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    • Hi LFI, Your knowledge in this area is greater than I could possibly hope to have and as such I appreciate your feedback. In your point 1 you mention: 1] there is a real danger that some part of the appeal will point out that the person appealing [the keeper ] is also the driver. I understand the point you are making but I was referring to when the keeper is also the driver and admits it later and only in this circumstance, but I understand what you are saying. I take on board the issues you raise in point 2. Can a PPC (claimant) refer back to the case above as proof that the motorist should have appealed, like they refer back to other cases? Thanks once again for the feedback.
    • Well barristers would say that in the hope that motorists would go to them for advice -obviously paid advice.  The problem with appealing is at least twofold. 1] there is a real danger that some part of the appeal will point out that the person appealing [the keeper ] is also the driver.  And in a lot of cases the last thing the keeper wants when they are also the driver is that the parking company knows that. It makes it so much easier for them as the majority  of Judges do not accept that the keeper and the driver are the same person for obvious reasons. Often they are not the same person especially when it is a family car where the husband, wife and children are all insured to drive the same car. On top of that  just about every person who has a valid insurance policy is able to drive another person's vehicle. So there are many possibilities and it should be up to the parking company to prove it to some extent.  Most parking company's do not accept appeals under virtually any circumstances. But insist that you carry on and appeal to their so called impartial jury who are often anything but impartial. By turning down that second appeal, many motorists pay up because they don't know enough about PoFA to argue with those decisions which brings us to the second problem. 2] the major parking companies are mostly unscrupulous, lying cheating scrotes. So when you appeal and your reasons look as if they would have merit in Court, they then go about  concocting a Witness Statement to debunk that challenge. We feel that by leaving what we think are the strongest arguments to our Member's Witness Statements, it leaves insufficient time to be thwarted with their lies etc. And when the motorists defence is good enough to win, it should win regardless of when it is first produced.   
    • S13 (2)The creditor may not exercise the right under paragraph 4 to recover from the keeper any unpaid parking charges specified in the notice to keeper if, within the period of 28 days beginning with the day after that on which that notice was given, the creditor is given— (a)a statement signed by or on behalf of the vehicle-hire firm to the effect that at the material time the vehicle was hired to a named person under a hire agreement; (b)a copy of the hire agreement; and (c)a copy of a statement of liability signed by the hirer under that hire agreement. As  Arval has complied with the above they cannot be pursued by EC----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S14 [1]   the creditor may recover those charges (so far as they remain unpaid) from the hirer. (2)The conditions are that— (a)the creditor has within the relevant period given the hirer a notice in accordance with sub-paragraph (5) (a “notice to hirer”), together with a copy of the documents mentioned in paragraph 13(2) and the notice to keeper; (b)a period of 21 days beginning with the day on which the notice to hirer was given has elapsed;  As ECP did not send copies of the documents to your company and they have given 28 days instead of 21 days they have failed to comply with  the Act so you and your Company are absolved from paying. That is not to say that they won't continue asking to be paid as they do not have the faintest idea how PoFA works. 
    • Euro have got a lot wrong and have failed to comply with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Schedule 4.  According to Section 13 after ECP have written to Arval they should then send a NTH to the Hirer  which they have done.This eliminates Arval from any further pursuit by ECP. When they wrote to your company they should have sent copies of everything that they asked Arval for. This is to prove that your company agree what happened on the day of the breach. If ECP then comply with the Act they are allowed to pursue the hirer. If they fail, to comply they cannot make the hirer pay. They can pursue until they are blue in the face but the Hirer is not lawfully required to pay them and if it went to Court ECP would lose. Your company could say who was driving but the only person that can be pursued is the Hirer, there does not appear to be an extension for a driver to be pursued. Even if there was, because ECP have failed miserably to comply with the Act  they still have no chance of winning in Court. Here are the relevant Hire sections from the Act below.
    • Thank-you FTMDave for your feedback. May I take this opportunity to say that after reading numerous threads to which you are a contributor, I have great admiration for you. You really do go above and beyond in your efforts to help other people. The time you put in to help, in particular with witness statements is incredible. I am also impressed by the way in which you will defer to others with more experience should there be a particular point that you are not 100% clear on and return with answers or advice that you have sought. I wish I had the ability to help others as you do. There is another forum expert that I must also thank for his time and patience answering my questions and allowing me to come to a “penny drops” moment on one particular issue. I believe he has helped me immensely to understand and to strengthen my own case. I shall not mention who it is here at the moment just in case he would rather I didn't but I greatly appreciate the time he took working through that issue with me. I spent 20+ years of working in an industry that rules and regulations had to be strictly adhered to, indeed, exams had to be taken in order that one had to become qualified in those rules and regulations in order to carry out the duties of the post. In a way, such things as PoFA 2012 are rules and regulations that are not completely alien to me. It has been very enjoyable for me to learn these regulations and the law surrounding them. I wish I had found this forum years ago. I admit that perhaps I had been too keen to express my opinions given that I am still in the learning process. After a suitable period in this industry I became Qualified to teach the rules and regulations and I always said to those I taught that there is no such thing as a stupid question. If opinions, theories and observations are put forward, discussion can take place and as long as the result is that the student is able to clearly see where they went wrong and got to that moment where the penny drops then that is a valuable learning experience. No matter how experienced one is, there is always something to learn and if I did not know the answer to a question, I would say, I don't know the answer to that question but I will go and find out what the answer is. In any posts I have made, I have stated, “unless I am wrong” or “as far as I can see” awaiting a response telling me what I got wrong, if it was wrong. If I am wrong I am only too happy to admit it and take it as a valuable learning experience. I take the point that perhaps I should not post on other peoples threads and I shall refrain from doing so going forward. 🤐 As alluded to, circumstances can change, FTMDave made the following point that it had been boasted that no Caggers, over two years, who had sent a PPC the wrong registration snotty letter, had even been taken to court, let alone lost a court hearing .... but now they have. I too used the word "seemed" because it is true, we haven't had all the details. After perusing this forum I believe certain advice changed here after the Beavis case, I could be wrong but that is what I seem to remember reading. Could it be that after winning the above case in question, a claimant could refer back to this case and claim that a defendant had not made use of the appeal process, therefore allowing the claimant to win? Again, in this instance only, I do not know what is to be gained by not making an appeal or concealing the identity of the driver, especially if it is later admitted that the defendant was the driver and was the one to input the incorrect VRN in error. So far no one has educated me as to the reason why. But, of course, when making an appeal, it should be worded carefully so that an error in the appeal process cannot be referred back to. I thought long and hard about whether or not to post here but I wanted to bring up this point for discussion. Yes, I admit I have limited knowledge, but does that mean I should have kept silent? After I posted that I moved away from this forum slightly to find other avenues to increase my knowledge. I bought a law book and am now following certain lawyers on Youtube in the hope of arming myself with enough ammunition to use in my own case. In one video titled “7 Reasons You Will LOSE Your Court Case (and how to avoid them)” by Black Belt Barrister I believe he makes my point by saying the following, and I quote: “If you ignore the complaint in the first instance and it does eventually end up in court then it's going to look bad that you didn't co-operate in the first place. The court is not going to look kindly on you simply ignoring the company and not, let's say, availing yourself of any kind of appeal opportunities, particularly if we are talking about parking charge notices and things like that.” This point makes me think that, it is not such a bizarre judgement in the end. Only in the case of having proof of payment and inputting an incorrect VRN .... could it be worthwhile making a carefully worded appeal in the first instance? .... If the appeal fails, depending on the reason, surely this could only help if it went to court? As always, any feedback gratefully received.
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      The judge's reasoning is very useful and will certainly be helpful in any other cases relating to third-party rights where the customer has contracted with the courier company by using a broker.
      This is generally speaking the problem with using PackLink who are domiciled in Spain and very conveniently out of reach of the British justice system.

