Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning is not everything but making the effort to win is”. This quote resonates with me for the very first time after winning a tenancy battle today against my greedy landlord.
Three months ago, my partner and I moved out from our previous apartment at the end of tenancy term. We lived there for two years and enjoyed most of our time there. It was the first place we lived since moving to the UK. We were good tenants, paid on time and took care of the place with periodic cleaning and maintenance. Despite construction nuisances that lasted for more than eight months and especially with a newborn in between, we went through the challenges at the best we could with patience. Obviously, we didn’t have much choice not to.
Towards the end of tenancy, we followed through the procedures and handover the apartment at the best condition possible – hired reputable professional cleaner company and painted over marked walls prior to handover. We thought we’d checked all boxes and the landlord would be happy to return our deposit amounting to £1,000. It was a lot of money to ignore any details. We thought we had fulfilled all requirements, but clearly to them, we didn’t. Expectation is indeed a subjective matter if it is not numerically quantifiable. “We politely remind you that the property needs to be returned in the same condition as noted at the check-in.” The question is: where does ‘fair wear and tear‘ sits with such clause written in tenancy agreement?
The apartment was newly refurbished when we moved in two years ago. When we checked out, the landlord expected it to be in the same condition as when we checked in two years ago. Tell me honestly, can I rewind my age just as how I could keep a new as brand new on top of paying rent that includes keeping stainless steels sparkly, items without crack lines and walls free of dust? I could go on with the requirements, but the more I study the details, the more I realise that it was a huge mistake for renting a refurnished unit or even a brand new place.
We disputed every point with the landlord after they accused us for not cleaning the place to a professional standard. Despite paying over £200 for a professional service. really? Clearly, we do not have eyes for details as much as they do. The landlord also accused us for intentionally damaging the shower because of a crack line found on shower tray. The shower was fully functional during handover! Overall, the landlord wanted to claim a total of £1,168 against us, beyond the deposit held, which means zero return to us but more to pay. Surely not! We felt like we’re such bad tenants that the landlord treated us this way, as seen on Slum Landlords series but in reverse way. We felt victimised.
Fortunately, Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) defended us. We made an effort to file a claim against our landlord. We did our homework and patiently went through the paperwork online. Yes, it was a lot of money. More importantly, we wanted justice so that big companies won’t get away with it. Surprisingly, big companies do go after people like us not thinking that they could’ve got it worse.
What a day! Justice is finally served today. We couldn’t be happier. The amount they deserved? £25 as compensation for minor cleaning issues raised. The rest, not a penny! We should not underestimate the existence of TDS because they protect tenants like us from greedy landlords’ bully. With growing properties to let and desperate tenants in the UK, terms and conditions can get unreasonable and easily overlooked. I would like to thank TDS for their massive help in preserving fairness for tenants. I kind of agree with the quote that winning is not everything, but making the effort to win is (which we did). After my unlucky encounter in April, I would like to say:
Winning is everything when it is sets out to clear your innocence.
