Help - Deposit Protection Scheme and inventory?

[Bobba]

I have no idea if our deposit is in the protection scheme and wanted to know how I would find this out?

The original tenants who move in over 5 years ago gave a the deposit to the letting agency (£300 each to make a house total). Since then we have a number of tenants move in and out. When a tenant moves out and is replaced, the new tenant pays £300 directly to the tenant moving out.

The letting agency does not do any checks on the house/room when a tenant moves out. We have ask for a copy of the inventory as none of the current tenants have ever seen or signed the inventory. I think one did exist but must be over 5 years old and was drawn up when the orignal housemates moved in (all since moved out). The only paperwork which is completed on a regular basis is when a new tenant moves in they have a finance check and then the current tenants sign a new contract with the new tenant.

 

We have asked 4 times for the inventory and the agency hasn't produced it yet!

We do have inspections 6 months but not much communication comes out from that. Our letting agency is extremely bad at their jobs, we always have to chase if there are issues within the house, and at present we have a number of outstanding matienance issues that they have done nothing about.

 

The current tenants (including myself) signed a new 6 month contract December 2008. Should our depoist be in the scheme? I'm concerned that there maybe things on an inventory which I have never seen we would dispute and have had no change to do this? Does any of this change if we all move out at the same time e.g. all tenants leave at the end of the fix term, if the inventory is so out of date and not current when we signed the contract in Dec how would the LL prove what state the house was in compared to when we leave?

 

The house is not is a total mess or anything, just worn from over 5 years of 5 people living there and neglate from the agency who we have to chase and chase to get anything fixed!

 

Any help on the above issues would be appreciated.

 

Thanks