Good afternoon, Thank you for your detailed comments regarding your tenancy with House and Son. I have looked through your comments and know the case well, having visited you to inspect the property. The first point to deal with would be the fact that you say there wasn't a check in conducted but then you also say " After moving in, we sent in our updated version of the inventory stating all the issues, signed and dated by both myself and my partner which it was later revealed that House and Son had lost this copy." This is the check in, so for you to say one wasn't carried out is factually incorrect, which I am sure you will agree. The check out fee is clear on the initial information you read and signed when you moved in, so we cannot do anymore than that I'm afraid.

The blockage in the sink was caused by putting fat and food items down the sink and over a period of 4 years the fat had solidified and formed a big ball of fat, which was the obvious cause of the blockage, however we stepped in and agreed to pay for the removal of the blockage. I am not aware of anyone calling you dirty tenants, however they did mention that the apartment smelt of rats/pet odour, which you were keeping in the apartment (with permission) You actually agreed that the apartment smelt of this via email. I visited the apartment and agreed that you had been looking after the apartment and you had redecorated, which I thanked you for. There was also damage to many of the walls, which was a block issue, as there had been several leaks due to a faulty roof. This was reported to the managing agent on numerous occasions but they didn't do anything about it, which is neither our fault or your fault. The carpets did need replacing and the apartment needed redecorating, which is why you were not charged for any of these items. The check out process is one that many tenants do not seem to understand. The check out is carried out by an independent clerk who compiles a report and submits this report to us. We then send it to you for your comments, which is what happened in this case and we will then look at the inventory from when you moved in and decide what areas that are your responsibility. In this case I believe it was just the clean, which was £120.00. This was then sent to dispute and the TDS awarded accordingly. The original inventory you claim was 'lost' was not lost and the TDS make reference to it in their report deciding the final amounts to be awarded to both tenant and Landlord. I will quote the TDS to clarify this position: "In July 2014 the property was professionally cleaned for the start of tenancy. The tenants therefore had an obligation to instruct professional cleaning at the end of their tenancy. The check in report notes the property was generally clean and tidy, although the report contains numerous tenants amendments, most referencing the need for further cleaning. (THE REPORT YOU SAY WE LOST- CLEARLY INCORRECT) Comparing these against the check-out report report findings confirms further cleaning was required, over and above that noted at check-in, especially in the kitchen and bathroom" Please remember that this is a report provided by the TDS and is entirely independent. They decided that you should pay £50.00 in total. You also disputed the check out fee, which was subsequently awarded to us, obvious really, seeing that you had signed paperwork agreeing to pay this charge at the outset of your tenancy.

The TDS issues "guidelines" that the deposit is to be returned within 10 days of the final amounts being agreed. In 99 % of the cases we are well within this time frame but as they are only 'guidelines' there is no penalty for not keeping within the 10 days, however I do apologise for the slight delay.

In regards to the bills you are receiving, you would only be receiving bills for any unpaid amounts due, as the companies are supplied with final meter reads and your forwarding address for this purpose. The bills are your responsibility, so I would suggest you phone them and sort it out, as per your tenancy agreement and stop blaming your letting agent for something we have no responsibility for.

I think it is quite clear that there are several inaccuracies in your review and these have been quite clearly highlighted in my comments above.

It always amazes me that tenants are able to provide such one sided, factually incorrect reviews and potentially damage a business' reputation.

I am sorry if you feel we did not meet your expectations on this occasion but I feel I have given a more 'accurate' side of the story, so people can understand that there are two sides to every story.

Tenants are bound to be upset at the end of a tenancy if there is money being possibly deducted from their deposit but it doesn't give them the right to post inaccurate reviews and 'invent' elements of the process that didn't happen.

I am more than happy to discuss this in more detail if you would like to contact the branch directly.

Perhaps the agencies should start a website reviewing tenants.... probably wouldn't be allowed but would sure be interesting...

it also amazes me that tenants move out of somewhere, leave it in a poor state and expect to receive all of their deposit back.....

Thank you for your review.

We are, as every agent is, the middle man during a tenancy and are always reliant on a Landlords instructions. There were occasions in this particular tenancy when we asked for items to be sorted and the Landlord refused to have them done, which can obviously reflect on us poorly.