Tenancy deposit not refunded i need a bit of help for my nephew please. He, his wife and 5 children rented a house and paid £3,000.00 deposit and an advance in rent of £6,000.00. They applied for housing benefit but could not get the landladys address as she claimed she was on witness protection, so while they were waiting for the housing benefit to be sorted, they got into arrears. Then H.B. lapsed, and they had to start a new claim. Eventually, the council gave them the address of the landlord....... Due to the arrears the landlady gave them an eviction notice........To cut a long story short, to date, she has not given them their deposit back. She tried to claim that the property was untidy and trashed, but my nephew has photographic eveidence and video evidence that the whole house was decorated and a new carpet laid in the lounge.He also has witnesses to the decorating because they were the ones who helped him decorate. I think the landlady has spent the deposit and not protected it under the Tenancy Deposit Protection scheme.. I drafted a Notice Before Action requesting the landlady pays the deposit back within 14 days and that she gives documentation that the deposit is protected. So far ,after 9 days, no reply.The landlady could easily have paid back the deposit minus the rent arrears, but she has failed to do so.In the letter, I have threatened her with a county court summons if the deposit is not paid by 18th September.. Any more help and advice would be greatly appreciated. P.S. My nephew rented the property for 2 years and in that time, never got any info. from the landlady that his deposit was protected.

Lived in Private Rented Housing for 17 years,and recently was advised by the Land Agent that my £900 deposit was being transferred into renting housing deposit scheme as required by recent changes in the law,and the amount being transferred was the £900 deposit +£427 interest,which is very nice however,it is unclear as to whether I can ask for the interest element to be paid to me now as a one off payment Any idea's Thanks FS

I need a little advice please, my step daughter has just rented a new flat. After moving in the Agent said "are you wanting to stay here more than 12 months?" she replied I would like to. The agent said "because there will be a £95 renewal fee and we can take it out of your deposit you paid " I thought that this was illegal to take money from a deposit, isnt it supposed to be lodged with an independent company and only payable after the SHT has ended.... I will be grateful for any advice please.

I gave a deposit of 50 for a modem when I signed up for an internet connection 6 years ago. I have given them 45 days notice that I want to cancel my account. They have told me they owe me a deposit of 46.95 (I don't know why they have deducted 3.05) and they have also informed me that they won't return my deposit in cash, but instead by bank transfer (and they are charging me a bank and administrative fee of 8 pounds for the privilege because"A standard bank & administration charge of 8.00 applies on all transfers.") Can they do this?

Hello I was wondering if anybody had a similar experience having really bad wedding venue hosts. The hosts of our initially selected venue were unbelievably unresponsive, unhelpful and did not communicate in an appropriate manner. Their response time was totally unreasonable and in my opinion quite frankly unacceptable. We didn't have our wedding there in the end and are happy to have cancelled just in time. The main problem now is, £2k Deposit Lost. To share a few points briefly: * It took them 3 months to confirm any kind of drinks prices. * We waited 6 weeks for food prices. We expressed on many occasions how important it was for us to have a full costing from the hosts to enable us to send our invitations out. * We never received a full written catering cost. Not even 3 months after signing the contract. * After waiting 6 weeks for food prices the kids menu prices were forgotten * We wrote an email cancelling our contract which wasn't acknowledged until 2 weeks later when they saw that I made a Facebook Page and Web Site to make other people aware. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Newton-House-Weddings-Reviews/742778199077366 http://www.newtonhouseweddingsreview.co.uk/ We know of other couples going through a similar drama. Here are some quotes of them: - Paid the deposit, it was agreed that we could bring in our own caterers, so we went ahead and booked and then they turned around and said they didn't agree that. We had a meeting with them to discuss the situation, which ended in them losing their temper and acting unprofessionally. Not an atmosphere we want for a wedding, but if we turn them down for their unprofessional behaviour, we'll lose our deposit. - We have also been concerned about the time taken to get answers - They have ruined everything, changed the goal posts, lied, and increased prices or threatened to not provide the food!!! We've had to pay another £400 this evening in fact! Surely those guys can be stopped somehow! It's not about my money. We just want to stop those hosts destroying other people's wedding day! Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! Sven

