Look, we’ve all been there. It’s the end of the year, you’ve just made it back home from uni and you’re unpacking a car full of all your belongings when you get the dreaded email. You weren’t feeling too hopeful about your deposit. But it’s worse than you thought, and all hopes of being able to afford those festival tickets are completely dashed. Your landlord clings onto your money with a tight grip, citing Blu-tack marks on the wall and mould in the bathroom. It’s a nightmare. But how can you prevent this from happening? Let’s take a look at the steps you can take to ensure you get your university housing deposit back.
Take pictures
The first thing you need to do when moving in is to take as many pictures of the room as you can. Every nook, every cranny, every carpet stain needs to be photographed. That way, if your landlord tries to blame you for it at the end of the contract, you have proof it was there before. Send these pictures in an email to your landlord within the first few days. That way they can’t pull the wool over your eyes later on.
Take precautions throughout the year
Make sure your bathroom fan is on to prevent mould. Don’t put hot pans on the worktop without heat pads. And clean up anything spilt on the carpet before it stains.
Stay away from the Blu-Tak
I know you have tons of pictures you want to put up, I know those fairy lights would look lovely in your room. But you have to trust me on this one: Blu-Tak is not your friend. This doesn’t mean you have to spend the year in a room with empty walls. There are alternatives.
Poster tape is a great way to stick up pictures and posters and it leaves no marks. Command hooks and strips are also a great way to hang things without leaving damage on the walls.
Clean, clean, clean
It is worth investing in hiring a cleaner for an industrial clean at the end of your tenancy. By forking out the £50 ish to hire someone to properly clean the house to the standards your landlord would expect, you could be saving hundreds in cleaning fees which would be taken out of your deposit.
Know your rights and argue your case
Some landlords may try to weasel your deposit for reasons that are unfair. Many universities actually offer housing support for situations like this so, if you can seek additional legal advice, you should take it. If you genuinely believe you deserve more of your deposit back than you’ve been given, don’t be afraid to state your case and please don’t give up.
See also: My biggest first-year regret