Recovering arrear rent !

Tenancy Deposits

• Rent paid last was 10th May 2012

• Text received from tenant on 13/06/2012 informing us that he is laid off and can’t afford to live here.

• I agreed to accept his text as a valid notice to terminal his tenancy agreement under the following conditions:

o Subject to rent is up to date

o Take the text as start of his four week notice period, this will act to bring the tenancy to an end at the expiry of the notice.

o Marketing the property “To let” and if we get someone in to sign the contract then we will release his deposit subject to check out inventory.

o

• However tenant moved out on the 15 Jun 2012 without any consultation and the key for the property was return to the Estate agents office by the tenant’s mother throght the letter post.

Estate agent placed an abandonment notice on the property as the tenant is not returning any calls from me or the Estate agent. The property is empty.

I had the estate agent carry out check-out inventory which identified

• Marks on various walls in Bedroom, needs painting.

• Living area has a smell of smoke and leads to assuming the tenant has been smoking in the property, which is against the tenancy agreement.

Tenant is also arrear in one month rent so the question is if I can’t recover the rent will I be able to hold his deposit within the terms of the deposit and rent arrears?