SafeDeposits Scotland Blog

Scary staining this Halloween: Can my landlord deduct from my tenancy deposit because of a spilled glass of wine?

Posted on Wednesday 30th of October 2019

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....Read More

Amendments to Tenancy Deposit Schemes Regulations

Posted on Wednesday 23rd of October 2019

The Scottish Parliament has just approved a short series of amendments to the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. These amendments come into force on Monday 11th November 2019. All tenancy deposit schemes in Scotland, including SafeDeposits Scotland, are required by law to abide by the regulations. It is important that all landlords and letting agents are aware of the forthcoming changes - please read on below for a summary of what will...Read More

Disputes Surrounding Rent Arrears

Posted on Wednesday 25th of September 2019

In 2018-19, 14% of disputes handled by SafeDeposits Scotland involved a claim for rent arrears - this was one of the less frequent types of claim made, with cleaning, damage and redecorating all representing higher percentages of overall disputes. But what sets rent arrears apart from other types of claim is the average amount claimed - at £397.63 in 2018-19 rent arrears had the highest average claim of all categories and this figure was over...Read More

SafeDeposits Scotland Celebrates Scottish Housing Day

Posted on Wednesday 18th of September 2019

Today (Wednesday 18th September) is Scottish Housing Day - an important date in the calendar celebrating the positive impact that good quality housing makes to the lives of people and communities, and highlighting the housing options that are available. At SafeDeposits Scotland we feel privileged to play a positive part in the Scottish property landscape - specifically the private rented sector, which according to the most recent available statistics...Read More

How Do I Claim Back My Deposit?

Posted on Tuesday 3rd of September 2019

For a tenant the end of a tenancy is usually a very busy time. Alongside tying up the end of the old tenancy, in most cases you will be moving into a new property - rented or otherwise - which brings with it a lot of paperwork to be sorted, not to mention the physical process of moving your belongings. Our repayment process is therefore designed to be as straightforward as possible, to help things go smoothly when there are lots of other tasks to do. You...Read More

Items Left Behind - Help or Hindrance?

Posted on Wednesday 14th of August 2019

What do games consoles, designer clothes and coffee tables have in common? They are among the many personal possessions to have been left behind by tenants after they have moved out of private rented properties in Scotland. To some that may be surprising - that people would leave their belongings (some of which could be considered valuable) behind - but it is actually quite a common occurrence. The reasons for tenants moving on minus that television or...Read More