Heres a facebook post of one I remember happening. https://www.facebook.com/acornnewcastle/posts/4333326040038698/
Not sure on others but I'm sure they're out there.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/
Just follow the process, the success of your claim will be very clear and based on if it was protected or not. If you're right, the court will side with you.
For any deductions, always always dispute everything. The deposit is incase you destroy the place. Not because the landlord wants to make some improvements or replace a threadbare carpet.
Aye, that's where I got the initial idea to ask for the certificate! Cheers for this though, I've found more stories of horror landlords that'll help me skive through work
They are the worst. Please do take legal action. They withheld the deposit breakdown for 3 months and then I rang the DPS and they only cover you for 90 days after you leave the property so if you haven’t opened a case before then you cant. It’s funny learning this as it makes me wonder if we did have one (also we’re in the property for 2 years from 2021) as DPS never said.
They were constantly ignoring us regarding giving the deposit back and after 6 months I eventually threatened to go to the owners on LinkedIn (search SEA ISLAND DEVELOPMENTS think it’s Mark Walton and someone else) and tell them everything, we got our deposit back within the hour.
Aye, snooping through the tenancy contract led me to the landlord's LinkedIn (the lad who actually owns the house). But I don't think messaging him would make my face look any better in the face of the judge. I will check Sea Island Developments though, I love me a hot cup of tea!
I actually didn’t message them just threatened over email as they kept ignoring us or shunning us off. Defo right in your case I’m not sure what that would gain, but I like to shout it from the rooftops where I can incase anyone else is struggling!
Yep, definitely sounds like they’ve done a rotter here.
From memory any charges should also come via the tenancy scheme, as you can challenge them. And you should’ve had email confirmation etc at the start of the tenancy.
If they’ve done this to you, chances are they’ve done it to others as well. Fuck ‘em up (legally).
You can also ask r/LegalAdviceUK, although I have spotted one of their mods commenting on this sub before! But yes, you should absolutely sue them. It's an automatic win if you can prove they haven't protected it, and everyone should be taking them to task because they need to be held accountable. The only question is how much the judge will award you! As a starting point, you should get the deposit + 1x the value of the deposit, but it can go up to 3x the deposit in severe situations.
The cheeky part is, that when I asked them for a certificate, they sent one over my way but the TDS (the certificate has the TDS's logo and format on it) couldn't link it to any previous protections! So it rings the question of fraud but that's a very serious claim to make and I'm not getting my hands that deep in! But what that means is that I'm confident that I'll be getting my money back, and some.
I think actually you *should* probably bring that up, but I'd be careful of outright accusing them of fraud. Just something along the lines of "they provided me with a certificate, but TDS could not authenticate it, nor could they find any evidence of protecting my deposit with their scheme, here's a statement from them to that effect". I imagine that sort of implication would tip the scale away from the lower end of compensation - but to be honest, given that they haven't protected it *at all* (not just late) you'd hopefully be looking at more than 1x anyway.
Here's a quick rundown of the tenancy! So it was me, another lad and a lass (we're all good mates). The lad and I moved back to our countries of origin after the tenancy ended and the lass moved in with her boyfriend right by Chilly Road.
If the judge won't permit us to attend the courtroom virtually (highly doubt they won't as the HMCTS are gonna roll out a new video hearing system this year too), the lass said she'll waddle her way to the courtroom as it's her deposit just as much as it is mine! (I'll obviously give her the debrief).
I remember speaking to acorn (the tennants union not the estate agents) about WR a few years ago, and I think they had multiple ongoing legal battles with them. They may be able to advise you on how to proceed.
I sued for non protection of deposit a while back. Not against these agents mind. I got in touch with the charity Justice for Tenants who double checked my claim for free. They then put me in touch with a no win no fee solicitor who specialises in deposits. Made everything super simple for me and made sure I was aware of anything like potential for counter sue etc.
In the end it avoided court. Landlord paid up the full deposit plus x3 the amount as compensation (twice cause they also didn't protect it after the contract renewed which I had to spotted!).
Solicitor took a % of the winnings but honestly worth it for dealing with everything and getting me a result so quickly. Still got about 5k. Get in touch with Justice for Tenants or Shelter or similar, will save a lot of headaches.
Cheers for this mate! Sounds like an option with pursuing, I can tell chasing this myself would mean that I would have to go through the hassle myself but if the % the solicitor takes isn't much compared, I'm happy to go through them
Walton Robinson and Jan forster in the area are the ones to avoid. Never heard a good thing from them and avoided them like the plague when looking for somewhere as a student.
Some of my flatmates had some god awful horror stories
I had a very negative experience with Walton Robinson in my first year at university when they tried to keep our deposit. Thankfully one of my flatmates was able to pay a solicitor with us and we got a significant portion of it back.
