenancy was supposed to start on the 29th of August 2011 but I have had to pull out of the let due to family issues. The landlord is now saying that he will not pay back any of the £400 deposit because he will lose money by having to re-advertise the room and lost rent. Can he do this? I can understand if he keeps some of the deposit, but not all of it. He could for all I know get a new tenant for the room next week. Is there anything I can do about this? I was moving to Reading for a new job and needed to find a place to stay. I viewed this one property and decided to take the room. All of this has happened in the last week, starting on the 17th of August 2011. The tenancy was supposed to start on the 29th of August 2011 but I have had to pull out of the let due to family issues. The landlord is now saying that he will not pay back any of the £400 deposit because he will lose money by having to re-advertise the room and lost rent. Can he do this? I can understand if he keeps some of the deposit, but not all of it. He could for all I know get a new tenant for the room next week. Is there anything I can do about this?

]]> By: SJX http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-3/#comment-154966 SJX Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:09:39 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-154966 I broke a cooker top in my last flat. The appliance still worked and the damage was localised to the top left hand corner. We informed the letting agency and the landlord who came to view it the next day. they asked us to claim on our household insurance. We were told by our insurance that we could not claim as this was a fixture. We told the agency this and had no reply. we lived happily in the flat for 3 years and never hid the fact that it was broken and that it was logged on our annual inspections! We have now moved out and they are stating we have to pay £311 from the single quote provided to us. They state that ' all electrical appliances should be left in good working condition'- it works as it did throughout our tenancy. We offered to pay the excess on their insurance but this has been declined. Where can we go from here? I broke a cooker top in my last flat. The appliance still worked and the damage was localised to the top left hand corner. We informed the letting agency and the landlord who came to view it the next day. they asked us to claim on our household insurance. We were told by our insurance that we could not claim as this was a fixture. We told the agency this and had no reply. we lived happily in the flat for 3 years and never hid the fact that it was broken and that it was logged on our annual inspections! We have now moved out and they are stating we have to pay £311 from the single quote provided to us. They state that ‘ all electrical appliances should be left in good working condition’- it works as it did throughout our tenancy. We offered to pay the excess on their insurance but this has been declined. Where can we go from here?

]]> By: Shale http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/my-landlord-wont-give-my-deposit-back/comment-page-3/#comment-154392 Shale Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:21:48 +0000 http://www.propertyinvestmentproject.co.uk/blog/?p=974#comment-154392 Hi Jimmy You cannot seek reimbursement for rent after the fact.No matter what the quality of the house, you must have signed a contract agreeing to pay x amount for the rent, so this wont work. Council Tax: I cant see what this is to do with your landlord at all. I am a landlord and I pay council tax for my tenants so it is my responsibility. However if the council tax was your responsibility then why is the landlord getting involved? I smell a rat! Maybe the landlord is using this as an excuse to keep your money. Or maybe he is telling the truth and he has had to cough up the council tax in which case, he will have documentation and bank statements etc to prove he paid it on your behalf. The thing to do is "check mate" him. You need to ring up the local council and be honest...ish. Tell then when you were at the house and that there was students there (exempt from counicl tax) and a full time employed person.You get a deduction for just one employed person. They will then tell you if the landlord paid the council tax on your behalf during this period or not. Ask them to detail as much as possible on email (for your records) so you have written proof. If they tell you that the landlord didnt pay the counicl tax during the period you lived there, then he does not have a legal leg to stand on as basically this is fraud. However IF he did pay the bill for you then yes....you owe him some money. The people responsible for paying this are the 2 employed people and NOT the students. If you were one of the employed people, just pay half. Was your bond in a deposit protection scheme. If yes, then you can dispute the non payment of the bond if indeed he lied about the council tax or the amount. If he didnt put it in a deposit protection scheme, then contact ARLA for advise on what to do next. One other thing....is the amount you owe or he paid for the council tax is less than the amount he is charging you - keep stum and loose the money. I smell a big rat and think hes lying. Most counicl taxes are around £125 a month in an out of town area....more for cities. £300 sounds too cheap to me. But please please contact the local council. Keep it all legal and be above board and these guys will protect you from crooks. Hope this helps. Hi Jimmy
You cannot seek reimbursement for rent after the fact.No matter what the quality of the house, you must have signed a contract agreeing to pay x amount for the rent, so this wont work.

Council Tax: I cant see what this is to do with your landlord at all. I am a landlord and I pay council tax for my tenants so it is my responsibility. However if the council tax was your responsibility then why is the landlord getting involved? I smell a rat! Maybe the landlord is using this as an excuse to keep your money. Or maybe he is telling the truth and he has had to cough up the council tax in which case, he will have documentation and bank statements etc to prove he paid it on your behalf.

The thing to do is “check mate” him. You need to ring up the local council and be honest…ish. Tell then when you were at the house and that there was students there (exempt from counicl tax) and a full time employed person.You get a deduction for just one employed person. They will then tell you if the landlord paid the council tax on your behalf during this period or not. Ask them to detail as much as possible on email (for your records) so you have written proof. If they tell you that the landlord didnt pay the counicl tax during the period you lived there, then he does not have a legal leg to stand on as basically this is fraud.

However IF he did pay the bill for you then yes….you owe him some money. The people responsible for paying this are the 2 employed people and NOT the students. If you were one of the employed people, just pay half.

Was your bond in a deposit protection scheme. If yes, then you can dispute the non payment of the bond if indeed he lied about the council tax or the amount.
If he didnt put it in a deposit protection scheme, then contact ARLA for advise on what to do next.

One other thing….is the amount you owe or he paid for the council tax is less than the amount he is charging you – keep stum and loose the money.

I smell a big rat and think hes lying. Most counicl taxes are around £125 a month in an out of town area….more for cities. £300 sounds too cheap to me. But please please contact the local council. Keep it all legal and be above board and these guys will protect you from crooks. Hope this helps.

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