Rent Deposits Withheld

[Igotts]

Can anybody direct me to a section on this site that deals with help against Landlords that withold your deposit for constantly changing reasons as to why they are keeping my rental deposit.
He says that my rent was not paid on time but this has been due to Housing Benefit not paid to Landlord on time, I'm talking a couple of days because of a weekend delay and he charges £70 because of this.
Can anybody please help.

[Celestine]

Re: Rent Deposits Withheld

Hi Igotts

I will move your thread to the right place for you x

Late payment of rent does not usually constitute a reason to withhold the deposit.
Is your deposit lodged in a tenancy deposit scheme?
What does it say in your rental contract about charges for late payment?

Sounds very dodgy to me....tell us more.

[SpringerSpaniel]

Re: Rent Deposits Withheld

If the deposit is held - as is required by law - in a deposit protection scheme, the scheme will normally operate an arbitration service in respect of witholding or returning the deposit. You should contact the sceme involved for more details.

If the deposit is not protected, there are specific remedies for this.

If you have tried to use thee arbitration scheme but without a satisfactory resolution, or if the deposit is not protected, there is a fast-track scheme in the Small Claims Court for return of a rental deposit.

Any penalties (whether fair or not) for late payment are a separate issue as Celestine has said in her post.