Hi all. I have a property that I decided to rent out. The most important thing to me was that I did not want any hassles so I engaged a letting agent who was recommended to me. I asked them to fully manage things and paid them commission for doing so. All went well and the property was let. After two months the tenant decided he did not want the property anymore and moved out. The agent said I could take action to get the rent for the full agreement period (12 months) but I decided not to.
They then said that the tenant had agreed to me keeping the deposit (six weeks) in lieu of notice. The deposit had been lodged with the Deposit Protection Services and was withdrawn from them by my agent. The thing is they have only transfered four weeks worth to me (minus their commission) and have been ignoring my e.mails and phone callsicon about the remainder. They have not given any reason for doing what they have done. I know the amount they have kept (£260) is not a great amount, but the longer this goes on the more annoyed I am getting. They are not members of any national body and the DPS say that as long as they are given a valid reason for the withdrawal of the deposit they have nothing more to do with it, even if the reason given is not followed.
Is there anything I can do to get the remaining deposit from the agent? Is this something that I could pursue through the small claims court?
Any advice would be welcome.