Before you leave the property
To make sure you get your full deposit amount back, there are a few things you should do before you check out of the property.
Check the inventory checklist
This one is crucial to prove you’ve not lost or damaged any furnishings or items that belong to the property. When you move in, the landlord or letting agent should supply you with an inventory checklist. It’s important that you fill this in correctly so that if there are any damaged or missing items, you won’t be charged for them after you move out, as this happened before you took on the contract.
Report any damages and repairs
Throughout your time at the property, you need to report any damages and repairs, even if they’ve not been caused by you. If you contact your landlord or letting agent by phone regarding this, make sure to send them an email so you’ve got written proof you reported it. Depending on the severity of the damage, the landlord may cover this themselves or charge you for it on top of your rent. If they plan to take this out of your deposit, you need to be informed.
If you’ve reported a repair before you move out and it doesn’t get sorted, make sure you’ve written proof of the report. This way, if the landlord claims not to have known about the repair and tries to claim the cost out of your deposit, you can fight this.
Clean, clean, and clean again!
For the best chance of getting your deposit back, the property should be sparkling by the time you leave it! Ensure you leave the property in the same condition you found it. Preferably, you should put all furniture back where it was before you moved in.
Take pictures of the empty property
Usually, the landlord or letting agent will inspect the property after you’ve left. For this reason, we recommend that you take pictures of the house once you’ve cleaned it and emptied it of your belongings. This way, if it takes the landlord a few weeks to get around to inspecting it, you can prove that any dirt or dust was not left by you and that you didn’t leave anything behind.