Jun

Rental deposit disputes ease during lockdown months, research reveals

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Tenancy deposit scheme Ome also says that disputes over rental deposits have decreased by 15% in England so far this year, signalling “a more harmonious relationship between landlords and tenants” it claims.

Ome found that London, the South East and the North East have all seen the largest drop in deposit disputes (-23%) so far in 2020 compared to the same time last year.

The number of disputes are also down in the West Midlands (-16%), Yorkshire and the Humber (-11%), East of England (-8%) and the North West (-2%). The East Midlands (11%) and the South West (18%) are the only regions to register a rise.

It believes that while lockdown restrictions have prevented many renters from ending their tenancy – and contributed to the fall in disputes – most were already lodged and related to tenancies that ended before the lockdown.

Lockdown

Ome Co-founder Matthew Hooker says it will be interesting to see if there will be a spike in deposit disputes once lockdown has ended.

“Unlike the backlog of evictions that have amassed due to new Government legislation, deposit disputes haven’t been put on hold as a result of the current pandemic as they can still be processed online,” he adds.

“There’s a good chance this positive trend is here to stay and we still continue to see a more harmonious relationship between landlords and tenants for the months and years to come.”

Problems over post-tenancy cleaning accounts for a quarter of all deposit disputes followed by damage to a property and deposits not being returned in the first place, it has been revealed.

Read more about rental deposits.

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