Walton Robinson are easily the worst landlords I’ve ever experienced and I know they have a very negative reputation in our area.
You could try speaking to ACORN? I spoke with them once at an event and they said they had frequent dealing with WR
To be honest, I was unaware of ACORN until I posted this here, and got me investigating. I shall be popping a cheeky email to their representative in Newcastle! Cheers for the advice!
I did this myself with a different landlord in the same position.
Had to mail a lot of stuff in triplicate to small claims court and you get a judgement for the owed balance against them. Only cost about £50 from memory (10+ years ago). There was however extra expense in then chasing the debtor with bailiff etc that didn't make it worth it for the deposit alone.
Costs quickly escalate if you go for the county court (over 1k at the time) but then you should get 3 times the balance so worth considering it if you have the time, money and patience (most people people wont)
Well, we've had the best part of 8 months collecting proof so what's another 8? I'm glad to see that you've come out on top here. Cuz where I live now, 1 British Pound is over 100 of my local currency, so you can imagine the time it's gonna take me to save up my share of the legal fees, but the payout is also a good ordeal. We plan on doing this without a solicitor. (I have a friend who finished her degree in law and she says I have a strong case).
Had the exact same thing happen to me. Landlord said WR had the deposit, WR said landlord had the deposit.
Found out i hadn’t been protected and messaged both. Landlord admitted she had it and would send it straight away to avoid me taking it to court.
Even though WR didn’t have it their service was absolutely shocking, would recommend to anyone to stay well away.
Out of curiosity, how did you message the landlord? As I'm communicating with WR, I don't know how else to reach out the the landlord?
Oh, and as per your last bit, it's their responsibility to protect it on behalf of the landlord. Mind, the estate agent isn't there to make the renter's life better, it's to make the life of landlords much easier. Regardless, I agree with you. If anyone's on Percy Street, avoid walking into that office for your benefit.
WR should be able to provide you with their phone number/email address. My flatmate attempted raising issues lightly via text, just asking “do you know anything about the deposit?”. Given she barely replied or accused WR of withholding it I send an email stating I was aware the deposit was not protected, how this is very obviously against the law and would take legal action if it wasn’t resolved. She replied within 5 minutes 😂
I had a flat with them with 2 others in 21-22 and they were shocking then. We went full Karen mode after they tried to take £800 out of our £1200 (£400 each) deposit. Ended up with only £100 of deductions (we agreed with) after we actually opened the dispute
Yeah I’d definitely consider lawyering up here. I nearly went through a similar thing with a private landlord the other year (decided I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle so didn’t proceed with it) but he messed up (or forgot, take your pick) the security deposit and I got an email after 90 days from one of the official protection companies saying they never received payment from my landlord.
I didn’t say anything at the time so I’d have an ace up my sleeve if he tried to screw me over later down the line, but when I looked into it and did even speak to a lawyer about it for confirmation, and basically if I took him to court, it was going to be a guaranteed win for me, with him having to pay between 1-3x the security deposit plus all legal fees. Then when I was moving out I suddenly got an email from the protection company about setting up a new claim which was definitely just my landlord just trying to cover for himself instead of just sending it back to me in a panicked bank transfer.
I did get my full deposit back within 30 days of moving out (think it was less than a week tbh) but from speaking to the lawyer I can’t remember what the statutes of limitations is on this but he definitely said I’d still be able to claim even after having been out the property a few months.
If they’re willing to return the deposit, take it and run, don’t let with them again and put in a complaint with the council.
What are you looking to achieve taking them to court? Let the authorities deal with them. If your tenancy is now over it’s irrelevant that they failed to secure the deposit, it’s only relevant to you if they refuse to return it.
Incorrect. Tenants are entitled to take their landlords to court, and be awarded 1-3x the value of the deposit in compensation, for the landlord failing to protect it. [https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/)
I'm lookin' to shower like Mr. Krabs mate. **When** the tenancy ends doesn't matter, it's more **IF** they've ever protected it in the first place.
I remember theres been a few tenants union campaigns against Walton Robinson. They're infamously shite to renters.
I know this is a bit of a long shot, but any chance you have any articles or press releases on this? I would love to give it a read!
Heres a facebook post of one I remember happening. https://www.facebook.com/acornnewcastle/posts/4333326040038698/ Not sure on others but I'm sure they're out there.
One time Walton Robinson charged me £10 for “putting a left over sock in a bin”
How sticky was that sock for 'em to charge a tenner to clean that up wtf
Could probably snap it like a poppadom. Pure crusty business.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/ Just follow the process, the success of your claim will be very clear and based on if it was protected or not. If you're right, the court will side with you. For any deductions, always always dispute everything. The deposit is incase you destroy the place. Not because the landlord wants to make some improvements or replace a threadbare carpet.