      Frankly I don't think that is any accident.

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Unfair deposit deductions


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Morning all,

 

I've just recently (last week) moved out of my old rented flat and into a new one. On request of our damage deposit back, my old landlord returned it with 2/3 of it deducted (almost £750). The main deduction being £450 for replacing the entirety of a mirrored wardrobe that covers the length of one of the walls in the main bedroom.

 

The problem is, that we had accidently cracked one of the mirrored panels (from everyday use, it literally cracked as it was slid open). Fair enough we thought, and informed our landlord (this was about half way through our tenancy). However, he did not replace it nor repair it whilst we we're living there, and now after we have moved out he says that the manufacturer does not make these type of panels anymore. He informed us that the ones that are made now are slightly larger and "would not look right" with the rest of them so has no other option but to replace the entire wardrobe with a new one. This is all very charming seeing that the last one was very old and in dire need of being replaced.

 

I see this as the landlord benefiting from our deposit, and unfairly charging us for repairs that fall under general wear and tear. I am currently in the process of writing a letter about this and also to request a breakdown of the other charges he has imposed on us.

 

If anyone could point me in the direction of websites or sources information that detail the law when it comes to the above points (benefiting from damage deposit etc) then that would be greatly appreciated as I don't seem to be turning up much.

 

Regards,

PeteDexter

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This is a standard, template letter which we use for our clients. Please be sure to amend it accordingly to your situation.

 

We are writing to you on behalf of our client; XXXXXX, your previous tenant at the above address.

 

As you are most probably aware, our client requested that you return her deposit in view of the fact that the premises were left in an acceptable state of cleanliness and, allowing for fair wear and tear, in a state they were encountered.

 

(Alternatively; if you agree and accept responsibility for some damages or cleaning that needs to be done; say so- being reasonable and fair will earn you respect if not from the landlord, then eventualy from the cour),

cont...

We would like to remind you that tenants have rights, not only obligations. You, as a landlord have obligations, besides your rights. This is also in relation to deposits. Deposit must not be regarded by landlords as an extra rent only to be returned reluctantly or used to actually improve the condition of the property.

 

Good practice requires that landlord keep deposits in a separate client account, provided client with written statement detailing exactly what the deposit covers and when the money will be returned. Could you please provide our client with evidence that you have adhered to these standards?

