Has anyone ever gone through the small claims court(landlady not retuning bond)

please can we have a spell checker lol.................

lol oh thanks Annobel...im sure it may have been a one off bad experience.its just when we put forward the problems..we nevr seem to hear anthing again...!
but It doesnt put me off using them... in fact I called in this morning (not a good morning to clal MONDAYS) LOL.
of course by time I got there at 10-30 they had allocated the time they had..but the person did say if I would like to pop down tomorrow may earlier 10-am then they would see what they could do to advise me...but im tied up tomorrow so look slike Wednesday (unless of course by some miracle the "nice" landlady pays up!.....

" some days your the fly " !

" some days your the windscreen " !

biker, I am ashamed to learn of your previous experience with the CAB. I know that no adviser in our Bureau would get away with such sloppy and uncaring service. I do hope you get a more sensitive and efficient response this time. And I'm sure you'd do a great job as a volunteer.

Hi lola...thanks for advice..... in a past experience (daughters debt etc)....afetr going to the CAB...things seem to go worse as the first thing they said is "stop! paying the amounts to the creditors" offer £1 a month....etc.......they were supposed to write to the creditors but to eb hinest we never heard another thing form anyone..only the demand letters..in the end daughter psoke to CCS they sent a pack with templates in etc and we took it from there and sorted it out ourselves.....but I will pop down to our local CAB this morning.....I would still use them and encourage people to use them...in fact at soem time I wouldnt mind working for them! I just need some one to tell me either bide your time 9its another week gone bu since the landlady said she would have the deposite back with a fortnight) so we will pron wait another week but in the meantime I will seek further help.....ohhhhhhhh for a quiet life!!

I've just re-read your post (properly this time) and see that you don't have a lot of faith in your local CAB. Do you have previous experience with them? Maybe if you don't think they are that good there may be another branch which you can go to. Obviously they will only be able to give you advice within the bounds of what is actually possible and sometimes that is not welcome news, but I would still hope that they might support you in what you decide to do and strongly advise that in the case of the Small Claims Court you do not need to pay for advice or representation as the whole idea is that people could complete the procedure themselves without great expense. If you do get a judgement of course you still have the problem of extracting the money from the person concerned. Persistence often pays off. I wish you all luck and hope things improve for your family. As a first step the claimant should start writing letters to the landlady/agent and send them by recorded delivery keeping hard copies so that you are partway along the path.

I'd certainly support going to your CAB. I'm a little rusty on the procedure, but used to work for them. They have masses of information on any subject you can think of and will offer support if you get stuck. Occasionally they have people who do duties at the local court and can go along with you, but even if not its always nice to have a bit of FREE advice. Often better than you might get if you paid. Depending on the area you live in it can sometimes be difficult to get an appointment with your local CAB, especially with all the cuts going on so I'd advise going to see them now even if you don't need to go through with the procedure, just as a back-up.

Hi em I think we would all do the same in your shoes if we could and eys I too have and still help daughter who has also in the past got into debt..and to be honest i think the companies/store cards/credit cards/etc etc are as much to blame as they entice people and don't give a hoot or consider if they are able to pay back...we can all juggle figures about to make it look good that ohh yes we can afford the monthly payments , until1 an emergency crops up or some one loses their job, or a split in the family relationship...whos doesnt want a little bit of a teat when its handed to hem on a plate..!

I hope your daughter is now in a better position and keeps here head above water..(not sure if my daughter at 28 will ever learn)!!
some are great mamagers and others ! well!! to them finances are just "mixed up numbers" lol.
as for being on the ball..I think its just when you come across a problem, you try your best to resolve it as easily and as less stresfull as you can, I am not an educated person, far from it, but hate being and others taken for a ride...

just an example we have at the mo...!! my husband bless himm has a model train layout....I buy him odd things from ebay and sell on things he doesnt need any more....2 weeks ago we bought a model train "ROYAL SCOT" IN MAROON to be precise....!! the seller decribed it as ..when on the track it made the hissing & chugging sound that the steam trains make...(ohh grandson will love that he thought) well yes the trian come...and he unwrapped it all excited (hubby I mean not grandson) took it upstairs... put it on the track... it zoomed along nicely..but!!!!! the hissing sound and chugging sound were not to be heard...!! to cut long story short the seller had told lies...he reckoned you put a battery in the back of the trian etc etc ...I sent him photos that no way did any battery go in the back.....so I AM "DISCUSSION" with him also!! demanding a part refund and postage huh!! he is very long in answering my emails....apparently he is a paramedic! and been very busy! well yes I thought and forgive the pun ! but I do not like being taken for a ride! either
so..."onward christain soldiers" lol....
on the other side of the coin..I do not liek confrontations..i will do anything for a quiet life, most people thimk I am soft and let things go....but this last year or so I seme to have become more..ermm. lets say,,determined (maybe my age I dont know) (55).lol..

