Return of Deposit on Rented House

I have just vacated a house I have rented for 2 years and have left it in pretty good shape and am now looking to have my deposit refunded. I know my ex-landlord is an awkward so and so and will not like to part with all or even any of my deposit monies.
Anyway, my question is is he entitled to pay for painting of the house and other smaller repairs that may need to be carried out before he re-lets. On the other hand are these costs deemed to be regular wear and tear and should be at his expense and not mine??

Your deposit should only be used if there is major repair necessary, cleaning and painting should not be included in this.

Normal wear and tear is a landlord's responsibility. If you feel he will deduct your deposit anyway you should take pictures of the good condition you left the house in, no harm in meeting the landlord at the house to see if everything is ok. What is not clear from your post is what you mean by 'pretty good shape' and 'small repairs?'

jeez - its like pulling teeth trying to get a deposit back from these celtic tiger landlords. You should make sure you are present for an inspection with the landlord before you hand over the keys - at the time of inspection get a written confirmation that the deposit will be returned. i recently vacated a rental property and spend two days cleaning the place up to the point where it was in better shape than when I arrived. I arranged a meeting in the property for inspection with the letting agent prior to handing over the keys to confirm that they would return my deposit. I received the agreement to return my deposit via email later from the letting agent that day. I thought that would be the end of it......

Landlord then came along a week later claiming he was not going to return the deposit claiming that he needed to get an estimate for repairs (non existent repairs, I should add) before he could return the deposit. As I had the original agreement from the agent that the property was returned in mint condition I called every day for six weeks before the landlord eventually returned my deposit in full. I have no doubt that the landlord would have pocketed my deposit if I had not been so thorough when leaving.

with regards painting and wear and tear, if it is just grubby from everyday living its the landlords problem, but if the walls are in need of painting because of parties (beer, food, vomit etc) then it is the tenants problem.

Regarding getting your deposit back, you don't need to be thorough you just need to contact the prtb - the tenants debt collector.

MrMan said:

Regarding getting your deposit back, you don't need to be thorough you just need to contact the prtb - the tenants debt collector.

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That's a great line - it's the one and only thing the PRTB are competant at

bankrupt said:

Your deposit should only be used if there is major repair necessary, cleaning and painting should not be included in this.

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Painting is a landlord's problem unless someone willfully destroyed the painting.

But I would regard the cleaning of the flat as an important part of a tenant getting their deposit back.

Speaking from experience if you saw the filth that some tenants have left for us to clean up after them you would know why.

As for returning deposits I have never held onto any part of a deposit.

But I have made people come back to clean the flat till I was happy then they got their deposits back...

I just wanted to clarify something... my landlord has just said that they got cleaners in after we moved out and it cost €120 which they are taking out of the deposit. We cleaned the house before we moved out and it really was clean. Are they allowed to take money for cleaning like that? I can't imagine the cleaners had to do much...

The definition of 'clean' can be very different from person to person.

For me to expect to get a full deposit back I'd be scouring the oven to contract cleaner standards, the fridge, all the skirting boards, cobwebs, bathrooms.

Best advice is that above, not to hand the keys back until the landlord says he is happy with the standard of cleanliness and will refund full deposit.

It is sharp practice to hold back deposit for getting cleaners in and its not technically legal. Your only option if deposit is being withheld for cleaning and normal wear and tear is the PRTB dispute procedure.

I have never charged tenants for cleaning, once the place is "reasonably" clean, I'm happy. I know some people get in the professionals, but I would consider that is their choice & they should carry the cost of it (propably just don't want to get their hands dirty!).

Where both you and the landlord there for a final inspection (a must !!) & did they say anything at that stage about the place not being clean enough? If you do end up paying it (and I'm not saying you should) make sure you get the original reciept as they possibly plan to get the €120 from you and claim it as an expense. The PRTB should be able to give you more info on this.

In relation to painting (I know that part of the thread is old but anyway), I've put in a clause into my contracts that the walls must remain magnolia & tenant will be responsible for the cost of repainting if they change the colour.....I got sick of having to redo dark walls & bad paint jobs!!

Moved from Management Companies to Property Investment which is where Landlord/Tenant rights and responsibilities are discussed.