Deposit dispute, where do I stand?

[flamingsombrero]

I have a meeting with my letting agent in a few days and I would appreciate any insight on my situation so that they cannot fob me off.

Moved out of property just over a month ago after being there for just under 5 years. There were a couple of issues raised when the final inspection was taking place;


- I was told the carpets would need to be professionally cleaned.
- That a cracked mirror on a sliding wardrobe door would have to be repaired/replaced.


That seemed reasonable enough to me and it was agreed that after quotes had been obtained by the agent they would contact me so we could discuss it further. Two days ago I received an invoice from my letting agent with photocopies of the quotes attached.


-£280 for a new set of sliding wardrobe doors(2 doors, tracking rails top and bottom plus labour for them to be fitted)

-£165 for the cleaning of carpets (I have since obtained a quote myself for £75 for the same work and a quote for the hire of the same equipment to do the work myself for £31)

-£130 for the replacement of rear bedroom carpet on the recommendation of the carpet cleaners who said they wouldn't be able to clean it to a satisfactory standard. (A tea stain which was cleaned at the time of spillage but still left a mark, I see no reason why this can't be cleaned)


Not only do the amounts seem extortionate but I do not see why I should pay to replace the entire built-in wardrobe when only one door was damaged. I also take issue with having to pay to replace a carpet and even if I do have to replace it should I be paying the full amount seeing as its been down at least 5 years possibly 7.

The downstairs carpet (not the one in question) was marked when I moved in (presumably after being professionally cleaned) and this is noted in the inventory yet not only do the carpet cleaners feel this one is now cleanable the previous tenants were not obviously not required to replace it.

So the situation as it stands now is that I will lose my £450 deposit and have to pay a further £125 to meet the costs.

I have read through the ARLA documentation and it looks I have some valid grievances but would appreciate your thoughts on this so I know if I have a case to fight when I go to this meeting on Saturday.

Many thanks in advance
Adam

[MrShed]

Did you sign the inventory upon moving in?

You are certainly correct about the carpet - you can only charge for a "like for like" replacement - ie you can only be charged for the cost of a 5 year old carpet, which I would imagine would be less than half the cost of a new one.

[flamingsombrero]

We did sign the inventory upon moving in and also signed the exit inventory including the issues raised. Its not that I disagree the work needs doing and that I should contribute but to the extortionate amounts quoted especially after getting my own quotes and reading the ARLA guidelines on betterment(the agents ARE signed up to the ARLA)

[flamingsombrero]

STILL ongoing

A quick question does the damage to the wardrobe door still come under the ARLA beyond wear and tear betterment calculator?

The replacement door is £70 but is only avaliable through companies that supply to trade only (no general public). The landlord could of course buy one but has said we have to buy it.

I know how old the wardrobe is and that it has a manufacturers warranty of 10years.

Applying the ARLA calculator that comes to £84 contribution which is fairly close to the amount for the door.

I want to be sure that its ok to apply the method to damage such as this before raising the issue however.

[Nightmare4banks]

I would just like to add:

1.I totally agree with Mr.Shed that the carpet costings are very excessive.

2.I have posted in a previous thread regarding resolving carpet problems associated with tenancies

IN BRIEF....

Why don't you try and and purchase a carpet from an ex-bankrupt warehouse which normally is in good condition and for a very reasonable price?

Just a suggestion.

I hope this helps.

If you have any questions,just ask.

[flamingsombrero]

Thank you for the message, the carpet issue is one of the few resolved, I made an offer of £30 based on the ARLA method which has been accepted.

£165 for the cleaning of a small 2 bedroom house is still a sticking point though, I've rang around so many places for quotes and the highest I managed was £140 with the average being between £70-90. I just can't see how it could cost this much. Trouble is I asked to be sent a quote and was sent a copy of the bill.

The big one now is the wardrobe, really need to know where I stand with that.

[flamingsombrero]

Ok I want this sorted so here is how I have it so far;

New carpet - offered £30 contribution ACCEPTED
Carpet cleaning - willing to pay full amount £165 ACCEPTED (obviously)

Only thing now is the wardrobe, I can't buy the door cause the place is trade only but if apply apportionment the cost is roughly the same. So thats all I need to know now, is it proper to apply apportionment (ARLA guidelines) in this situation??

[jampot]

I hope you remembered to deduct the cost of cleaning the bedroom carpet from the whole house quote, since they won't be cleaning the brand new carpet (if the cleaning hasn't yet been done) or wasted their efforts in doing so, if their cleaning wasn't effective...

[flamingsombrero]

I did indeed

Still not sure where I stand on this wardrobe though, the ARLA guidelines look clear enough. I should be able to pay a portion of the cost of replacement based on the age and reasonable lifespan, seems very clear to me but they are still pushing for full cost. Surely thats betterment?? Isn't it??

[MrShed]

To be honest, must admit not sure! There is the argument that it is repair of the wardrobe, rather than replacement of the wardrobe doors, which IMO does not qualify for apportionment. Not saying I agree with this argument, but it is there...

[flamingsombrero]

Its a built in wardrobe, so the two doors and the tracking rail are the entire thing, all of which are being replaced.

Not sure if that makes things clearer or more confusing to be honest

[MrShed]

How old is the wardrobe?

[flamingsombrero]

The wardrobe is 7 years old, the manufacturers warranty(which I used as the lifespan) is 10 years.