Hi all, We recently moved to a new house after being issued a S.21 (because the landlords want to sell the property). We vacated the property within the 2 months and are now in our new place, and tomorrow our previous landlords are coming to inspect the old house which we've had professionally cleaned. There were a lot of problems with the property whilst we lived there, such as damp, water damage and bricks falling out of the wall. I have a feeling that when she comes to see the property she will say that she'll release our deposit (because she does things like this, she doesn't like confrontation, and will text us later) - so is there any document I can use/print (like a contract/agreement) for her to sign so that she can't go back on her word? We will also be taking a friend with us as a witness. TIA

Hello, A bit of a unique question here. A week a go I went into a tattoo parlour to enquire about getting a half sleeve tattooed. I explained my ideas and stated that my budget was £300. I was told this was not a problem, so I booked in a days work for tomorrow, with a deposit of £50. However, when messaging the tattoo parlour a couple of days before the tattoo to verify that it could all in fact be carried out in the session, I was told it would take two sittings, both of which would cost £300. If I had known that it would cost more than my £300, I would never have booked in the tattoo in the first place. The tattoo parlour have apologised if I misunderstood, but are refusing to give my deposit of £50 back. I feel that if it were a tangible product in a shop which I was misled on when purchasing, I would be given a refund. Does anyone have a similar experience or could offer any advice on this?

Good afternoon, I have served notice to my previous landlord that I intend to take legal action to recover my deposit and a penalty as decided by the courts. I gave him until 23rd June to respond, which was 16 days. I got a response today (24th) saying he has responded within time and that he is going to use a solicitor to defend this action. I am concerned that if I take him to court and lose I may be liable for his legal fees on top of costs. How would I stand with this? I don't have a receipt for the deposit but do have the following: 1. Deposit protection certificate showing it protected late 2. Letter from him offering to use the deposit in lieu of rent 3. Further letter from him saying I hadn't commented on 2. 4. Schedules of payment showing the deposit amount 5. Letter from him saying "this will negate the general cleaning requirement for which we are entitled to deduct sums from the deposit". In total I have at least 9 documents detailing a deposit. I also have a large pile of correspondence from him denying we paid a deposit, Facebook posts calling me a tw@t, sod and idiot regarding the deposit and a letter saying he will deduct 50% of the deposit unless we agree to his offer. We have tried to reason with the LL regarding the deposit and its return but just get arrogant responses to the effect of "sue me if you dare!" Any advice gratefully received

