Moving out? How to get your deposit back without deductions
Published on 18 May 12
Manchester Student Homes is a University-run service that helps students who are living in rented accommodation. They have put together a moving out checklist that should help you get your deposit back in full and make moving out hassle free:
Before you move out
- Report repairs when they happen (or at the very least report them now!). Don’t leave things until the end of the tenancy.
- Clean your house – properly. That means hovering under your furniture, taking out and cleaning the shelves and drawers of your fridge freezer, scrubbing your toilet, clean the rims of your washing machine – every last nook and cranny. If it has to be professionally cleaned after you’re gone, that can be quite expensive, and the cost will be deducted from your deposit.
- Don’t leave anything behind, if you do, you could be charged.
- Carry out an inventory check when you leave and also take date stamped photographs of the property. Leave this right until last, when you have completely cleaned and moved every last piece of your property out – that way you have evidence proving you adhered to your end of the contract should a dispute arise later.
- Waste and recycling – moving house can create a lot of additional waste. Not just the waste from cleaning, but you will often find that packing up generates a lot of clothing donation bags, unwanted crockery, and even larger items like lamps you no longer like or no longer needed DVD players. Additional collections are provided in most student areas during June and the first week of July, visit the official council website for more information.
- Utility bills – make sure your bills are paid in full, then ask for this to be confirmed in writing and for your name to be taken off the bills. This is actually quite quick and easy to do, there is usually a ‘moving house’ or ‘closing your account’ section on your utility provider’s website.
- Overstaying – unless pre-arranged with your landlord and the new tenants, do not stay after your tenancy ends. If you do, you will be breaking the terms of your tenancy agreement and may be charged for overstaying. This can cause problems if there is a couple of days, or even just one night between your contract ending and your new contract beginning, don’t wait until the last minute to deal with this or simply hope for the best. Plan how you will store your property and where you will stay in advance – MSH can offer advice.
- Return your keys on time. If there quite a few of you sharing a property, work out now who will be the last to move out, and make sure nobody goes on holiday or home for the summer without leaving their keys for you to hand over.
- Even though you’re moving out, long term residents live in the area all year round so please make sure you keep the noise down. And whatever you do, respect the neighbourhood you called home for the last year, and don’t leave your extra rubbish or broken furniture in the street or outside your house. Don’t forget, it’s someone else’s moving in day, nobody wants to be greeted with rubbish outside their front door.
Deposit Returns
Your deposit should have been paid into a deposit protection scheme at the start of the tenancy and you can only get it back once the tenancy has officially ended. The landlord must inform you in writing if they want to make any deductions within 28 days of the end of the tenancy. This should include a detailed breakdown of exactly what you are being charged for and why.
If you don’t agree with the deductions, you need to contact your deposit protection scheme as soon as possible and let them know. Make sure you know which deposit protection scheme has been used.
Only when the landlord and the lead tenant have reached an agreement will the deposit protection scheme release your deposit. Once this has happened, it will normally take around 10 days for you to get your money back.
If you need any advice about deposit returns you can contact Manchester Student Homes on 0161 275 7680, or you can visit the office in Fallowfield and speak to a housing officer. The opening times are Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm and the office is just by the large Sainsbury’s on Wilmslow Road. Check out thewebiste for more details: www.manchesterstudenthomes.com