Let’s be real – renting is absolutely miserable at the best of times. First you find yourself in an all out bidding war to secure a flat in the first place and then you suddenly find yourself facing months of begging your landlord for basic repairs.
And when you do decide to pack up and leave, you can discover that your landlord has decided to keep your deposit (which is normally up in the thousands thanks to most setting theirs at the equivalent of six weeks rent).
And look – in some cases it’s fair, we’ve all been to that party flat that we breathe a sigh of relief we’re not living in.
However, your landlord or agent should refund your flat deposit in full at the end of your tenancy unless they have fair reason to make deductions – although ‘fair’ can apparently be used very loosely.
According to Shelter, if your landlord does decide to make a deduction:
any deductions must be reasonable and reflect actual costs to the landlord
your landlord cannot keep your deposit for damage caused by fair wear and tear
But, in true evil landlord fashion, this doesn’t stop many giving outlandish reasons as to why they simply must keep a massive wad of your cash.
We asked HuffPost UK readers to share their most unhinged reasons for having their flat deposits chopped and it’s safe to say we’ll be brushing up on our renter’s rights ASAP.
Buckle up, you’re in for a wild ride.