Hi, in Nov 08 I went into Superdrug and signed an 18mth contract with 3 mobile. I had only been in the UK for 7 months at the time, so my credit check required me to give them a £150 deposit for the phone. I was told that once I had made my first 6 bill payments (without problems) that this deposit would be returned, so I signed the contract on that basis. I have since paid my fist 6 bills and rang 3 customer services to see where the 150quid is. They told me that it would be returned after 12 months, not 6, and that the agent must have got it wrong. They are currently conferring internally etc and are to get back to me, but I was just wondering if this was a common occurance or if I have any comeback? I wouldn't have agreed to a contract with this 12 month proviso, but 6 months seemed reasonable as the 150 would have covered the first 6 months of minumum payments, and the 6 months also puts me in the country a year - which is a minimum requirement for their checks apparently. This whole thing has a taint of fraud - in essence I signed a contract under more favourable impressions than reality. The agent misquotes the deposit issue to me, gets me to sign a contract (which doesn't mention the deposit return), but the actual company cannot be held to it. Iffy?! Any feedback or advice appreciated.

Given that he breached the Joint Tenancy agreement, can I not insist on the amount coming out of his deposit to us? If I did put this to the TDS for arbitration (there are unfair retentions too), would the ICE award it to the lead tenant?

Hi, I was in a joint tenancy with 2 other people which has now come to an end. However, one of my flatmates left and went abroad without paying his final months rent. We checked with the agency and they said the rest of us had to cover it - so we did. The deposit is now due back, and we have asked that the entire amount be returned to the Lead Tenant (my other flatmate) so we can recover our money and send the remaining amount back to him. However, the agency are insisting on splitting it equally in three and sending him a cheque. Firstly, we did not all contribute the same amount to the deposit, secondly, there are retentions that relate solely to him which the agency is intending on splitting over the three cheques. I do not want to lose out on this - what can I do?

Hi, Was wondering if anyone had any advice on this situation. My flatmate's visa is expiring and she is leaving to go home to her own country the first week of December. She has advertised her room to get someone to take over her part of the lease hopefully before she leaves. We have a joint shorthold tenancy that expires end of Jan 2009. She is asserting that if she leaves without finding anyone, then myself and my other flatmate would have to pay her rent. I know we have a joint tenancy, however, if she goes and her name is still on the lease then she is still jointly and severally liable too as I understand it. I asked the letting agency what would happen if she fails to pay - would it come out of her deposit? And they said no - that's not what the deposit is there for. That we would have to agree to cover the rent, or else not let her go. I can't stop her from leaving as there are immigration issues involved. I have checked the tenacy agreement and it explicitly states that the deposit is for (among other things) rent arrears. However, I'm worried that as she is going to be in another country, and the Agency don't seem inclined to pursue it with her, that I and my other flatmate would end up having to pay the rent, and she would get her full deposit back. What happens in cases like this? Can someone just leave a joint tenancy and expect their roommates to pay the rent, without it affecting their deposit?! Why on earth would anyone sign a joint tenancy agreement in that case? I have a friend trying to break a joint tenancy lease early too, and if she goes before getting someone else to take over her part of the lease she was told by her Agency that she would lose her deposit. Can someone shed some light on how this usually goes, or what my rights are/are not? The Agency seems to be saying something different to any other agency I've ever gone through. Help appreciated!