Almost half of all deposit disputes never get as far as adjudication, says mydeposits.
Instead, the tenant often resolves the matter themself with their landlord or letting agent.
The service, a spin-off from the National Landlords Association, offers advice to tenants who wish to raise a dispute over their deposit return. As a result, 40% of formal dispute notifications do not go on to require an adjudication decision.
Tenants are encouraged to speak directly with their landlord or agent and come to an agreement over the deposit return that is acceptable to both parties.
Just over 1% of all tenancies end with a dispute over the deposit.
Eddie Hooker, chief executive of mydeposits, said: “This is good news for landlords and letting agents. When tenants first raise a dispute with us, we give them guidance on how to sort the matter out through reasonable negotiation.
“In many cases, they then go back to the landlord and come to a mutually acceptable agreement over the deposit return. This saves both parties from having to go through the adjudication process of submitting evidence and waiting for an outcome.
“Of course, if no agreement is reached, our adjudicators will give an independent ruling after considering evidence submitted by the landlord and tenant.”
The service has released a new checklist for landlords and letting agents to help them avoid disputes.
http://www.mydeposits.co.uk/landlords/resources-and-guides/guides
Comments
Eddie Hooker's comments sum up how the two insurance back schemes view disputes: "when tenants rasie disputes" There doesn't seem to any acknowedgment that the disputes are by and large as a result of totally unreasonable tenants who have not looked after their properties and either feel upset that a landlord ahs prospoed a reaosnable deduction or actually know how to "work the system" to their advantage.