ROOF Blog

More than £800 million has been deposited in the tenancy deposit schemes, an increase of a quarter of a billion pounds in less than 12 months, covering more than 800,000 tenancies and 1.25 million tenants. The number of disputes has also risen, with 6,000 handled in 2008/9. It has been nearly two years since the schemes were introduced after a campaign by Shelter.

Scottish landlords could play a greater role in the country’s housing system, the Scottish government said, as the findings of the most comprehensive review on private rented housing are unveiled. The study has shown a marked increase in demand for private lets from students, young professionals and migrants, along with a high level of satisfaction with landlords, although issues were raised about repairs and tenancy deposits. Landlords too, were generally positive, but had concerns about the length and cost of legal action to seek repossession, and the administration of housing benefit.

The tenancy deposit scheme (TDS) has published figures for disputes involving return of deposits. The majority, 52 per cent, sent to the TDS involved cleaning, with almost half – 45 per cent – from disputes about damage. The amounts averaged about half of the total deposit, which stood at an average of £1,079. Since its introduction in April 2008, the TDS covers more than 768,000 tenancies, has resolved more than 3,500 disputes and is safeguarding £757 million in deposits.

The tenancy deposit scheme (TDS) will only provide deposit protection and alternative dispute resolution to agents who are members of recognised professional bodies. The TDS said it was writing to all members who are unregulated agents to inform them that they will have to make alternative arrangements to protect deposits when cover finishes for them in April. It is writing to tenants also, but has advised them to ensure that their landlords have made alternative arrangements.

One of the government-approved tenancy deposit protection schemes has warned landlords they must provide sufficient evidence if they want to withhold some or all of a deposit. According to the study there have been a growing number of landlords who find tenants have damaged their property at the end of a tenancy who are having to pay for the damage themselves as they haven’t enough evidence to justify keeping the deposit. During the third quarter of 2008, 125 disputes were dealt with by independent adjudication, and tenants received all or part of their deposits back 91 per cent of the time.

The vast majority of tenants get on well with their landlord according to research by the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS). Eighty-four per cent of tenants said they get on well with their landlord and nearly a quarter of those described their relationship with them as fantastic. Only 16 per cent of respondents said they did not have a good relationship with them. Since the DPS was established just over 880 cases out of 113,000 repayments have been resolved through the scheme.