A complicated case ends in success with a £3,600 payout for the tenant

This tenant found us online in early June 2024 after searching for help to get his tenancy deposit claim across the line. Originally, he had tried to take the whole claim process on himself, however, the managing agent wasn’t taking him seriously, ignored his letters and the situation grew with anxiety.

The tenant paid a £900 deposit in July 2018 for a two-bedroom detached bungalow in Woodbridge, signing a 6-month AST, which automatically changed to a periodic tenancy thereafter.

Initially, this tenancy deposit claim appeared straight forward. The tenant had an email from the managing agent which confirmed the tenancy deposit was not protected and the claim had a few weeks left before the limitation deadline approached.

However, it was far from straight forward.

The tenant revealed that they had fallen into rent arrears over the past few months and the amount owed had surpassed the deposit value. Despite this, the tenant was making regular payments to clear the arrears and whilst other organisations slammed the door in his face, at Tenant Angels, we persisted to help him.

The second curve ball was the sad news that the landlord, who have moved to the area and bought several properties to rent out was now deceased. The landlord’s estate was now being managed by an agent until further notice.

The third complication was an ongoing disrepair dispute**, which we cannot go into detail on until that has concluded.

At Tenant Angels, we pride ourselves on helping as many tenants as we possibly can and we certainly don’t shy away from ‘difficult’ claims. With the help of our fantastic legal team, this tenancy deposit claim was successful to the tune of £2,700 plus the full return of the tenant’s £900 deposit*.

We spoke to the tenant recently and he told us;

“I was really hopeful when I first started trying to process the claim myself, but when the managing agent ignored me time and time again, I started to lose hope, started to worry that this big firm will find a way to squash my claim and take even more from me.

As soon as Tenant Angels and the solicitor got involved, the managing agent took it seriously and it settled very quickly. I spoke to a few different businesses similar to Tenant Angels and none of them wanted to help me, so I’m glad Tenant Angels gave me that hope back.

Also, being able to communicate with Tenant Angels over WhatsApp was brilliant. I could message at 11pm at night and I’d get a response the next day, it was so easy. The solicitor was fantastic too, down to earth, really friendly and understanding. Every conversation put my mind at rest.

I’d be happy to shout from the roof tops about my positive experience with Tenant Angels and the legal team! Thank you!”

*All claims are handled on a no-win, no-fee basis

** Tenant Angels are not regulated to manage disrepair claims. The disrepair element of this case was managed in full by the solicitor, who is authorised and regulated by the SRA.