Glasgow landlord loses deposit tribunal

Glasgow students win deposit tribunal case against Glasgow landlord https://t.co/vO62av3o72

— Property Hawk (@landlordnews) February 11, 2021

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Leeds landlords gives tenants a bonus

Lovely story in @leedslivenews about landlord and NRLA member John 👏https://t.co/AjAclEeNg9 @UniversityLeeds #Leeds #landlords #uni

— NRLA - National Residential Landlords Association (@NRLAssociation) June 29, 2020

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Tenancy deposits and Covid-19.

BLOG: Alison MacDougall, Director of Dispute Operations at @TenancyDeposits writes about what you need to know in relation to tenancy deposits and Covid-19. https://t.co/Mrbsbzlby8

— NRLA - National Residential Landlords Association (@NRLAssociation) May 13, 2020

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Rental deposit costs dwarfed

#Rental deposit costs dwarfed by increase in #TV, #mobile contracts and Big Macs https://t.co/BviqLOKG4k pic.twitter.com/Ms0jCPgt9S

— Estate Agent Networking (@EAUKNetworking) March 3, 2020

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The latest DPS Rent Index

Higher wages and lower deposits help take sting out of renting, says The DPS in its latest Rent Index

The proportion of income that tenants spent on rent decreased between 2016 and 2019 despite increases in rental levels, according to The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS).

In the latest edition of its Rent Index, the largest protector of deposits in the UK compares rent levels across the country with averages salaries and reveals that the average proportion of wages spent on rent fell from 32.64% in 2016 to 30.64% in 2019.

The DPS said that various factors had helped improve the affordability of renting during the period, including a 2.69% increase in average salary (from £29,559 to £30,353) and a £77 decrease in average tenancy deposits (from £905 to £828) since the introduction of the deposit cap in June last year.

Matt Trevett, Managing Director of The DPS, said: “Although rents have risen over the past decade, other changes since 2016 have helped ensure renting has become on average more affordable. 

“Predictions that rents would rise in response to the introduction of the tenant fees ban and deposit cap do not seem to have materialised, with many landlords seemingly declining to increase rents since last summer.” 

The DPS Rent Index, which is published quarterly and is based on The DPS database of millions of properties across the UK, also showed that average rents reached a peak of £777 during the third quarter of 2019 (Q3 2019), before decreasing marginally by £4 to £773 during the following quarter.

Paul Fryers, Managing Director at specialist buy-to-let mortgage provider Zephyr Homeloans, which like The DPS forms part of the Computershare Group, said:  “Although the longer-term recovery in rental levels is likely owing to broader economic factors, changes to rental figures are also more likely at moments where property changes hands.

“Over the last couple of years, professional landlords have become a larger proportion of the buy-to-let market as more and more smaller or ‘accidental’ landlords sell up, partly as a result of increasing costs.”

Northern Ireland saw biggest increase in average monthly rents (3.01%) from £532 to £548 during Q4 2019, while average monthly rent in Yorkshire and The Humber decreased the most, from £551 to £524 (4.90%). 

                                                                         

London continues to be the most expensive rental region in the UK, with average monthly rents standing at £1,345 in Q4 2019 – over two and a half times the amount (£518) paid in the UK’s cheapest region, the North East, during the same period.

Excluding London, average monthly rent during the last quarter of 2019 stood at £672, said the report.

Detached properties saw the largest increase (0.81%) in average monthly rents, from £990 to £998, in Q4.

Monthly rents for terraced houses declined the most during the quarter, falling 0.55%, from £732 to £728.

Average rents increased by 20% between 2010 and 2019, but only by 1% between 2016 and 2019, according to figures from The DPS.

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Agent disqualified for pocketing £68k of deposits

Estate agent boss disqualified after pocketing £68000 in deposits from renters - https://t.co/7S0YVxoFEp #GoogleAlerts

— Property Hawk (@landlordnews) January 16, 2020

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AIIC: Time to return deposits is “unbelievable”

AIIC: Time to return tenants deposits is “unbelievable” https://t.co/5NObhtcOmW pic.twitter.com/6pY3vIWEZn

— Mortgage Introducer (@MortgageChat) October 24, 2019

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Tenancy deposit cap calculator - TDS

Today TDS has launched https://t.co/X6bOjTsySR, a one-stop shop for all information relating to the impending Deposit Cap in England. The website is packed with tools and guidance to simplify the Deposit Cap for agents and landlords: https://t.co/a0TJx10JGB pic.twitter.com/fQjg3S7meO

— TDS (@TenancyDeposits) April 2, 2019

Tenant fee ban in England: @TenancyDeposits has created a useful deposit cap calculator tool for letting agents and landlords https://t.co/9IhaIpcOVU

— RLA Landlord News (@RLA_News) April 9, 2019

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Deposit-free renting schemes: ARLA Factsheet

New fact sheet - Learn about deposit-free renting schemes and sheds some light on what you need to know about alternative deposit protection arrangements https://t.co/Ke0ux36SY7 pic.twitter.com/V4EZFtp0ZQ

— ARLA Propertymark (@arla_uk) March 6, 2019

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TDS case - landlord claims £245 for tenants leaving a day late

In this recent case study, a landlord claimed £245.00 for expenses arising as a result of the tenants leaving the property a day late. We look at both sides of the argument, what evidence was presented and how the final decision was reached. https://t.co/4POgusjcue pic.twitter.com/m2ucPc6Bqm

— TDS (@TenancyDeposits) January 17, 2019

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10 tips for managing tenancy deposit disputes

Confused by disputes? Take a look at our top tips and brush up on your knowledge https://t.co/K7wfjXYivq

— The DPS (@The_DPS) January 14, 2019

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Letting agent banned for failing to protect tenants deposits

BANNED: #lettings management boss disqualified for failing to protect thousands of pounds of #tenants’ deposits https://t.co/VpJbWaK6yP pic.twitter.com/jPmVZRVBAe

— Insolvency Service (@insolvencygovuk) December 12, 2018

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The Dispute Service Annual Review

The Dispute Service Annual Review shows 6.8% growth in deposits held across UK

• The Dispute Service has grown 6.8% in the last financial year 
• Growth was highest in Northern Ireland (13.85%), followed by Scotland (8%) and England and Wales (6.52%) 
• Growth attributed to investment in technology, systems and customer service
• The Dispute Service operates Tenancy Deposit Scheme in England and Wales, TDS Northern Ireland, and is a key partner with SafeDeposits Scotland.