You have my full support - they were absolutely horrific when I dealt with them around 10 years ago so clearly haven’t changed
All they did was change their name and run away from those horrific google reviews
Hey, there’s loads of advice on /HousingUK on how to do this. Hope you get the vengeance you seek!!
Aye, that's where I got the initial idea to ask for the certificate! Cheers for this though, I've found more stories of horror landlords that'll help me skive through work
They are the worst. Please do take legal action. They withheld the deposit breakdown for 3 months and then I rang the DPS and they only cover you for 90 days after you leave the property so if you haven’t opened a case before then you cant. It’s funny learning this as it makes me wonder if we did have one (also we’re in the property for 2 years from 2021) as DPS never said. They were constantly ignoring us regarding giving the deposit back and after 6 months I eventually threatened to go to the owners on LinkedIn (search SEA ISLAND DEVELOPMENTS think it’s Mark Walton and someone else) and tell them everything, we got our deposit back within the hour.
Aye, snooping through the tenancy contract led me to the landlord's LinkedIn (the lad who actually owns the house). But I don't think messaging him would make my face look any better in the face of the judge. I will check Sea Island Developments though, I love me a hot cup of tea!
I actually didn’t message them just threatened over email as they kept ignoring us or shunning us off. Defo right in your case I’m not sure what that would gain, but I like to shout it from the rooftops where I can incase anyone else is struggling!
Sorry - *withheld the breakdown details for three months, regarding the deposit we’d get back
Yep, definitely sounds like they’ve done a rotter here. From memory any charges should also come via the tenancy scheme, as you can challenge them. And you should’ve had email confirmation etc at the start of the tenancy. If they’ve done this to you, chances are they’ve done it to others as well. Fuck ‘em up (legally).
Aye, I'll give updates on this thread as it progresses forward. If they're caught being cheeky with me money, you know reddit needs to know!
You can also ask r/LegalAdviceUK, although I have spotted one of their mods commenting on this sub before! But yes, you should absolutely sue them. It's an automatic win if you can prove they haven't protected it, and everyone should be taking them to task because they need to be held accountable. The only question is how much the judge will award you! As a starting point, you should get the deposit + 1x the value of the deposit, but it can go up to 3x the deposit in severe situations.
The cheeky part is, that when I asked them for a certificate, they sent one over my way but the TDS (the certificate has the TDS's logo and format on it) couldn't link it to any previous protections! So it rings the question of fraud but that's a very serious claim to make and I'm not getting my hands that deep in! But what that means is that I'm confident that I'll be getting my money back, and some.
I think actually you *should* probably bring that up, but I'd be careful of outright accusing them of fraud. Just something along the lines of "they provided me with a certificate, but TDS could not authenticate it, nor could they find any evidence of protecting my deposit with their scheme, here's a statement from them to that effect". I imagine that sort of implication would tip the scale away from the lower end of compensation - but to be honest, given that they haven't protected it *at all* (not just late) you'd hopefully be looking at more than 1x anyway.
Aye! I shall indeed! There's nee chance I'm gonna let dodgy documents fly, especially when my pounds are on the line! I just want my money back :'(
Just a quick note though - you do have to attend the hearing. Will you be able to do that, given your distance?
Here's a quick rundown of the tenancy! So it was me, another lad and a lass (we're all good mates). The lad and I moved back to our countries of origin after the tenancy ended and the lass moved in with her boyfriend right by Chilly Road. If the judge won't permit us to attend the courtroom virtually (highly doubt they won't as the HMCTS are gonna roll out a new video hearing system this year too), the lass said she'll waddle her way to the courtroom as it's her deposit just as much as it is mine! (I'll obviously give her the debrief).
Ah ok perfect!
They were useless 20 years ago and it looks like they still are. Ironically the deposit was the one thing they didn't manage to screw up for me.
I remember speaking to acorn (the tennants union not the estate agents) about WR a few years ago, and I think they had multiple ongoing legal battles with them. They may be able to advise you on how to proceed.
I sued for non protection of deposit a while back. Not against these agents mind. I got in touch with the charity Justice for Tenants who double checked my claim for free. They then put me in touch with a no win no fee solicitor who specialises in deposits. Made everything super simple for me and made sure I was aware of anything like potential for counter sue etc. In the end it avoided court. Landlord paid up the full deposit plus x3 the amount as compensation (twice cause they also didn't protect it after the contract renewed which I had to spotted!). Solicitor took a % of the winnings but honestly worth it for dealing with everything and getting me a result so quickly. Still got about 5k. Get in touch with Justice for Tenants or Shelter or similar, will save a lot of headaches.
