Claim Basics and Terminology
Zero Deposit
Last Update 3 years ago
What can my landlord make a claim for?
Your landlord can make a claim against the Zero Deposit guarantee for any financial loss caused by you breaching the tenancy agreement. Therefore the exact reasons will depend on your tenancy agreement.
However, some examples include:
- Unpaid rent
- Damage to the property or any possessions
- Not cleaning the property to the same standard as at the start of the tenancy
- Not leaving the garden in the same state as at the start of the tenancy
- A requirement to do redecoration, due to unagreed changes to the property.
What is a "lead tenant" and can I be one?
In order to make management of a claim simple for both parties and clear for the landlord, only one tenant is able to take actions relating to the claim (for example, they are able to make new proposals to the landlord or accept their proposal). This tenant is the "lead tenant".
If there are multiple tenants, then the lead tenant is initially determined by who responds to the landlord's claim first. The lead tenant then acts as the representative for all tenants and, if uncertain, should discuss how to approach the claim with the other tenants.
If you decide that you would like to change the lead tenant, then please get in touch, by chat, phone, or email.
Why should I respond to the claim and/or provide evidence? (including if one of the other tenant's was responsible for the issue)
When the claim value is finalised, you will have to pay that amount. We only want you to have to pay what you genuinely should owe, but without hearing from you we don't know if the claim is reasonable or not. By responding to the claim, you will ensure that your view is heard and, therefore, that the outcome is fair.
You may feel that the issue relates to the actions of another tenant, but any amount due will be owed by all parties (you will be "joint and severally liable" - i.e. all tenants are responsible for the full amount until it is completely paid off). This is because you collectively signed the tenancy agreement and took joint responsibility for ensuring you did not breach it.
What is the claim process?
Please find information on the claims process here, while you can see a step-by-step guide on how to respond to a claim in the guidance here.