14/01/2009 - South East tops tenant dispute poll
More disputes have occurred between tenants and landlords in the South East of England than anywhere else in the country.
According to The Deposit Protection Service (DPS), 40% of disputes it has received reports about occur in that region.
It found that 52% of these problems were a result of property damage, 36% were down to cleaning issues, and the rest were garden related.
The second highest area for disputes was the North East with 15%, closely followed by the South West, 12%, and the North West and West Midlands both with 11%.
In terms of cities London came out worse, followed by Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and York - all which have large student populations.
Kevin Firth, director of The DPS, said: "Exasperated landlords have sent us all sorts of complaints about tenants - from vomit on the carpets to carpets vanishing completely.
"One landlord discovered that his property was being used as a brothel, while we have had several unsuspecting landlords whose properties have been transformed into cannabis factories.
"The introduction of a dispute resolution service has been one of the real successes of the Government's tenancy deposit legislation - ensuring that these differences are sorted out fairly."
Copyright © Press Association 2009
Related links
|