Hello everybody! I'm here today because my landlady informed me that she wouldn't give me any of my deposit back although I don't feel like she is in her right to do so. Therefore, I would be very greateful to have your advice concerning that issue. General informations (not sure what will be useful sorry...): - I rented a room (with furniture) in her flat, we were the only two people leaving in it. - We didn't use an agency or anything, I found the add for the rent online and dealt exclusively with her. - I stayed there from the 6th of November 2013 until the 6th of June 2014 (as agreed). - When she asked for a security deposit I asked her to draw a Tenancy Agreement, she seemed surprised but agreed immediately and we signed one before I moved in (I have a copy and so does she but it was just with the two of us, no lawyer or anything) - I paid a deposit worth 550 pounds, which was equal to a month's rent. - We didn't do an inventory at the entry or when I left the flat (didn't take pictures either) - We always had a good relationship, up until a couple of months back when I did notice she seemed more cold to me. - the flat was in Barnet (London) - a few weeks before I leave she asked me to pay (and I did) to replace a couple things and repair small damages I was indeed responsible for (for the most part, for some of it honestly I'm not sure but I didn't want to make too much trouble at the time and as long as the money is not too much I'm ok, but the security deposit is different!!) When I sent her the email with my banking informations (naively when I didn't received anything back after a couple of weeks I thought she might not have it) here is the answer she emailed me: "I doubt there will be my deposit to return. Firstly the desk in the room has a number of dents. That's about £250 to replace. Secondly, the room I am not able to rent out until the damp gets sorted, at the moment it is still being dehumidified. I'll need to re paint the room. I can send you the receipt when the builders have sorted it all out. But I don't see the point as you have cost me rent which is the same as the deposit. Sorry." I haven't answered to her yet because it started to scare me a lot and I panicked a little (I'm between jobs at the moment and as my next contract starts in September I was counting on that money!! ) and I wanted to seek advice before I do or say anything. Also, I moved back to France (where I come from) shortly after I left the flat, which doesn't help my situation... My view on the issue is this: I didn't do any dent on the desk, which by the way was already old and damaged when I moved in (the desk is made of a cheap Ikea/Argos type white frame with a big plank of wood put over it) . [ATTACH=CONFIG]51685[/ATTACH] The damp problem I wasn't aware of until a week or two before I left when she did text me that people had come and found a damp problem in the room and said that I had not open the room since I moved in. I answered to her that I had been opening everyday like she asked when I moved in, during at least an hour (which is true, even in winter, and god knows that was painful! And giving the very small size of the room honestly you could not live in there if you didn't anyway!). She texted back that it was getting sorted and put a dehumidifier in my room during the last week I was there. I thought the case was closed.. . But I was obviously wrong. To conclude I must add that I didn't do anything that could have caused the damp problem! My room was the smalest in the flat and the area around one of the window was damaged when I first moved in (paint chipping away and such). Sometime during the couple last months I did notice brown splashes appearing around the window and on the wall nearby after I opened the window to let the air in but the splashes watched away without any effort and I didn't think it was anything more than dirt coming from the outside... They reappeared a second time around the same area shortly before I left (that's when she had people coming over to check) and I just cleared them while cleaning the room on my last day there. So what do you think? Could I be directly and solely responsable for that damp problem even though I did open everyday and didn't do anything out of the ordinary (apart from puting my towel to dry in the room from time to time)? If not who should I talk to? I never had this kind of problems before (this s the third flat I let over the last four years as I had to move a lot when I was finishing my studies) so I'm feeling really lost. .. Thanks in advance for the time you will grant this request!

Hi, I've been issued with a valid s21, the letting agent has now sent a follow up letter which states that any deposit will not be returned until I have proof I have paid the water bill up to date. Obviously I will inform water company of reading on checkout day, (and of course pay when a bill is calculated) but I feel it is wrong for letting agent to withhold deposit until I provide proof bill is paid. This could take many weeks! Is this standard? It doesn't specify this in my tenancy, this is the first I've heard of it. Of course I'll pay outstanding utilities, but I'm sure the water company won't send somebody to read my meter when I request, nor will they produce a bill immediately. Any ideas? Thanks Me_too

Hi, I had a tenancy end in May, I had some disputes over my LL withholding a large proportion of my deposit (he was willing to only return £120 of £550) - the majority I believe was fair wear and tear over a 4 year tenancy. After asking for my DPS ID etc. to dispute the deductions, he made me aware my deposit wasn't protected. This is all after tenancy ended. Essentially he assumed it was OK to take away my right to dispute via the legal means (DPS) and bully me into accepting his totally unfair deposit return. I've sent a "Letter Before Action", to which he sent a letter containing a DPS ID, which was issued this month (June 2nd)! In essence he's trying to retrospectively fulfil his requirements as a LL after my tenancy has ended. I'm guessing I have a solid case for county court? Any insights / advice for disputes like this would be much appreciated!

I need legal advice, CAB could not help until July, this is now keeping me very much awake at night: We rented property, on check out verbally to every thing was ok, we ask for document to sign to that affect, they said no they would send a report out. 5 working days later, call the office to get told there was a letter waiting, I went to collect it. Collected letter The landlord claimed we have done damage and was keeping our deposit and sent and invoice for more money to cover his cost. This was for a large amount. We have writing back in full with our dispute and counter claims. To top this I discovered our deposit which was held with one of the government schemes, had been Auto Un Protected– back in January of this year. I was told by the scheme they had given the landlord ample warning. Due now to being un protracted, we have to either go down small claims on our own, or pay for expensive legal advice Has anyone been in such a position and can advice or if there any REALLY nice legal people who would look over my case and tell me my chances Thanks for taking the time to read this.

