UK Landlord Forum / Life

Apologies if this topic has been done to death already!

My tenants' deposit is protected with My|Deposits, and was done so within a week of being received. 
The deposit protection policy was renewed when a 2nd AST was issued, and again registered appropriately with My|Deposits at the expiry of this and when the tenancy moved into an SPT. 

The tenants will be vacating the property in mid May, after giving me 3 months notice.  I am intending to return their deposit after a) the end-of-tenancy inspection has been carried out and the Inventory/condition report agreed and b) once the utilities and council have confirmed that there are no accounts outstanding. 

My one concern is the holding up of reimbursement because of delays by the utilities and council in rendering final accounts and in notifying me that there are no monies outstanding.  I am not going to release the deposit until all debts are cleared, but I do know that officialdom can be grindingly slow!  What are other peoples experience of this?  Or, am I worrying unnecessarily, as this will be my first change of tenant? 

Not sure why this is a problem? My tenants are all responsible for their own utilities/council tax until the end of the tenancy.It is then up to them to arrange final bills to be forwarded to their next address.All you have to do is tell the utilities and council they have gone,and then give details of the next tenancy starting date.Due to data protection I don't think utilities would discuss the state of your tenants accounts with you.They can't come after you for any money owing,unless you have given some kind of guarantor arrangement (which I have never been asked to do)

Wot he said.

Tenant bills don't become your bills.

OK thanks for the reassurance.  I only asked the question as a neighbour, who lets out a property in the Midlands, had the local authority come after him as the owner after a tenant vacated owing Council Tax.  It took him a lot of to-ing and fro-ing before they dropped the claim, even though he gave them the forwarding address he had for the ex-tenant.   

Yes,they might try it on.Not your problem!