Five out of six tenants who appeal to a deposit protection scheme after their landlord withholds cash get at least some money back, official data obtained by MoneySavingExpert.com reveals.
Tenancy deposits paid on rental properties can sometimes be £1,000s, and their return is often hotly disputed, with landlords able to make deductions for cleaning, damages and breakages, and sometimes extras like redecoration and gardening too.
Yet private renters’ deposits must usually be put in a protection scheme, and if deductions are made you can fight the decision by appealing to the scheme.
Now figures we’ve obtained under the Freedom of Information Act from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show that 84% of renters who’ve appealed to one of the three schemes operating in England and Wales within the last three years have got at least some of their cash back, with 23% paid the entire disputed amount.