Could anyone tell me what the legalities are at the close of a contract?

On the last day, or close of the contract, I have been told that, legally, it is correct to swap the residents' keys for the deposit they payed.

If the tenant has not payed bills, spent an extra night in the property and caused damage to some furnitures then where is the legal standing of the landlord?

Furthermore, if the tenant then pays the bills and requests the deposit back, how much time does the owner of the property have until they are legally required to return the deposit?

I was under the impression that this was a couple of weeks or even up to a month as this is the amount of time I have waited in the past for deposit returns, however, I would be very greatful for anyone who could shed some light on the situation.

:confused:

Cheers, Bluestar

as far as i know before you get a deposit back from a landlord you have to show proof you have paid utility bills
if you have caused no damage to the property and left it in a clean state you should get back in full
i guess all landlords have there own rules tho

Sometimes landlords will hold the deposit for 4 weeks after the end of the contract to cover bill payments etc.

When the keys are returned, the property should be inspected at the same time to ensure you point out any damage to the tenant whilst they are there.

are you following me 1man

thanks people, that helps a lot. goes to show that tenants can't make up their own legal proceedings..ha!

Originally posted by greensheff
are you following me 1man

Work Shadowing ;)

Originally posted by greensheff
as far as i know before you get a deposit back from a landlord you have to show proof you have paid utility bills
if you have caused no damage to the property and left it in a clean state you should get back in full
i guess all landlords have there own rules tho

Errrr mostly but not completely true.

It sounds as though you are a landlord.
I, however, speak as a tennant.

Sure you must have a run through the inventory before any deposit is given back, only common sense, and sure the landlord will try and stiff you for as long a period as they can before returning it but if its longer than 'is reasonable' it should be written in your rental agreement.

The thing I do take issue with is the bit about all bills being paid.
This is utter fabrication.

I moved out of my last rented place 5 moths ago and I am still trying to get sense out of Yorkshire Water and NPower.
If the landlord still had a months rent in his bank not mine I would be seriously angry.

Dont stand for it.
Take legal advice.

Tennant power :)

d

Originally posted by greensheff
as far as i know before you get a deposit back from a landlord you have to show proof you have paid utility bills
It's nothing to do with the landlord if the utility bills are paid or not (unless for some reason they are in the landlord's name). If the bills are in the tenants name it is up to them when and how they pay the final bill. The only obligation would be to ensure the landlord agrees with the final reading (it's best to take that with the landlord).

I would also take issue with landlords supplying forwarding addresses to utlity companies for Data Protection reasons (lets be honest the utility companies would not give the landlord details would they?)

no uk couldnt be further from the truth and as i said iwas only guessing
surely as a tenant you would have asked these questions about bond refunds before you sign a contract
always read the samll print

if you want a more meaningful and substantive reply to your question, http://www.swarb.co.uk/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t may be better able to clarify matters for you.