Renters - how to get your deposit back

Deposits. A necessary part of renting a house, flat or bedsit. But also an expensive one. These are taken by the landlord or estate agent for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it can be used to hold the property - showing the householder that you're seriously committed to renting the house or flat and ensuring that no one else can pip you to the post.

In addition, the payment also covers security or damage. These include compensation for cleaning bills once you have left the property, unpaid rent or bills, covering the cost of general wear and tear and more serious damage to the accommodation. Details of these types of deposit vary from landlord to landlord, so it's important that you check your contract carefully when you move in to see what your payment does and doesn't cover. 

Check your contract

As for how much they set us back, according to LandlordZone, "the total amount charged for any type of security deposit cannot be more than the amount of two months' rent for an unfurnished rental unit or three months' rent for a furnished unit". Typically they are the cost of one month's rent.

Now, one, two or three months' rent is quite a large sum that, in these times of general financial hardship, we could all do with getting back when we move out.

But how exactly do we go about this? Essortment states that there are a number of things you can do when you're in the process of moving into your new home. Firstly, it says, "read your rental agreement carefully".

This should help you understand what your deposit is going towards and how to satisfy the conditions of getting it back.

What's more, the site explains you should "take advantage of the opportunity to perform a walk-through of the premises with your landlord. Note any damage to the premises or unclean conditions that exist at the time you take possession on an inventory checklist".

Once in the property, taking pictures of it and where the fittings are situated is a great idea, according to UK Home Information.Refer back to these when moving out and arrange everything into their original places if you can.

Take care of your new home

Additionally, you need to make sure you take care of it as best you can during your tenancy. The site advises people to always try to keep the surfaces clean, sort out spillages and stains as quickly as possible, try to fix broken items or find a suitable replacement.

If you can't repair them, inform the landlord immediately. Marks on walls could also lead to money being taken from your deposit, so invest in T-Cut scratch remover - available from motoring stores - as it can "remove most minor marks". For more serious scuffs, it suggests hunting down a tester pot of a matching paint.Upon leaving the house or flat, the firm suggests taking more pictures - you could show your landlord these to prove that it is clean and tidy and avoid them making dirt or damage claims.

This, of course, should come after you have given each room a thorough clean, including all household appliances and units, such as fridges, cookers, bathtubs and showers. Basically, you want to hand the property back to the landlord in the same state it was in when you arrived.

Problems? There are ways around them

Often this is enough to reclaim your deposit, but sometimes people encounter problems. However, there are ways around this too, if you think that the landlord is holding on to your money unfairly. If it's simply a case of the property owner or agency taking their time in returning your cheque, UK Home Information encourages pestering them, or even threatening them with the small claims court.

Furthermore, housing charity Shelter advises those experiencing issues that they believe to be unwarranted to check if the landlord is registered with an organisation such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents or Approved Lettings Scheme and complaining to them.

Equally, you should also let their local council know what is going on.And with any luck, that lump sum will be back with you in no time.