UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and hope you can help. I waited a month for a tenant from Europe. He's just told me he doesn't like his new job and is going home, one month into a 12 month AST. I have lodged his deposit with the DPS. Anyone know how I can hold on to that deposit? I can't find a procedure on their web site. Thanks!

No chance you will get your hands on the deposit.
All the tenant has to do is fail to respond to any queries.
Perhaps you will learn the lesson to use the insurance deposit schemes like mydeposits
Possession is 9/10th of the law.
Just claim the deposit for arrears which you won't be given as the tenant won't respond.
There are hundreds of thousands of pounds languishing in DPS accounts with LL unable to get their hands on the deposit.
This because they have not learnt the lesson that a LL should hold the money and no one else.
DPS is useless.
Use the insurance schemes in future.

As a starting point I'd have a chat with the tennant and explain whatever their obligations are relative to the contract. They may be a very decent person who is happy to sort things out, although depending on their financial situation you may to to find the middle ground.

Additionally, start marketing it again ASAP! If you find a new good quality tennant quickly then all of this won't be such a big problem anyhow.

Good luck.

Richard

I have a tenant who moved in 3 weeks ago, signing a minimum 3 month term contract. Since he moved in, we have had several issues, he leaves at weekends but the room is a mess, leaving food and opened beer cans in there, with no air flow. He told us he worked and that he was doing a house up at the same time, but this is not true - he doesn't work and therefore the house is ready long before 'he thought' it would be. Had we known the real situation, we would not have agreed to his renting the room as he has stopped someone who seriously wanted it from taking it.
We took a deposit off of him, but want to know if we can have him pay to the end of his minimum term contract......do we have the right to do that?

There is NO such thing as a 3 month AST. The leagal minimum is 6 months.
The tenant can carry on paying rent and leave at the end of the 6th month.
He can also stop paying rent and you will have to use the S 8 process.
You still won't get a penny from him.
If he is a lodger then give 1 weeks notice and then boot him out if you live in the same property.