I moved out this month following a 12 year tenancy. I ended the tenancy (which had become a rolling tenancy) giving the requisite 1 rental period in notice. For a number of reasons such as health and bereavement that are not material, I was unable to get the property fully cleaned and returned in the state it was when I moved in. I fully expect to hve some costs taken from the £1000 deposit in respect of cleaning and disposing of the few things I did not have time to dispose of before moving out (I had several skips, but turnaround time meant there were a couple of old cupboards left - all spare time was spent taking things to storage so there wasn't time to dump these). My landlord says that the carpets are soiled beyond use and that there is blutac on the walls, and is threatening to take me to court for more than the amount of the deposit to have the carpet replaced and the house repainted. My question is not so much about the rights and wrongs of the case. It is this. I have made the landlord what I believe to be a very generous offer of £900 to cover a full professional clean and waste disposal. I believe that if the case went to adjudication or to court, he would be awarded a lower amount - the carpet was of a low quality and after 12 years I cannot find any guidelines that say it would be anything other than expected to be replaced - likewise the painting. Nonetheless, he refuses to go to adjudication (the deposit is protected under TDS) because he wants to pursue me for more than the deposit amount. Finally, the question is this: would the court take my offer into account when deciding whether to issue a judgement against me? If he goes to court and the court decides to award him less than the amount I have offered, would I still have a CCJ against my name, even thouh I am not contesting that amount? Or would I only be subject to a CCJ if he is awarded a higher amount? I can't seem to find any advice on this anywhere online. The letting agent has strongly advised me to settle for a higher amount out of court to avoid a CCJ - whether this is professional or not of them is another matter but I feel under pressure to pay more than I can afford or should have to pay. Thank you in advance

Hello I'd really appreciate your input please. I vacated the property on 2nd May 2014( after 3 years of renting). Rent was paid up to the 5th. I kept the terms of the tenancy agreement, prompt notice given and rent paid. I turned the keys in on time, cleaned the property, however, did not manage to cut the grass (grass was not cut when we moved in anyway) as left it too late and the bad weather prevented me from doing it on the last day. On 6th May 2011 I paid rental deposit, that I was told was protected by My Deposits scheme. The copy of the certificate I still have, looks a little dodgy (bad copy) but it has the all important Cert No. It also tells me the Period of Protection: 06 May 2011 - until 3 months from the date you vacated the property. This means that it is still protected, right? My first question is: why then, when I enter the Cert No on mydeposits website my deposit is not found?? What does that mean? Also, when I was called into my agency's office after I moved out, I signed a paper confirming that I agree to pay for damaged carpet & broken sink. I bought a new sink and left it there but the agent claims it doesn't fit, so I agreed to pay for a new one. I was not given a copy of that paper and made a mistake of leaving the office without one. I was rushing to get back to work as I was on my lunch break, but when I realised my mistake I emailed them to ask for copy (twice!) but received no reply at all. I was never told how much it would cost me to pay for these things. Is that acceptable??? I emailed twice asking for that information but heard nothing from them. Shall I write to them again? How to word my request to avoid being ignored? Huge thanks for any advice you can offer! Monika

I rented a flat from Alba Residental for 14 months. In those 14 months, the toilet flooded 3 times. Rather than replacing the shredder system they kept sending out plumbers who kept saying that there was nothing they could do to prevent any future blockages. When I moved in the flat was disgusting and nothing had been cleaned. Alba sent two cleaners who surface cleaned the flat. I ended up cleaning the entire flat myself after that. When I moved out, I left the place spotless. Alba came up with a massive list of items which they considered needed cleaning or replacement. The thing which outraged me most is the fact that they charged me £80 to replace a cracked freezer drawer (surely this is part of wear and tear, especially because the drawer wasn't actually broken, it had a minor crack in the handle, which still worked perfectly fine). The other thing they charged me for is "dusting the bed frame." This is ridiculous because I had hoovered AND dusted AND mopped the entire house. They also claimed that I had caused moulding in the bathroom, which was unventilated and did not have a window to air the place. Due to the fact that it is a closed bathroom, it is hard for water to evaporate. I used to leave the door open after having had a shower but minor moulding and minor stains appeared on the white rubbery bits between the bath and the wall. There is absolutely nothing I could do against this because there was no way for me to ventilate the bathroom properly. These stains are part of wear and tear and from time to time, the bathroom sealant just needs to be replaced. They charged me for this as well. There are plenty of other things which I was charged for, in addition to which Alba refuses to refund me the agency fees which they have unlawfully charged me. Does anyone have experience with this? I took photographs when I moved in but Alba is blatantly stating that they got cleaners in after I moved in (which is true) and that it is assumed that afterwards, the flat was in a satisfactory clean state. I would like to get my 25% back and I was wondering if anyone has had similar experiences and took the agency to a small claims court?

