Property Hawk recently received an email from Tom Derrett regarding his new service for landlords.
We are always happy to introduce new and useful services to our users. This is a little bit about Tom & his new service in his own words. We would point out that none of us have used it so this is not an endorsement.
Anybody, who has - please feel free to post your comments on it's usefulness.
"I am emailing you as a long-standing reader of your blog, to ask your opinion on a service I have set up to help landlords recover disputed deposits from the deposit protection schemes.
Until recently I worked as an adjudicator for one of the deposit protection schemes. I found myself increasingly concerned at the number of cases where I suspected that the landlord or agent probably deserved the money they were requesting, but where I couldn’t award the full amount because the evidence submitted did not justify the claim. Only this week, My Deposits announced that landlords only succeed or partially succeed in 51% of cases. Although there is a creditable attempt to spin this into good news, as apparently it is an improvement, the figures unquestionably show that in 49% of disputed deposits, the landlord comes away with absolutely nothing. I don’t accept that in half of the cases referred to ADR, the landlord does not deserve anything at all.
The landlords are losing because the ADR schemes place the burden of proof on the landlord and enforce rules of evidence, which landlords often do not understand. I am not in any way against the deposit protection schemes. I think that the ADR departments do a good job of dealing fairly with a very large volume of disputes, but the fact remains that the letting industry has no entry qualifications or requirement for CPD and many landlords struggle with ADR and need assistance. Solicitors are available for advice, but they are much too expensive, considering that the average value of a dispute is less than £750.
I have set up a website, adrsolution.co.uk, to provide a quick, affordable service to landlords and letting agents with disputed deposits. All the landlord has to do is send ADR Solution the evidence that they intend to submit to adjudication (or the evidence they have already submitted, as the schemes generally accept late evidence within reason), and a lawyer or adjudicator will review it. The landlord will then receive a document detailing specific problems with the claim, how they can be remedied, the likely calculation of damages and any additional material which should be included to maximise the landlord’s chances of success. The service is offered for a fixed fee of £50, with a guaranteed delivery time of five business days. A forty-eight hour service is also offered at £100.
I am so convinced that I can radically change the fortunes of landlords using the ADR services that I am offering a full money back guarantee."
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