Moving out of flat - deposit..

[willhub]

Hi,

What can a landlord take your deposit for? I'm a little anxious about moving out of there worried they'll take all the deposit.

The main issues with the flat are

Walls - they're white walls, and I don't think they've been painted for at least 6 years, they were slightly dirty when we moved in 4 years ago, now they're dirtier, definitely need painting before anyone else moves in.

Floor - lots of dimples in the floor, someone previous worn high heels, however since we moved in more wear marks are on the floor, from the sofa rubbing on the floor it seems.

Walls - some crumbling paint near the windows due to damp, mold grew behind the paint, think that needs sanding / paining.

Window ledge - needs painting.

Carpet in bedroom - knackered due to moths, a year or so after we moved in we got moth infestation.

The sealant in the bathroom around the bath seems to always get moldy and need replacing.

The washing machine door seal has got moldy too, no matter how much we cleaned it.

And a hole in the wall - I plan to somehow cover this up before we move. (very small thumb sized hole).

Is most of this wear and tear? I'd probably say the matress needs changing, I wouldn't want to sleep in it if I was moving in, it's too old.

 

[watercooledman]

seems like just wear and tear to me

 

[413x]

I believe when I left my last property the onus was on landlord to prove it isn't wear and tear.

They need pics of before you moved in and after.

Your landlord shouldn't challenge you on such things. As long as theirs no actual damage (like punching a wall) then you should be good.

I'm guessing the hole in wall could be challenged. Just patch it up with a bit of filler.
Rest is wear and tear

 

[Lysander]

Normally things like loss or breakage. Sometimes if things need to be really badly cleaned they can be replaced; careful what you agree to though - the landlord should only be remunerated so that items are in a similar condition to that which they were in at the start of tenancy, you should not pay for betterment.

Re the bathroom sealant mould, this can be easily solved by making a tissue 'sausage' soaked in bleach which can be placed along the mouldy part and left in place for 12 hours, then remove it and rinse.

 

[Semple]

4 years is a good amount of wear and tear.

I would say the only one that you'd be liable for is the hole in the wall. Unless you can repair it so it's not noticeable.

you should not pay for betterment.

This is key. If nothing has been replaced since you've lived there in 4 years, it'll be hard for the landlord to insist on something being replaced with new.

I'd be surprised if they look at things like the washing machine door anyway.

 

[413x]

Normally things like loss or breakage. Sometimes if things need to be really badly cleaned they can be replaced; careful what you agree to though - the landlord should only be remunerated so that items are in a similar condition to that which they were in at the start of tenancy, you should not pay for betterment.

Re the bathroom sealant mould, this can be easily solved by making a tissue 'sausage' soaked in bleach which can be placed along the mouldy part and left in place for 12 hours, then remove it and rinse.

I used a similar sausage method the other day on a sticky label!

 

[Lysander]

I used a similar sausage method the other day on a sticky label!

You're a similar sausage.

 

[petridish]

If it helps with some anecdotal evidence, I moved out of my flat of that last 4.5 years over Christmas and got our full deposit back. The level of wear and tear sounds similar to yours, although we actually left picture hooks in the wall rather than remove them and leave holes. We did have prior agreement that we were going to do that though. Carpet definitely needed a professional washing but knew they were having someone in to work on the bathroom ceiling so didn't want to waste money cleaning it if they were just going to mess it up again. We were prepared to argue it had we needed to but they were happy with us just cleaning as best we could.

 

[Bounce]

Most of these items are cosmetic and easily repairable, for example painting and hole in wall etc.

If your that worried just paint it and repair the holes?

a tin of paint and sealant won’t break the bank?

 

[engee]

I would fix the hole. But for the rest, I wouldn't worry until the landlord has had a look at it. They may be happy to agree its wear and tear.

 

[eggcup]

Most of these items are cosmetic and easily repairable, for example painting and hole in wall etc.

If your that worried just paint it and repair the holes?

a tin of paint and sealant won’t break the bank?

This, wouldnt cost very much at all.

 

[willhub]

Most of these items are cosmetic and easily repairable, for example painting and hole in wall etc.

If your that worried just paint it and repair the holes?

a tin of paint and sealant won’t break the bank?

Well, the whole flat needs painting, painting one piece of wall wouldn't work due to discoloration of the whole wall compared to fresh paint.

 

[VaderDSL]

I remember moving out of a flat many years ago, they tried witholding my deposit due to water damage. Fortunately I had kept all correspondence from when there was a water leak in the building which I reported. I swear they knew and were just trying it on in the hope the tenant (me) wouldn't challenge it.

 

[watercooledman]

Well, the whole flat needs painting, painting one piece of wall wouldn't work due to discoloration of the whole wall compared to fresh paint.

a full re paint is not required, its wear and tear but do fill in any holes.

 

[Semple]

Frankly after 4/5 years, it should be expected that the landlord at least gives the walls a fresh lick of paint.

Carpets should really get replaced every 6-8 years - especially for high volume areas like hallways and living rooms.

I guess white goods will just be a case of replace when broken. I know when we left our flat we were quite lucky that the washing machine was starting to become temperamental, as in you'd switch it on at the wall but it would struggle to come to life / display something on the screen.

 

[Bounce]

The fact is everyone has a different version of what fair wear and tear is.

The landlord is more inclined to want to keep the deposit , so his expectations will be high .

what is wrong with the walls? Photographs would Be good to see so we know the condition .

 

[DireEmblem]

For your mouldy bathroom seals, just use cheap bleach and toilet paper to suck it up and keep it on the marks, they'll disappear in a few hours.

 

[dlockers]

I left holes in the wall from photo frames but only got billed for a damaged washing machine door (which was there when we moved in and itemised in the inventory).

I cut my losses on getting away with the frame hooks and let them charge me the 35 quid for the door

Definitely whack some polyfilla in the hole and then move on. Hopefully they are amicable. There is a third party intermediary who will intervene if they are too dodgy.

 

[Arsonist]

FYI, although it's a different convo - if the landlord decides to be snarky about giving you back your deposit, make sure it's registered with the DPS first. If it's not, you'll be able to drag you LL over a barrel and probably get back more than you paid in. The DPS also won't just hand over your deposit (or an amount) to your landlord as payment for fixing items without a decent case and evidence provided to them. LLs can't just take money here and there to fix/replace, there is a legal system in place to stop this happening.

All your list, except the hole in the wall, sounds like fair wear and tear to me though, so hopefully you'll be fine.

 

[Em3bbs]

Anyone have any idea how to clear mould off bathroom sealant?