INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image caption
Jessica says her household was charged for issues they had previously asked to be fixed
More needs to be done to tackle landlords unfairly targeting students with deposit deductions at the end of their tenancies, the National
Union of Students (NUS) has said
For some renters, amounts can total hundreds of pounds."I think landlords look at us and think we're just these dumb kids who don't know
what we're doing," Jessica Hickey tells the TheIndianSubcontinent's Victoria Derbyshire programme
"It's not fair, it's not OK."The University of Lincoln graduate has been challenging her deposit deduction - amounting to £1,600 between
four housemates - for two months.Strictly speaking, landlords and letting agents can make deductions only up to the total amount of a
tenant's deposit but Jessica's have added an additional £400 fee to the £1,200 they have held back."They decided we've not left the
property in a fit state," Jessica says
"Even though we've been there for two years, they've not allowed for wear and tear."We've been charged for weeding, we've apparently left
the garden in not a fit state even though we had the next-door neighbour come over with his strimmer." Jessica says they have also been
charged for issues they themselves reported to the landlord earlier in the tenancy, asking for them to be fixed.She says not having their
deposits returned has had a serious impact on some of her housemates
One was relying on the money to go towards the deposit on a house he was purchasing
Another has been unable to put a down payment on a car."The £300 was a stepping stone to leave university with and it's all been put on
hold," she says.There are legitimate reasons for landlords and letting agents to deduct deposits - such as unpaid rent or direct damage to
property - but the Victoria Derbyshire programme has heard from dozens of students who say they are being penalised beyond this.The Tenant
Fees Act was introduced earlier this year to protect renters from unfair agency fees but it does not cover the issue of deposit
deductions.Landlords are obliged to put deposits into the government-backed Tenancy Deposit Scheme at the beginning of a tenancy, which
helps resolve any future disputes.But students say this requirement is often ignored or the procedure for challenging a decision leads to a
long delay - during which time their entire deposit is withheld- and many challenges end with them losing out anyway.Image caption
Benjamin McNeil spent two months contesting his deposit deduction
Benjamin McNeil, in Cardiff, also has a battle
to recover his deposit.His letting agents deducted £900 of his and his housemates' £1,400 deposit.This includes:£150 for cleaning the
property, even though, he says: "It was far cleaner when we left than when [we] moved in"£30 for rubbish removal, even though, he says,
they ensured nothing was left behind£100 "essentially to paint over mould" in one of the bedrooms, which, he says, the housemates had
repeatedly asked the letting agents to do throughout their tenancyThe case has now been resolved, with the housemates receiving £500 of the
disputed amount - but Benjamin says it has caused unnecessary stress."After you graduate, you don't want to spend the next two months
contesting to get every penny back," he says.Image caption
The NUS's Eva Crossan Jory wants a tightening of the
legislation
According to NUS's 2019 Homes Fit For Study report, just 61% of surveyed students who paid a deposit said they
had received it back in full at the end of their tenancy:27% said they had challenged the deductions formally but ended up paying them
anyway24% said they had not formally challenged the deductions but had disagreed with themThe NUS is now calling for a tightening of
legislation in this area."What we're seeing more and more is unfair contracts," says the organisation's vice-president, Eva Crossan Jory,
"landlords charging for things that are the result of wear-and-tear or where students have complained about something not working, the
landlord doesn't fix it and then at the end of the tenancy tries to charge them for the breaking of said appliance."The government should be
doing more to penalise landlords when they do break the law."Currently, the government advises tenants to check their deposit is:not more
than five weeks' rentpaid into the Tenancy Deposit SchemeMeera Chindoory from the National Landlords Association told the
TheIndianSubcontinent: "Most landlords do not take unreasonable deductions from deposits, with an NUS survey last year showing that the
majority of students [61%] who pay a deposit have it returned in full."It's important that students understand their responsibilities in
looking after the property - and that if they disagree with the landlord on damage, they can raise a dispute."Image caption
Natasha Hopewell has created a website where students in Lincoln can rate their accommodation provider
Some students are
now fighting back.In Lincoln, graduate Natasha Hopewell was threatened with deductions amounting to almost all of her deposit and is now
creating a forum for students in the city to warn others about bad practice."We got together and we made a website where students can review
their student accommodation providers," the founder of CribAdviser says."It's all anonymous but it means students can warn one another of
difficult letting agents and take control of our own tenancy by taking an informed decision."For those who feel mistreated, like Jessica and
Benjamin, such initiatives may be a welcome start."It seems to be part of the process that landlords will try and get money out of you
because they know most people won't fight it," Benjamin says.Follow the TheIndianSubcontinent's Victoria Derbyshire programme on Facebook
and Twitter - and see more of our stories here
