Student landlords are forced into making deductions
Growing numbers of student landlords are having to deduct money from their tenants' deposits when the students leave their rental property at the end of their academic year, research reveals.
According to The Deposit Protection Service, 22% of students had money deducted from the deposit when they left the property at the end of the last academic year.
Landlords say the number one reason for these deductions is for the lack of cleaning in the property.
The Deposit Protection Service also says that over the last year, cleaning is the number one reason for a claim for 63% of landlords who entered the resolution service.
The second biggest cause for disputes is for the tenants causing damage for 53% of landlords and 37% say they have had to redecorate afterwards.
Landlords said there were rental arrears
Also, 23% of landlords said there were rental arrears when the tenancy ended.
Other costs that landlords cite for the dispute service include 16% for gardening costs, another 16% for replacing items that have gone missing and 4% for outstanding bills.
The managing director of The DPS, Julian Foster, says students who are going to university can help boost their chances of getting their full deposit when leaving their rental property by acting now.
He said: "Students should act responsibly during a tenancy and be aware of their responsibilities and rights.
"With a protected deposit a dispute resolution service will help ensure they challenge a deduction they consider is not reasonable and an independent adjudicator will consider the evidence."
He added that landlords can also reclaim costs that stem from their tenants' behaviour so tenants should act and think in a way that will prevent loss or damage from the very beginning of the tenancy.
Two in three tenants are paying an 'unaffordable' level of rent
Meanwhile, it's been revealed that two in three young tenants are having to pay an 'unaffordable level of rent' which means they cannot afford to rent a home of their own.
The findings from a BBC survey also highlight that young tenants are feeling a financial strain, with the average rent accounting for more than 30% of their salary.
That's applicable in 65% of UK postcodes and it is particularly acute in London where a salary of more than £51,000 is necessary for renting a one-bedroom flat.
David Smith, the Residential Landlord Associations’ policy director, said: "With most of those under the age of 35 living in rented homes, it is the young who are now facing the consequences of a supply crisis that is facing the private rental sector.”