 

Additionally, you should be aware, that the amount retained should only be equivalent to an amount needed to replace “like with like”. For example, if the carpet was a bit worn out at the start of the tenancy, the landlord cannot expect to retain the amount that would pay for brand new carpet.

 

The onus is on you to prove that there were circumstances justifying the retention of all or part of the deposit, not on our client to prove that they are entitled to its return. Unfortunately, you have not provided any relevant evidence.

 

You should also allow the tenant the opportunity of remedying any defect before charging her for it – you should in any event have prepared a dilapidation schedule and you should have the relevant tradesman available to at least give a written quotation (not an estimate) to enable you to readily account for deductions.

 

You cannot withhold the deposit for the general “wear and tear”. Landlords must redecorate the property from their own expenses and tenants are only held liable for damages, which create additional costs to the landlord. Deposits are not there to provide redecoration fund.

 

We would advise you to look on the ARLA web site which has a very useful part regarding deposit releases and working out amounts for damages/compensation. E.g. you cannot have replacement value for anything even if it was brand new at start of tenancy, as this would be regarded as "betterment". You can only have a percentage value dependant on condition at start of tenancy (which they must prove using the inventory from the start of the tenancy) and expected life of the item. (http://www.arla.co.uk/download/dealing_with_deps_disps_dams.pdf)

 

Our client will be in a position to demonstrate that it was unreasonable for you to keep their deposit, should you be unable to produce requested evidence and should matters proceed to court action.

 

Our client tells us that she has written ( called/talked) to you and requested receipts or invoices for work carried out or estimates or quotes for the work of this nature. You have not responded and the amount withheld by you is still not properly accounted for.

 

The landlord must remember, as it is the tenant’s money, he has to account for it properly. It is a very common misconception, that the deposit belongs to the landlord- it is not so and withholding of it without proper validation is illegal

 

Our client would like to inform you that she expects your reply to arrive no later then within a fortnight of the postmark. If no reply received, the county court action will be instigated. The court can order you to pay the deposit back and the proceedings are very straightforward. You may also be ordered to pay our client’s court costs.

 

We sincerely advise you to comply with our clients’ request. From our extensive experience, the courts are very sympathetic to tenants whose landlords do not follow good practice guidelines and do not fulfil statutory requirements regarding issues of deposits.

 

 

We are looking forward to hearing from you within 14 days.

 

 

Please Please use this letter as a skeleton for your argument; amend ( for example,if you nor writing on behalf of someone else, etc)and expand accordingly, say EXACTLY want you expect and why, in one of the first paragraphs of the letter

  • Haha 1

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What a great letter. Admin/mods - is there any way Joa's post could be made 'sticky' (esp. as there are so many non-refund of deposit queries)?

Halifax plc

 

LBA sent 11/01/06

Rec'd fob off letter 21/01/06

Last ditch attempt phone call to avoid court action 07/04/06

Reply rec'd 07/04/06 'On this occasion we are unable to help you'

Claim filed 19/04/06

Claim acknowledged 28/04/06

 

SETTLED IN FULL 11/05/06

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ok, basically after a little correspondence on this matter my ex-landlord has refused to accept that we only owe for a percentage of the repairs to the wardrobe and has also not provided a breakdown of all the other charges he imposed on us.

 

It's been 14 days since my original request, so now I'm in the process of writing a letter before action asking for these charges to be returned. I was again hoping that I could request the help of any board members just mainly for any suggestions of what to include in my letter as the last reply was incredibly useful!

 

Thanks,

PeteDexter

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well unfortunately, I've come unstuck here slightly. In the move to the new house, we seem to have misplaced the old contract, which has our old landlords address on it. He now uses a letting agency and obviously they won't give me his address, nor is his address on any of the contracts the new people have.

 

I wan't to send him an lba letter, but obviously without his address this is a bit hard! Is there any way I can find this out? He's ex-directory too...

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Just an update in case anyone is actually interested!

 

Sent my letter before action off on Monday, it was signed for by him yesterday (good old royal mail tracking numbers!) and now today my old flatmate gets a text from him saying that he won't write him a housing reference until we accept his charges. Sounds the like the actions of a guilty man who's now starting to get a little worried!

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Your flatmate can state on any application for housing that the old tenancy is in dispute, so the new agency/landlord ect doesnt have to contact him. Also let him/her know that they can always use a guaranteer if this most recent landlord was his/her's only reference..

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Yeah, I told him just to ring his new landbaron and explain the situation. He's got guarantors and he said he can get a ref from his previous house still, so he's all good. We just liked the sheer desperation our old landlord must be going through to try pulling that one! Needless to say, that text has been saved... :D

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It kind of sums up how frustrating this whole thing is. To put it kindly, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box. Trying to explain to him why he couldn't charge us for the entire wardrobe as it would be classed as betterment resulted in the response of "I don't think the new wardrobe looks better" :-D:rolleyes:

And you would have thought that when someone sends you a letter saying pay up or we'll let the courts settle it, you would think twice about sending a text like that! Ah well, all the more ammunition for us when we inevitabely arrive in court due to his stubborness/stupidity...

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