Has anyone had problems with letting from Blundells?
I recently vacated a property and they have sent me a list of all this damage that was there before I even moved in... refusing to give me my bond back until it's sorted with the landlord they are accusing me of making holes in the wooden flooring and allsorts even though the holes were there when I moved in...and teh repairs that needed doing they never completed and now are charging me! I was there less than a year but apparently Im responsible for damp patches and loose wiring!charging me for things like lightbulbs and having to clean a cooker which was disgusting when I moved in so i never cleaned it or used it. The list of things is absolutely appalling, and I refuse to be a scapegoat for this. I gave them £500 bond which I expected back in time for Xmas but they tell me theyre chasing the landlord up to see how much I owe! I cleaned the place thoroughly but theyre sayin I made no attempt to clean in... although it was bleached, hoovered and mopped. I'm so mad! If anyone else has had these problems please get in touch. I'll never use them again!

This is unfortunately a common problem (pre the tenant deposit scheme) did they do a furniture inventory/schedule with you before you moved in? Surely it said in your tenancy about general wear and tear etc. Did you take any photo's - prob a silly question, but it would have helped in your appeal for your bond back!

I dont remember any inventory.. No i should have taken photos! Wont they be on file from the last tennants check out?

I was only there 10 months. End of jan 07 til dec 7th o7

It's a shame you don't have an inventory cus that wopuld have solved the issue, with the TDS you have to have one as you have to prove that it was ok before being tenanted etc.

When you say there were repairs etc, did you report them? If so they should be on the system!

Damp patches - depends what the cause is, loose wiring - where and what? Lightbulbs - rediculous!

Go and get some advice, but i'm not sure without proof, they can do anything, if Blundells/Landlord can prove the work has been carried out, you will be abliged to pay.

Always request a furniture inventory before or on sign up, and get repairs sorted before moving in.

from another point of view, the fact that they didn't take an inventory means that they can't prove that it was perfect when you moved in either. not sure how well that argument will hold up, but worth a try!

we had the same problem with martin and co but unfortunatly we just paid as it was less hassle. Its just your word against theirs and its less stress to just pay it. If you need the money back maybe try asking them for the landlords details and sorting it out with them rather than blundells?

God no there is no way I am going to pay it. they are saying I am responsible for a whole new wooden flooring to be fitten when it was in fact damaged when i moved in and I asked them to fix it. That is just the beginning... if I was to add up everything they say I've done it would be more than £1000. I was only there 10 months! yet theyre saying that I should pay for damp patches in certain rooms when damp proofing is nothing to do with me! I am a single mother with no job at the moment and am absolutely raging that they did this just before christmas. I will not be someone who sits back to be a scapegoat for the landlords repairs. I'll take it to the papers and to court without a doubt. Even if I don't get my money back, something needs t be done about people being ripped off like this.. Aren't we supposed to be safer with an agent than an independant landlord?

I'm sorry that you felt you had to pay them, that really sucks! :(

Tell them that you want proof, keep written communication, tell tham that you will be taking them to the small claims, give them time to reply, tell them that you will be seeking costs. The courts always back tenants especially in your case when the agent hasn't protected the landlord by providing a suitable inventory. Always keep in contact and explain what you are doing. The agents will have to advise landlord to back down, you could always also tell them you will be charging interest on the deposit for each day it is not paid back to you. Don't let it get to you. It will be OK.

All agents are crap

Blundells visit the property on the last day on the contract and check everything (usually send a letter beforehand to inform tenant). Were you there on the day when Blundells visited to check the property? If so, did you sign anything to say you agreed to the damages. this report is your evidence and you need a copy of this plus the inventory at the beginning. If there is no inventory it will be hard for the landlord to prove anything, and I would have thought they would be on your side.

Blundells are difficult to deal with and it does not help that the majority of their staff are unexperienced and arrogant. Make sure all you communication with them is written. If any repairs do need to done, the landlord needs to produce receipts. You can ask for these. Stick to your guns and it might work out in your favour and do not agree to anything unless you are happy.

I had a very similar problem with Blundells. We were there when they did the inspection and refused to sign as we weren't happy with what they had decided.

We wrote back and forth with blundells who liaised with the landlord about what we said we accepted as being our damage, what wasn't us and what was natural wear and tear.

Blundells were actually ok on some of the points and arguesd our side with the landlord.

However, after about 3 exchanges of letters, they just said that they would do no more, released some of the bond back to us and the rest to the landlord.

We started a small claims court claim, and at that point the landlord made an offer which we took to save us the hassle of pursuing the claima s we would have been out of pocket for the fees until it was settled.

They claimed they had photo's but they actually were from before the previous tennants moved in, and we too had no inventory.

I second what Landywoman has said, make sure everything is in writing, dated and saved so you have a record of both sides of the correspondance.

Also the landlord can only legally ask for payment towards the costs of repairs, ie parts and labour as shown on a quote or receipt. This was part of our argument as he had itemised hours spent for repainting but not materials for some places, and the time spent for some was very unrealistic. They also tried to claim for masses of time for cleaning, and we were advised that this weas unreasonable as a professional cleaning company could do it for much less. Basically the charges have to be proven by receipts and reasonable.

I got some really good advice from Housing Aid at Howden House about what the law says about deposits etc.

Good luck with it, and stick to your guns. And remeber, Blundells are acting for the Landlord, but it could well be the landlord driving the claims, not them. They could also work on your siode too, so don't get too irrate with them from the start!

I wasn't actually there when they did the check out because it was at 4pm and I had to get on the road for a 6 hour drive.... but my partner was there and was told there was no need to stay really as it was just noting things and not actually disputing anything.

Anyway, I emailed them and told them I was taking it to the papers and willing to then go to court to resolve it. Made them aware that I know my rights and had a solicitor.... I gave them a date to get back to me or I would go to the papers. The landlord was then given 7 days to get in touch as he had not been in touch.

I received an email this morning saying that the landlord is going to only deduct for the ripped wallpaper inthe kids bedroom which is fair enough, but we'll see how much he takes for that! It was parcially ripped when we moved in.. but just glad to have some resolve to the matter.... Just wait and see how long it takes them to send my money out!

Thanks for all your advice though :)

Oh.... and it took a total of 38 days just for them to get to this point. 2 weeks to process bond my ass... lol..It was be about 2 months gone by by the time I get my money! Pity it wasn't there for xmas though :( this time around I will take my own inventory of all existing damages and send it to my landlord and ask them to sign and confirm!