The importance of good communication between landlords and tenants at the end of a tenancy has been further highlighted by recent research from tenancy deposit protection scheme my|deposits.
30.1% of notified deposit disputes didn’t proceed to a formal Alternative Dispute Resolution adjudication in the last twelve months. This can be partly credited to my|deposits asking landlords and tenants to communicate first.
“Whenever we receive notification from the tenant of a potential dispute we always recommend they speak to their landlord first,” Tim Frome, Legal Services Manager at my|deposits, said.
“These figures help show the value of sitting down, talking to your tenant and explaining the reasons for your proposed deductions to the deposit can help lessen the likelihood of a formal deposit dispute. It’s always worth trying to negotiate as using the Scheme’s formal dispute resolution process can take time.”
Frome said landlords should also remember that the deposit, by law, is the tenant’s money. “If the tenant doesn’t agree with your deductions then they have the right to raise a formal dispute with their deposit scheme to reclaim the deposit money. We want to help landlords and their tenants, which is why I’ve written a guide on how to negotiate.”
These new figures coincide with the release of mydeposits’ latest guide and infographic which offers best practice advice to landlords when negotiating deposit deductions with tenants. The guide ‘Negotiating with your tenants’ ,written by Tim Frome, and ‘The do’s and don’ts of negotiating with your tenant’ infographic are both available to download for free via the my|deposits website.
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