x
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies to enhance your experience.
Written by Emma Lunn

The majority of private sector tenants who have rented a property in the past five years have failed to get their full deposit back after vacating, new research reveals.

A survey of 1,034 people earlier this year revealed that 52% of deposits were fully or partially withheld over the past five years, equivalent to more than 400,000 deposits per year based on official estimates of the rental population.
 
Some 80% of tenants reported having some degree of trouble getting their deposit back.
 
Cleaning and minor repairs are the most common reasons for withheld deposits, while over a quarter of tenants claimed their agent or landlord delayed returning their deposit despite not making any deductions.
 
Only 20% say they got their full deposit back without any problems while over a quarter say they managed to get their deposit back in full only after a dispute with the landlord or letting agency.
 
Unsurprisingly, London tenants were the ones least likely to get their full deposit returned.
 
The survey was conducted on behalf of removal firm Kiwi Movers.
 

Comments

  • icon

    It seems there are no data being presented that is worth discussing. So I will create my own, 5% of landlords may find ways to keep the deposit, 47% are just bad tenants. So, please change your senseless headline.

    • 24 April 2015 21:38 PM
  • icon

    As has been said very one sided.

    Unfortunately not all tenants sem to realise they need to clean the property to leave it in a similar condition to when they moved in. If it is dirty then they are quick to complain!
    I also think that Landlords are becoming much more professional with good quality inventories with photographs so that deductions can be easily justified and so are upheld when disputed.

    If these people keep making landlords out to be uncaring and greedy and we stop renting property whjo will house all these people?

    Labour and these other organisations need to remember they should work with Landlords not alienate them and make it difficult to operate. We operate a business and are not able to operate as a charity to ignore rent arrears or damage and excessive cleanng costs.

    They make out that the rent charged is all profit!

    If only! that were true!

    • 24 April 2015 10:33 AM
  • icon

    Very one sided article provided by an advertiser. The main reason most tenants do not receive the full deposit is cleaning or lack of it and non payment of last months rent. @office manager Where is this utopian world you operate in if not one tenant in six years has not withheld last rent payment or left a dirty cooker or do you just let the Landlord pick up the bill!!!

    • 24 April 2015 09:57 AM
  • icon

    My company has not withheld a deposit for over six years, we don`t need to..outgoing tenants do their part properly..no problem.

    Whats it got to do with a removal comapny anyway?

    • 24 April 2015 09:25 AM
  • icon

    Not for the first time, this publication presents an article in reaction to a report but doesn't balance it with counter argument. It is lazy reporting.

    • 24 April 2015 09:15 AM
  • icon

    This infers that all Landlords are rouges and keeping the deposits.

    I don't suppose that those doing the survey gave any thought to the fact that maybe.......just maybe that the tenants had left the property in a filthy state, which can be both expensive and time consuming to have professionally cleaned, or that they did cause damage which has to be repaired or even that they had rent arrears.................No Tenants wouldn't do anything like that !!!!!

    • 24 April 2015 09:07 AM
MovePal MovePal MovePal