The Business of a Tenancy Deposit Dispute

In 2017 private renting sector in UK was estimated to nearly 5 million homes, over 4 million properties rented each year.

The value of protected tenancy deposits for the year 2017 crossed 3,5 million GBP.  At the same time there was almost 31 000 adjudications completed in the same year.

Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) evaluated 50 percent increase in rental dispute adjudications between the years 2010 and 2017.

See the break down of the reasons for disputes in percentages:

Cleaning- 56

Damage- 51

Decoration- 28

Rent Arrears- 20

Gardening- 16

What to keep in mind when raising a dispute?

1. The dispute will be resolved only in terms of the amounts of the deposit, never higher than the total value of the deposit. If you wish to protect your property over the limit of the deposit you will need to insure your property.
2. The disputed amount of the deposit is held by the TDS from the point the dispute is raised until the adjudication process is completed.
3. The Adjudicator as a part of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme can not consider cases where tenants claim damage caused by landlord (due to disrepair in the property). Neither those where occupiers withhold a portion of the rent, from which they funded the repair , which was believed to be the landlords responsibility. In these instances tenants are advised to take legal action.
4. When raising a claim it is needed to provide evidence for the claims such as comprehensive Inventory and Check Out Report, quotes, invoices, receipts etc. The explanation of the claim should be clear, brief and factual. To find out more information about how to present a case please visit deposit disputes.
5. Once the TDS receive a dispute application, the other party will be requested to respond. It will take up to 28 days to examine the case and make a decision about how the money should be apportioned.

Pixel Inventory works closely with the approach of TDS towards rental disputes. We are familiar with the case studies and ensure that our reports represent the best evidence in case of a rental dispute.

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