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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

New no deposit option designed to benefit landlords

Nick Dunning Associates is the latest letting agency to sign up to the Zero Deposit scheme, which offers a tenant’s deposit replacement product in the form of insurance, designed to reduce financial pressures on renters, while also offering greater security to landlords.

The deposit replacement scheme, launched earlier this year, allows tenants to acquire an insurance policy in lieu of a deposit.

Tenants signing up to the scheme will be required to pay the equivalent of one week’s rent for a Zero Deposit guarantee, a regulated financial product that offers the landlord effectively the same cover as a six-week tenancy deposit.

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Matthew Hewitt, commercial director at Nick Dunning Associates, said: “Zero Deposit’s offering will reduce the upfront cost of renting for tenants, which in London and the South East where rents are high, is a barrier to moving.

“With this method of deposit guarantee becoming increasingly popular, we wanted to partner with a reliable organisation to ensure we continue to provide tenants with an invaluable service, whilst also continuing to protect our landlords.”

Under the terms of the scheme, tenants remain accountable for any damage or unpaid rents, with any disputes over claims by the landlord handled by the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), which has an exclusive partnership with Zero Deposit.

The Zero Deposit product will be offered through Nick Dunning Associates Townends letting agency network in London and the Home Counties; expanding into the Stirling Ackroyd network in September.

Ben Harris, sales director at Zero Deposit, commented: “We are excited that market leading agencies Townends and Stirling Ackroyd will be providing their tenants and landlords with our product, which really does benefit both parties.”

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  • icon

    will it work ? i have my doubts, i'm going to opt for a bit extra on the rent to cover damage.

  • icon

    Effectively tenants are being charged a non returnable 1 week's extra rent because they don't think they can take sufficient care of other people's properly to ensure getting their full deposit back! Sorry but I prefer tenants who expect to take proper care of my flats and contents. So far, over 20 years and around 200 tenancies, while flats aren't handed back pristine, it's never seemed worth the effort in disputing refunding the deposit. Giving a good reference seems to be a better incentive than deductions from the deposits.

  • Rent Rebel

    Interesting – no mention of the £26 admin fee payable by tenants aswell, and the liability for landlord’s costs. Suggest everyone read this report by Generation Rent (March 2018) :

    http://www.generationrent.org/making_deposits_work_for_tenants

    “New “zero-deposit” schemes, which charge a non-refundable insurance premium in lieu of the full deposit are, by and large, more expensive than simply borrowing the money for the deposit. They’re set up to make money from tenants, when tenants should be making money from the system”

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    My Lettings Agent offers a No Deposit Option and advised that it is better for the landlord. It appears that the tenant has to pay a monthly charge for this Option and so too does the landlord.

    Then my last tenants decided to leave and I have been left with hundreds of pounds of dilapidations, including leaking pipes and a broken microwave. No problem, I thought, my Agent indemnifies me against any losses. NOPE! The Agent charged me for the full cost of making good and the ex-tenants wouldn't respond to Agent's correspondence.

    It's been over 3 months since they left and I have not seen one penny. The Agents say that the case must now go to arbitration and I have to abide by the result. Goodness only knows when that arbitration will take place.

    I have decided that in future I will only accept tenants whose deposit goes into the TDS (or similar) because this is utter BS and I having been paying the Agent to look after my interests and they clearly haven't.

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