I do understand your dilemma as my DD got herself into real financial bother a few years back. Although she was entitled to Housing Benefit, she messed things up (severely depressed at the time). Landlord had not received the rent from Housing Benefit Dept and wrote to me as guarantor demanding back rent plus threatening court action and or eviction. Long story short - rather than risk losing good credit rating I paid up and it cost me £ several thousand. Just couldn't see an alternative at the time. You seeem to be far more 'on the ball' than we were so good luck.

lol em lol well my friend and I do call ourselves the scary bikers lol
I would love to have the knowledge to help others once I have sorted my own probs out...... its like people with debt problems..I mean genuine nice people who have got themselves into debt and don't know which way to turn, it must be such a good feeling to point some one in the right direction and see the relief on their faces, and I dont mean for any payment I mean free! adivce for them that need it..
I am sure we will! sort this out but we have to tread very carefully! at the mo, and decide which direction to take so as not to loose any money by going down the wrong avenue..i will keep posted and hoep the daughters outcome may help others which ever way it goes! take care all. keep smiling

Biker - you sound like someone I'd love to have on my side - but would worry if you were on the other side! Good luck to you and DD. Look forward to reading the post that says you've sorted it all out ( as I'm sure you will!)

hi gettingona bit love the name.....lol
yes I understand what you are saying..... we just feel like she is taking the michael...as my daughter has had a person knocking at the door looking for the landlady..apparently she owes a substantial ammount in mortgage arrears..
she has been promising to come down before the 28th of August and as yet not appeared. Last week she more os less told my daughter that she would not get her deposit back until the next tenant had paid thers hence daughter getting her dep back from to new tenent... we are not talking about a little scruffy nasty house here...but a small modern detached house on a new housing estate..in my daughters contract it states the deposit will be paid back within 1 4 days of handing back the keys(we have done on the 28th August) and also on completion of the check from the landlady) not done as she keeps putting it off! the thing that has got our feathers ruffled is....when my daughter took over the tenency it was the letting agent that inspected the house..not the landlady....it seems she has now changed the rules...what we are concerned about is...if! the new tenant moves in before! the landlady comes down to inspect then how can we be sure the new tenant is not going to spill bleach/paint or burn hole in carpet and then blame my daughter...surley if the letting agents let the new tenant in then they will have inspected it enough to say yes all ok....and believe me it is ok as ive done it myself....oven/fridge garden the lot..is all spick n span...I did take photos and stupidly deleted them!!!!!! grrrrrrrrr...
also the landlady will not answer my emails she will now not answer my daughters phone calls....we have asked her 3 times now for a copy or a certificate number or the name of the deposiet scheme she has chosen.but nothing...so obviously alarm bells are ringing (the good thing is the house is 2minutes walk away form where I live!) so I am keeping an eye on it for anyone that moves in and I will be round there to put them in the picture..as I would not want anyone else to be conned......I shall keep you all updated..I hate being duped and I hate other people bing duped....I think as we get older we are prepared to stand up more for ourselves and others. My daughter like others is a hard working nurse who works hard for her wages..I just hate anyone being taken advantage of.. especially young people that are trying to get on in life..grrrrrrr...... sorry long rant....

Hi Biker. I'm a landlady, with some limited experience of tenancy deposit schemes. The scheme I use is the Government one - there are a few - and exist to protect the tenant, not the landlord. I would not write this landlord off yet, however, as I have heard of deposits not being returned from the scheme in time to honour the initial agreement, and the return of the money should in any case be dependent upon a satisfactory inventory, carried out by a landlord or agent acting on his behalf. If your landlord lives in Scotland, I'm not surprised she is slow to act.

Go to CAB by all means, and sometimes even a threat of the Small Claims Court is enough to make a rogue pay up. I threatened a car dealer with this once, to get back a returnable deposit on a car I didn't subsequently buy.

Also, chat to some letting agents - they will have experience of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and any case you may have.

hmm think I will take a look at iplayer thanks again...all.....

One thing Paul Lewis did mention is that once the tenant has ceased to be the tenant, the rules about the deposit being in a safe and untouchable place no longer apply – a very unfortunate loophole.

On BBC breakfast this morning Paul Lewis was talking about rent deposit problems. I was only listening with half an ear, but it might be worth trying to find it on i-player. He usually gives very shrewd advice and can be contacted on Twitter - if you know how to use it!

Hello all and many thanks for your comments and advice..isnt it strange that a subject we may know nothing about..once we have delved deep/searched high and low/via internet and various stories...that is becomes a learning curve..and that we then are able to give advice to maybe some one else who has similar problems, to be honest I never knew about the "secure deposite scheme" and didnt realise you had a certificate etc..etc..I presumed the letting agency held on to your deposite until the property ws checked when you left....(wrong)!
What makes me angry is yes we have repainted all the walls, put a new flushing system in the toilet and kept the hosue nice...it is a lovely little house no distracting from that.....but also the landlady ws "very nice" when we paid 6 months rent in advance as my daughter didnt pass the check (due to a past debts)! I paid the landady up front..(daughter paid me back each month).....my daughter used to get paid o the 28th of each month...the lanlady insisted that her rent was in her ! bank account on the 28 due to daughter being with Yorkshire bank who seem to live in the back of beyond this was almost impossible....and she got shirty on many occasion meaning I had to pysicaly run down to bank and putt he cash in lanladys account...
we cant decide if to go through the small claims but we will see how things go..
em yes I can imagine the other side of the coin as before my daughter moved into the propety the previous tenant took all sorts...! sofas, wardrobes, beds etc etc she cleared the landlady out.!