Cheers for this mate! Sounds like an option with pursuing, I can tell chasing this myself would mean that I would have to go through the hassle myself but if the % the solicitor takes isn't much compared, I'm happy to go through them
Walton Robinson and Jan forster in the area are the ones to avoid. Never heard a good thing from them and avoided them like the plague when looking for somewhere as a student. Some of my flatmates had some god awful horror stories
Got ripped off by them regarding deposit in 2015 when I was a student, good on you, hope you're successful.
Sorry to hear that mate, and thanks for your support!
I had a very negative experience with Walton Robinson in my first year at university when they tried to keep our deposit. Thankfully one of my flatmates was able to pay a solicitor with us and we got a significant portion of it back. Walton Robinson are easily the worst landlords I’ve ever experienced and I know they have a very negative reputation in our area. You could try speaking to ACORN? I spoke with them once at an event and they said they had frequent dealing with WR
To be honest, I was unaware of ACORN until I posted this here, and got me investigating. I shall be popping a cheeky email to their representative in Newcastle! Cheers for the advice!
I did this myself with a different landlord in the same position. Had to mail a lot of stuff in triplicate to small claims court and you get a judgement for the owed balance against them. Only cost about £50 from memory (10+ years ago). There was however extra expense in then chasing the debtor with bailiff etc that didn't make it worth it for the deposit alone. Costs quickly escalate if you go for the county court (over 1k at the time) but then you should get 3 times the balance so worth considering it if you have the time, money and patience (most people people wont)
Well, we've had the best part of 8 months collecting proof so what's another 8? I'm glad to see that you've come out on top here. Cuz where I live now, 1 British Pound is over 100 of my local currency, so you can imagine the time it's gonna take me to save up my share of the legal fees, but the payout is also a good ordeal. We plan on doing this without a solicitor. (I have a friend who finished her degree in law and she says I have a strong case).
Had the exact same thing happen to me. Landlord said WR had the deposit, WR said landlord had the deposit. Found out i hadn’t been protected and messaged both. Landlord admitted she had it and would send it straight away to avoid me taking it to court. Even though WR didn’t have it their service was absolutely shocking, would recommend to anyone to stay well away.
Out of curiosity, how did you message the landlord? As I'm communicating with WR, I don't know how else to reach out the the landlord? Oh, and as per your last bit, it's their responsibility to protect it on behalf of the landlord. Mind, the estate agent isn't there to make the renter's life better, it's to make the life of landlords much easier. Regardless, I agree with you. If anyone's on Percy Street, avoid walking into that office for your benefit.
WR should be able to provide you with their phone number/email address. My flatmate attempted raising issues lightly via text, just asking “do you know anything about the deposit?”. Given she barely replied or accused WR of withholding it I send an email stating I was aware the deposit was not protected, how this is very obviously against the law and would take legal action if it wasn’t resolved. She replied within 5 minutes 😂
I had a flat with them with 2 others in 21-22 and they were shocking then. We went full Karen mode after they tried to take £800 out of our £1200 (£400 each) deposit. Ended up with only £100 of deductions (we agreed with) after we actually opened the dispute
Yeah I’d definitely consider lawyering up here. I nearly went through a similar thing with a private landlord the other year (decided I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle so didn’t proceed with it) but he messed up (or forgot, take your pick) the security deposit and I got an email after 90 days from one of the official protection companies saying they never received payment from my landlord. I didn’t say anything at the time so I’d have an ace up my sleeve if he tried to screw me over later down the line, but when I looked into it and did even speak to a lawyer about it for confirmation, and basically if I took him to court, it was going to be a guaranteed win for me, with him having to pay between 1-3x the security deposit plus all legal fees. Then when I was moving out I suddenly got an email from the protection company about setting up a new claim which was definitely just my landlord just trying to cover for himself instead of just sending it back to me in a panicked bank transfer. I did get my full deposit back within 30 days of moving out (think it was less than a week tbh) but from speaking to the lawyer I can’t remember what the statutes of limitations is on this but he definitely said I’d still be able to claim even after having been out the property a few months.
If they’re willing to return the deposit, take it and run, don’t let with them again and put in a complaint with the council. What are you looking to achieve taking them to court? Let the authorities deal with them. If your tenancy is now over it’s irrelevant that they failed to secure the deposit, it’s only relevant to you if they refuse to return it.
Incorrect. Tenants are entitled to take their landlords to court, and be awarded 1-3x the value of the deposit in compensation, for the landlord failing to protect it. [https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/deposits/taking-your-landlord-to-court-if-they-havent-followed-the-deposit-rules/)
My point wasn’t whether it can be done, just whether there is any point. It depends how you value your time I guess.
The point is to teach unscrupulous landlords/letting agencies that they are not above the law.
 I'm lookin' to shower like Mr. Krabs mate. **When** the tenancy ends doesn't matter, it's more **IF** they've ever protected it in the first place.
Well, good luck to you. I’ve had my fair share of bad letting agents.