Just joined as i have read through a lot of useful posts on here rergarding problems with landlords etc. I took out a 6 month tennancy on 20th June 2008 with my partner, through a reputable agency. I pad the deposit myself (£1150) and this was reflected in the agreement. An itinerary was conducted with me by the agency prior to moving in. Copies of these were duly signed by all and i have mine. It was not until the last month of the tennancy i realised the deposit was not protected. It was only a situation a friend was having renting his porperty out that made me check. The agreement states the deposit IS in the DPS scheme. The landlord confrimed (finaly) that he had it with him. To be honest all i wanted was my deposit back, i wasnt really interested in chasing 3 x deposit. However, things turned towards the end of the tenure. We are now in dispute about the deposit and there is no prospect of a resolution. I have checked with the DPS and they have confirmed there is no deposit with them. So i wrote to the landlord and outlined why i dispute his claims and told him that if he refuses to return my deposit (less some reasonable expenses i ahve agreed to) i will be taking him to court for his failure to secure my deposit. I stated this was because his action has denied me the opportunity of arbritration within the scheme. I gave him 14 days to respond, which expired today. I have a few questions that would like to ask some of the more experienced people here: The tennancy was in joint names - do i need to file in joint names or just mine? I no longer have any contact with my partner. The deposit was paid by me and this was clearly stated in the agreement. Is this a simple case that can be done with a moneyclaim online? or would i be better off going into a court to do so? I will be out of the country for 3 weeks from end of Feb - should i wait until i get back? not sure of timings here. Any help with this or other advice would be very much appreciated. Ironica