Hi ladies
Again I really need your advice.  I have a problem to get my deposit back from last Landlord. It's already over a month when I left his property and he doesn't answer for my emails and calls. I must to admin he did not send my deposit to Deposit Protection Scheme. I know I can get him to the court but maybe there is other options before 

you may have to do some googling under "private renting gov.uk" or "housing ombudsman service" to find out what to do next to formalise your claim

Is it not easier to just not pay the last months' rent in future?

Is it not easier to just not pay the last months' rent in future?

You can't really though, it's not what you're supposed to do so if you then have any problems with them saying you caused damage etc. and it has to go further, the fact you didn't pay the last month isn't going to make your character look great.

Plus they can pursue you for it in all the normal debt recovery ways.

I did that years ago.

Not a very sensible option, IMHO. Deposits are legally covered these days, so Sonia was clearly unfortunate. CAB may be another source of good advice.

They way it works now is the deposit scheme holds the money. The assumption is that the tenant gets it all back. The landlord has to make an argument as to why they withold anything for damages.

In practice, this has meant we've discussed it with the landlord, agreed on damages privately, and then signed off on the scheme - the tenant has to sign off and agree to any deductions. I have small children and there has always been a small amount of damage. It's always been worked out amicably.

I'd like to bring it back to sex work a bit.

My last two incall properties involved deposits held in the Deposit Scheme, prior to the most recent I'd never had any rental deposit docked, bar university halls who said I didn't hoover the carpet when I left (a helpful boyfriend swept the carpet instead(not sure why he preferred that!)).

Anyhow I had had a lot of practical problems with the last house, some of which I sorted myself, some of which I had to live through . There were also issues with the inventory, which I'd trusted was accurate when moved in, on leaving it became apparent that many items had been listed which weren't there, some duplicated in error. The landlord did, after a lot of worrying on my part, admit to the missing items. I hired a cleaner, gave the place a cursory look around (it was a big place and a big move out) and thought everything would be ok.

It wasn't, the agent found dust on lampshades, crumbs, dust in cracks in furniture in areas I'd not used, claimed they needed to pay someone to iron and rehang curtains (I'd had some of my own put up in place of some very thin/inadequate ones provided and had simply kept the originals folded in a cupboard).

Because I felt I had to hide my sex work, and wondered if they'd throw it in my face I didn't dispute the several hundred pounds they decided rectification required.

Having spoken to someone experienced in letting properties, I now know that I should have disputed this, and that I'd have been on fairly solid ground to do so. If any argument had come back I could have pointed out the continous series of issues with the supposed 'high standard' property. I had been there a long time, always paid rent in full, in fact once paid it twice when they changed bank accounts.

It's a bit like Amys argument re challenging hotels who chuck you out, in my case I wasn't being chucked out but I wasn't confident standing up for myself because of the nature of the sex work. I could really kick myself right now.

I'm worrying about this with my current work flat. I am due to move out next month but the landlord is an obsessive freak who insists I keep the place in showroom standard at all times. I am convinced he will find the flat inadequately clean when I move out and keep my deposit, even though I know I am a VERY clean and tidy person, I am still not to his mad standards!

The landlord cannot legally keep your deposit. Even if it comes to light what you have been using the flat for, you are not doing anything illegal. And if you haven't been given a lease contract, there is no evidence to state that you were not entitled to work from your "home".

Fight them. Get every penny back.