Archives
- December 2020
- November 2020
- August 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- March 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- December 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- July 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
SafeDeposits Scotland Blog

Scary staining this Halloween: Can my landlord deduct from my tenancy deposit because of a spilled glass of wine?
It's party season and even with the best-laid plans, spillages can still happen, which in turn can lead to cleaning costs - a common cause of tenancy deposit disputes. In Scotland between 2018 and 2019, 66% of all disputes between landlords, agents and tenants came about as a result of cleaning issues.
To avoid any scary spillage costs this Halloween, there are steps you can take as soon as it happens to make sure it doesn't cost you the tenancy deposit. As soon as the wine (it's always red wine, isn't it?) is spilt, try and clean it up immediately and if it's difficult to remove then you can enlist the help of a professional cleaner.
Does the stain mean that the property is not being returned to the landlord or letting agent to the level of condition agreed in the tenancy agreement? This is the most important question.
When your tenancy starts, you should have been provided with a tenancy agreement by your landlord or letting agent to read and sign. This sets out the responsibilities of each party during the tenancy in contract form and will include information about issues such as how much you must pay in rent and what condition the property should be returned in when the tenancy has ended.
Your landlord or letting agent should also conduct a check-in report before you move in to the property, and a check-out report when you leave. This will set out the condition of items within the property and is used as evidence during the adjudication process to establish whether damage had been made by a tenant and, as a result, if any money is owed.
Whether deductions can be made or not will depend on how thorough the check-in report is and if the tenancy agreement specifies that the deposit can be used to cover the costs of cleaning or repairs.
Your landlord can deduct for a red wine spillage if the tenancy agreement states clearly that cleaning or damage is a possible use of tenancy deposit money and only if the spillage has caused the property to be in a worse state at the point of the check-out report than it was at the check-in report.
For tenants, it's vital that you know your rights and responsibilities when it comes to getting your tenancy deposit money back or potentially losing some of it due to property damage during your tenancy.
This post appears in... Landlords and Agents, Tenants
This post has been tagged... Deposit Protection, SafeDeposits Scotland, cleaning, tenancy deposit scheme, landlord, letting agent, tenant, tenancy agreement, Halloween, Tenancy
This post was written by admin