Would like your views on this as friend has got this feature in new contract. Presently in house on SPT for last 7 years through an agent, no problems. Deposit ( £1000 ) protected through agent as stake holder. Now LL has decided to not use agent anymore and tenant has signed new contract direct with same LL but with no deposit which will start in April 2014. ( LL cant be bothered to protect it ) and is OK with tenant (???). I am assuming the agent will have to return deposit to tenant?? directly when new contract starts. Not sure of what sort of dispute will arise between LL and agent as they don't know about it yet. but will this affect paying out the deposit to the tenant. any thoughts?

My husband and I are due to move in three weeks. We have placed a holding deposit down on a property, at the moment it is still showing as available on websites. Although the landlord says as far as she is concerned it is ours. She said to pay the deposit as soon as possible, would that mean the 1st month and deposit or the security deposit? I only ever signed contracts and made first months payment on move in before. We also moved out of our last place and the landlord requested that our deposit be released so we want to wait for that, should be a few days. Im just not sure what it means to send money without contract. What is the normal way?

Hi All, Newbie here with a problem. I went into a BMW dealership for a service and got talking about the new 4 Series coupe with the sales guy. I agreed to come back and see him the next day (Saturday the 23rd Nov). I went with my GF and we talked and worked out a deal which was similar to what I want minus heated seats, XDrive and the PRO Sat Nav. He then said he would give me this great deal if I could shake on him ordering the car on Monday. I shook his hand and got up to leave, he said he just needs a quick deposit and we would get all the rest of the details for finance etc on Monday. My missus paid it on her credit card (£1k) and he gave me a document to sign which said new car contract (At this point you can all start pelting me with rotten tomatoes because I pretty much signed it without questioning anything) I then went to visit my brother and showed him the deal after which he advised me to visit his local dealer for a comparison. The local dealer told me the heated seats were standard and he could do me the XDrive and Pro Sat Nav for the same price and APR as the one I had got. I immediately called the first dealer (Sunday the 24th November) to cancel. He told me I can't cancel and I am bound by the agreement. His boss then came on and said the car has not been ordered but I must buy from them as I am tied in. I continued to insist that I did not want the car after which he said I have no option to cancel and I am now tied into a contract which allows them to place the order for the car from BMW which will be delivered in February. I then escalated it to the manager who said I am tied into the contract and will not be getting my deposit back despite numerous back and forth conversations. They then changed tact and said I should come in and we can work something out. I do not want to go in (and have been advised not to) because the current email correspondence protects me as everything is documented. What are my options re: Section 57 of CCA? Can they hold my deposit for costs (they have incurred none as it was 24 hrs....if that)? Finally, the deposit was paid by my GF on her credit card, can she reclaim that payment especially as the service was not for her or in her name an thus has not been provided in full. Answers please and do not hesitate to be harsh because I had a brain fart of a weekend and this needs to be a lesson for me. Thanks in advance.

