If the rent up front was not a deposit I do not know what is. Whatever label he puts on it it is still a deposit. Why else would he take a deposit (Sorry rent up front?) He could say the rent advance was in case of non payment or for damage so it is a deposit. Get the picture? It is quite a straight forward case. He has not protected your deposit therefore he is at risk of being fined 3 x the rent. The law is the law and his attempt to circumvent it in this way will only serve to enhance your case to get your money back. Each and every case is judged on its own merit but you are in a strong position, but given he has not even bothered to witness and sign the inventory he is in a weak position. The money handed over is considered as your money until the end of the tenancy and any damages are then claimed via the ADR service (in the DPS case). Check this article from a good friend of mine who is also well respected in the industry. She also lectures on landlord/tenant matters. Look for Mary Latham's comment - Search for that text I can't post any links as my post count is not high enough! So go to property118 dot com. Under "property news" menu item click the guest columnists. Select Mary LATHAM and look for the article "The devil is in the detail" If you are in any doubt whatsoever seek legal advice - Regards

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Hi Colin Purely from a safety stance: Do the alarms have a battery backup in the event that the electric runs out? Regards