The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) has warned students renting accommodation that they must act now to ensure that their deposits will be returned at the end of their tenancies after figures revealed they are almost twice as likely as other tenants to face deductions.
The DPS’s records show that fewer than one in three students (27.54%) receive 90% or more of their deposit at the end of tenancies compared to around almost six in ten tenants nationally (57.06%).
Julian Foster, managing director of the DPS, said: “Students must be aware of their responsibilities as tenants and act accordingly throughout their tenancy – or risk losing money when they move out.
“As well as asking their landlord to confirm where their deposit is protected, taking simple steps such as checking household inventories and communicating regularly with landlords can help ensure that deposits are returned in full.
“Deposit protection means both landlords and tenants can have peace of mind that the money is safe – and that there is a free, impartial adjudication service if the tenancy ends in a dispute.”
The DPS has created a video aimed at students, highlighting the risks if they do not take steps to reduce the risk of losing their deposits.
The need to clean the property after it has been vacated is the most common cause of deductions to tenancy deposits among students (32%), followed by repairs (27%), redecoration (20%) and the replacement of lost or damaged items (19%).