In the last financial year (April 2017-March 2018), the UK’s leading tenancy deposit protection provider, The Dispute Service increased the number of deposits it protects by 6.8% across the UK.

Operating tenancy deposit protection schemes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, The Dispute Service announced the growth in its Annual Review, published today (6th December 2018).

The Dispute Service subsidiary, TDS Northern Ireland, experienced the greatest growth, with the scheme expanding 13.85%. Sister company, SafeDeposits Scotland followed suit, generating an 8% rise in the number of tenancy deposits protected. In England and Wales, The Dispute Service trades as Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), which grew 6.52% over the year.

In total, the number of tenancy deposits protected by the not-for-profit organisation grew from 1,386,572 in March 2017 to 1,481,485 in March 2018 across the UK.

Steve Harriott, Group CEO of The Dispute Service said: “The growth we have experienced is due to both the increasing size of the private rented sector and the quality of the service we provide to our customers..

“Over the last year, we’ve invested significantly in our people, products and customer service. We’re consistently meeting government targets for call and email answering times across the UK, and were awarded the Customer Service Excellence accreditation earlier this year.

“There’s a lot of interest in the private rented sector and particularly in tenancy deposit protection. The sector continues to grow but there is very little in the way of published data on tenancy deposit protection.

“Our Annual Review tries to bring transparency to the sector, updating our customers, suppliers, partners and the general public on what we’ve been working on throughout the year. We’re keen to share key data such as the number of deposits protected and the number of tenancies which end in dispute and we feel that our yearly publications do just that.”
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My tenants have disappeared, so how can I return the deposit?

Property doctors: 'My former tenants have disappeared. How can I get their deposit back?' https://t.co/o528qRHsgu

— Telegraph Property (@TeleProperty) December 3, 2018

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I've never got my full deposit back

'I've never got my full deposit back' https://t.co/1z0A6rwkxE

— BBC Business (@BBCBusiness) November 23, 2018

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Replacement or Repair: tenancy deposit adjudication

Replacement vs Repair: read the latest edition of #AskAnAdjudicator here - https://t.co/SMWqRktLDE pic.twitter.com/c6mrpa7k0Y

— TDS (@TenancyDeposits) November 14, 2018

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Resident landlord fined for non-protection of tenancy deposit

A resident landlord claims miscarriage of justice after he is ordered to pay a penalty for non-protection of the tenancy deposit https://t.co/d91nA43oTE

— Tessa Shepperson (@TessaShepperson) October 23, 2018

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Worries among tenants over deposit return

Worries among tenants over deposit return https://t.co/e1j5cxb73G

— BBC Business (@BBCBusiness) October 19, 2018

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1 in 5 students lose part of their deposit

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) has said that one in five (22%) students lost part of their tenancy deposit when they left their accommodation at the end of the last academic year.

Cleaning (63%) is the most common reason for landlords to keep part of the deposit, followed by damage to property (54%), redecoration (37%), rent arrears (23%), gardening (16%), replacing missing items (16%) and paying outstanding bills (4%).

Tips on how students can increase their chances of retaining their deposits.

1. Make sure your landlord protects your deposit with an authorised deposit protection scheme.
2. When you move in, agree an inventory with other tenants and return it to your landlord.
3. If the landlord is unknown to you, make sure you check their name against your university or student union’s list of approved landlords.
4. Remember every tenancy agreement can be different: make sure you read yours and understand your rights and obligations.
5. Record all communication with your landlord in writing, particularly any agreements you make, follow up phone calls with what was agreed by email.
6. Keep copies of any documents, receipts and email correspondence relating to your tenancy.
7. Report any defects with the property promptly and in writing, including the cause of the problem when you can.
8. If you ever take photos of problems in the property, make sure they are date stamped.
9. Remember your obligations as tenants are likely to be what are known legally as “joint and several”: if one individual tenant does not accept personal responsibility when something goes wrong, such as a breakage, then it becomes the joint responsibility of all the tenants.
10. Remember most tenancy agreements stipulate that tenants are liable for damage to communal areas as well as within your own room.
11. Remember liability generally extends right until the end of the tenancy: if you move out before other tenants, you could remain jointly responsible for the property.
12. Attend the checkout inspection at the end of your tenancy and take your own photographs if necessary.

 “Like anyone renting accommodation, students must act responsibly during their tenancies and be aware of both their rights and responsibilities.

If their deposit is protected, our free Dispute Resolution Service can ensure that they can challenge any deduction they consider unreasonable, and that an independent adjudicator will consider their evidence before making a decision.

The system also gives landlords a chance to reclaim any costs created by the behaviour of their tenants, so student renters should think and act in a way that prevents damage or other losses from the very first day of their tenancy – not just towards the end of the academic year.”

comments Julian Foster, Managing Director at The DPS.

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Difficulties in claiming for damages from Airbnb

Why does Airbnb’s guarantee make it so difficult to claim? https://t.co/npPYoeWSpF

— Guardian Money (@guardianmoney) October 3, 2018

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