This is complicated so I will try and make it as simple as possible. My landlady is holding my deposit and every time I answer her questions she changes the reason for withholding it. Firstly I have had confirmation from all 3 schemes that she did not protect my deposit. And my issue may come down to this in the end but I need some advice as I am taking her to small claims court and don't want any surprises once there. She gave me 2 months notice but after 1 week was pressuring me for a date as she wanted to move back into the property. I found somewhere quickly and moved out after 1 month. She claims I owe her that last month's rent as I am contracted to pay it even though she moved in. In effect she expects me to pay for her to live there for a month. Then she changed her reason due to bad cleaning, decoration and damage. Even though she told me not to worry about getting it professionally cleaned, that she was going to decorate throughout any way and all items she claims were damaged are either lies or not on the inventory. I have text evidence for all of this! Now she is saying she needs proof that ALL utilities and loans I had at that address are paid up to date before reconsidering. I told her all utilities are my responsibility and that she cannot withhold my deposit for those reasons and she has now gone back to damage and cleaning/decorating. I have sent her a letter before action for the full amount of my deposit but I dont think she has the money! My next step is to prepare a case to take to court. Do I need to worry about any of this or is the fact she didn't protect it enough? I should also say that we inspected the property together and she raised no issue. She gave me NO opportunity to correct the alleged cleaning issues etc and sent me a fake invoice ( or at least a highly dodgy one) for works she claims she had to carry out. The first I heard of any problem was 11 days after I moved out and after I asked her what scheme my deposit was in. Any advice would be more than welcome.I hope this isn't too complicated there are many many more issues but I condensed it down as much as possible! Thank you!

To break this down firstly its a private landlord; Tenancy agreement started on 1st October 2012, deposit of £595 paid. Tenancy ended Mid March 2014 - Rent fully paid up until end of March 2014. No deposit protection scheme information sent. No inventory checklist for property done. Handed keys back 19th March, heard nothing wrote on 26th March requesting return of deposit, wrote again on 10th April requesting return giving LBA 14 day letter. Received a letter today, it states that: 1. I agreed a new AST on the 4th June 2013, and the deposit scheme sentence has been crossed out and she has written on that the deposit is taken to cover any damages on completing tenancy, and the tenant has agreed that this money will be held by the landlord and not a tenancy deposit scheme. As this is a copy I never got given the original one I signed, she conveniently kept it, I was never told this had changed and have not initialled next to the rewording, and when I did resign I never noticed this - I am usually pretty careful at reading stuff, I am not convinced this is the original front copy of the agreement. 2. In her letter she states that tenants were due to move in on the 1st april but were unable to as the whole house needed a good clean, small bedroom needed redecorating, kitchen and bathroom filthy, cooker needed deep clean as did the fridge, gas hob was broken and had to be replaced, blind missing from small bedroom, carpets needed cleaning and garden unkempt. Invoice is attached. There is no invoice attached but I presume the work amounts to the full deposit as there is no cheque included either. As no inventory was taken I cannot argue with her. I agree the carpets should be cleaned that's normal practice, the garden was pretty much a state when I moved in so no change there, I never had a problem with the hob, I left the property in the same condition as when I moved in. So any advice gladly appreciated. Regards, Joan

I was hoping someone could help me. I found a room via flatshare and I was given a tenacy agreement which states me deposit of £285 would be put in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme and moved into the property last year back in 11th December It was a 3 month contract and I left on 11th April and the place was full of mould (which I have pictures of) and now the landlord is avoiding my calls. The place is council and he has converted the living room to his bedroom and rented his old bedroom to me so not sure if he is breaking the law there. I also have proof that I paid the deposit on the day of moving as well. The landlord also mentioned that he did not put the money into a tenancy deposit scheme. I am also a bit worried because once or twice he asked if I could pay him cash and I didn’t think to ask for a receipt but the last 2 months I paid into his bank account. Any advice would be much appreciated. He also told me all bills were included via flatshare and on the tenancy agreement it said I would have to pay council tax but he said don’t worry about that as he will pay it then I found via his council tax bill that he is claiming to live alone, further to this he is also avoiding paying his tv license as they have knocked twice. I have since left the property but I desperately need deposit back. I would be grateful for some advise. Thanks. Mark

Has anyone experienced this before? I would be glad if you could please advice. I had guests staying in an apartment which I got through the holidaylettings.co.uk website last year. In booking you have to pay a £350 deposit in the case damages occurs. After my guests left, there were no damages and I got no refund from holidaylettings.co.uk or the owner of the property. I have since been in an email exchange with both but still no money being returned. Worst and frustrating thing is that the property is still being advertised to let and both holidaylettings.co.uk plus the landlord are simply not paying me. Can I go after both to recover my money? If so, how do I achieve this please? Thank you