We used to have nasty neighbours next door....long story..but they were eventualy evicted..but!!!! they because they didnt get their bond back..they managed to creep back in one night they put all the plugs in the bath/sink/kitchen and turned on all the taps!!!!!!!!!!! it had been running for over 12 hours before we realised and informed the letting agency! and we are joined on!!!! we now have a lovely young quiet well mannered girl in....who has occasionaly friends in..and she is lovely.....couldnt wish for a better neighbour............ok well Im off to Colne (near boundry mill lancs) for supplies (husbands train set) lol.....he says its grandsons ha ha ..at least hes interested enough to play with it today (husband I mean not grandson)....have a lovely day all...wet n nasty here in lancashire this morn..

biker, what a shambles! Here is the CAB public access web site which takes you through the small claims procedure:
www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_rights/legal_system/small_claims.htm

em so sorry to hear about SIL there is an old saying isn't there that you can never have friend's where business is concerned,I hope it hasn't ruined his trust in human nature because there are alot of good honest people out there.

The other side if the coin - my SIL depends for part of the family income on 3 rented flats he's owned for years. One young couple ran up a debt of £5000. They are related to friends of the family and know this rent is needed to pay mortgage, feed and clothe kids etc (ie not a wealthy developer). When he was reaching the stage of taking them to court, they went into some legal state resembling bankruptcy where all their debts were taken into account. End result was that SIL will be repaid at the rate of £20 per month from now to eternity! Not a lot of help when he thought he was being helpful to a young couple!

absent it is so sad that not all L/Lords cannot be responsible as you say,but where ever money is concerned unfortunatley we are alway's going to come across people like this,when my DD was fighting for the return of her deposit nothing was taken into account to the improvememt's that she had done to the said property this was done for her own self esteem and to make the property more desireable but was not taken into account by the L/Lord.

biker I have had another thought that is no help for now but might be worth bearing in mind to avoid horrible situations with rented property in the future. When a reputable agent manages the property for the landlord, he will draw up a detailed inventory of the contents and condition of the property at the beginning of the tenancy. This not only includes things such as the make of the fridge freezer and washing machine, but also that there is, say, some chipped paint on the staircase and the carpets are brand new. This is signed by both landlord and tenant and is later used for assessing the condition of the property at the end of the tenancy, minimising the possibility of arguments about damage caused by the tenant.

As I have no company pension, I have recently put my savings into rental properties, managed properly and professionally (and expensively) by a reputable agent. Sharp practice by private landlords makes me very angry both on behalf of tenants and because it gives all private landlords, including responsible ones, a bad name.

I can't be any help with the present situation, but wish you a speedy and successful resolution. However, for future reference, it is common to use a lettings agent for advertising the property, finding the tenant and drawing up the contract, after which he has no further responsibilities. If however, he is providing a management service to the landlord, then he will handle stuff such as bond/deposit and, providing it is a reputable agency, will apply the law properly. In this latter case, the landlord never sees the bond/deposit and cannot touch it.

biker will try and get you some more info from friend of mine before Monday.

hi all..........yes the house was let by official well know locla letting agency....apparently the bond/deposit is held with them for 2 weeks .it is then passed to the landlord or lady in our case and he/she is supposed! to place in secure deposite scheme.......(or not as the case is looking)...I and my daughetr have bene into the letting agency and of course they say it is the landaly we should be dealing with..!!! they are no help whatso ever....I have emailed the landlady but my emails keep coming back.......(think she has blocked my email address) I have txt her earlier in the week and she and she ws replying unitl!! I asked for proof of the certifiate of the secure deposite!! ie..certificate number and as to which scheme she has chosen ,,,of course she has now become silent as we are 99% sure she has not secured the deposite.......she syas my daughetr will have her deposite in the next 2 weeks (she just keeps proloning things)..soooooooo we have to decide over the weekedn as to if we should start small claim I may pop down to CAB although in the past it seems to me thats telling them what I should do!! lol..
o well best get ready for the terror arriving...have a good day all...bfn

Its so difficult nanban isn't it when unregistered people let out propertie's some landlords think the are a law unto themselve's,but if a Registered Estate Agent let's the property and charge's a % of the rent for doing so they are then obligied by law to register for the receiving of deposit's and the return of the said deposit,but as I said it all rests on the fact that the let was done properly by the agent in the first place,so unfare to the person who is renting.