Indeed, the number of cases now being brought is at its highest since the deposit scheme began and has increased from 46% in 2010 to 56% this year.
The next most common source of disputes is around damage to a rental property which accounts for 43% of disagreements.
However, the data from TDS reveals that 55% of their workload comes from tenants with 21% of those receiving 100% of the disputed deposit.
Landlords make-up the 45% balance but only 19% of them received 100% of the disputed amount.
Cleaning of rental properties causes deposit disputes
Pat Barber is the chair of the Association of Independent Inventory Clerks (AIIC) and she says that the issue of cleaning is a growing problem because there is a ‘general lack of respect for property by tenants’.
She adds that pets are also increasingly being kept in rental properties and there has been a change in hygiene standards from tenants.
Ms Barber said: “Agents and landlords are increasingly being faced with dirty properties when tenants check-out and many tenants fail to leave their property in the condition as it was when they moved in. Many are left in a filthy state.”
Among the sources of disputes being raised are dirty fridges and ovens, bathrooms not cleaned for months, as well as stains and marks on floors and carpets.
There is also an issue with pet hair and excrement on furniture, floors and soft furnishings.
Professional cleaning costs for rental properties are a ‘shock’
Ms Barber pointed to one recent check-out that was undertaken which found that the tenants had kept a dog without permission from their landlord which led to door frames being chewed and a strong smell of dog urine in the home. Even after extensive cleaning, there was still a problem with the smell.
In addition, the same tenants had also not cleaned the property and had left their oven dirty with food still inside it. The carpets were also badly stained.
Ms Barber added that tenants were often taken aback to discover that professional cleaning can cost between £10 and £20 an hour depending on the work required and some tenants claimed that these cleaning issues were simply ‘wear and tear’.
She urged landlords and their agents to carry out a thorough check-in process when tenants take on a property to help prevent deposit disputes from arising.
In addition to the problem of cleaning, the TDS has also revealed that third greatest cause of complaints is redecoration (30%), followed by rent arrears (17%) and gardening (13%).