Hi im seeking some advice We have been living in our rented property for 6 years and are moving out We have informed the landlord and he visited the property to inspect the property so he could give us a reference He gave us a reference ok but now he is sending us texts saying he wants to keep £500 of the deposit to replace the 2 faux sofas that we had already replaced 2 years ago We replaced the sofas ourselves 2 years ago as the ones he provided we cracked and worn out, we texted him and he was ok with this and said as long as there are 2 sofas when u leave that would be ok He is holding a £1100 deposit from us and we could do with as much as we can from it for furnishing are new property and i have to pay for a months rent as our contract isnt up till the 29th of may and were moving to are new property on the 3rd of may so i have to pay for 2 rents We have also found out that it is not in a government deposit scheme and he has kept it in his bank over the 5 years we have been in the property Over the 5 years he hasnt done anything to the property not even visited it I also replaced his old worn out boiler for a new one because we were eligible for a grant and our gas bill was huge due to the old boiler being inefficient Any advice would be great Thxs

Hey here from the UK, England me, my wife and my baby recently moved out of a property due to black mold growing throughout the house, we were release as the landlord couldn't (or wouldn't) pay for the repairs or improvement needed to make the property livable. when we first moved in we did have pets (two smalls dogs) but as you can see in the email below they were removed from the property. we have now moved out and had the carpet professional cleaned as instructed in our agreement, i went back into the property to finish cleaning with a horrible smell of damp in the property and was still there when we handed back the keys, me and the man who conducted the inventory commented on the smell. we have now received a call for the letting agency saying that we need to sort out the smell of dogs in the property, i said that it was the smell of damp and she disagreed. we have now received emails that you can see below: Thank you for your receipt for the cleaning of the carpets. With reference to my conversation with lee last week regarding the strong smell of dogs that remain at ** Address removed ** have you spoken to the cleaning company regarding this ?. Unfortunately the smell is not acceptable and this will need to be rectified before we can release the deposit. If you wish to discuss the matter further please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind Regards. We replied with: The smell in the property is not that of dog but rather the smell of damp. The damp is visible in all rooms of the house and is the reason we were released from our contract in the first place. We haven't had dogs at the property since 15th February, I informed Louise of this in an email, so I think it's highly unlikely that there would be a smell of dog over a month later, after all the carpets in the property have been professionally cleaned and deodorised. We have not spoken to the cleaning company regarding the matter, you have their contact details should you wish to contact them directly. I have read through the contract and cannot find anything regarding the smell of the property upon check out. If I have missed something then of course, please send me the section highlighted, otherwise we have abided to the terms of the contract and had the carpets cleaned as requested so I will be expecting the deposit back without further delay. Kind regards and she has replied with: I have personally visited the property and both I and the check out clerk can confirm there is a strong smell of dog at the property, to such an extent we would not be able to relet it with that smell. Under section 3 (e) (xi) of your assured shorthold tenancy it states that you are to hand back the property in the same state as specified in schedule A. If you would like to re visit the property with myself and the cleaning company to discuss how we could resolve the issue please contact me to arrange a mutually agreeable time. we have had multiple inspections and visits during our short time there because of the damp and this has never been mentioned before any advice would be amazing. Thank you. EDIT: i forgot to mention that the damp was there when we moved in and we were assured with was dealt with. we found from a neighbor that the damp has been there for years with previous tenets getting there rent reduced because of it.

The story is as follows: 3 weeks ago I went to look at a car for sale that was advertised on eBay. (which wasn't an auction, but a classified advert) I liked the car (a non runner by the way) and said to the bloke I would have it and paid a £250 deposit with the remaining £2,750 to be paid on collection once I had sorted out transport for the vehicle. However, this week my Mrs 2008 Golf has just packed up big time! I think the Mechatronics unit in the DSG gearbox has gone, and I'm looking at a £2000+ bill. I have text the bloke today apologising and explaining my situation and asked for my money back and he has refused. I said I would ring him later today. He said as stated in the eBay ad it was non refundable. However, on my receipt that he printed out it says nothing at all apart from remaining balance to be paid, and there was no mention of anything being non refundable between the two of us while discussing terms. What are my rights, and what is the best way to go about this? I still need to phone him, but don't want to say the wrong thing. Thanks, Tony.