Dear Ugorji, I’d like to apologise for the delay in resolving your end of tenancy case, we appreciate that this could have been resolved more efficiently Our platform provides the ability for tenants and landlords to negotiate end of tenancy charges directly so all parties can agree on the final amount owed. In this case the negotiation was successful with agreement between you and the tenants for total charges of £5,250 (with £3,500 of this being rent arrears). Having become aware that you also had rent and legal protection, we made enquiries to find out how much of the arrears your insurer had already covered and as this amount exceeded the agreed owed rent arrears on the case, you were informed that the case would progress with flatfair only for the remaining damages charge. We are aware that in fact you submitted the charges incorrectly (not including the full amount owed by the tenants, but instead submitting the amount unpaid by your insurer) and you also accepted a reduced figure through negotiation with the tenant. We also note that you submitted the charges outside the 28 day deadline from when the tenancy ended. When an insurer is involved, we treat the case the same way as it would work if a deposit was involved (in terms of the invoice amount for the tenant and therefore the amount that we’ll attempt to collect on your behalf). If a deposit was involved, this would be retained and any arrears beyond this would be picked up by the insurer. We have generously opted to give you the best possible outcome from the scenario above. We have opted to ignore the late submission of the charges and also ignore the submission error, meaning we will take collection responsibility for and send you a landlord offer for debt purchase of 5 week’s worth of rent (£2019.25) replicating the outcome if you had held a 5 week deposit. You should receive this offer by the early part of next week and if signed promptly, you should receive the amount quoted by the end of the week. If you have any further questions, please reach out to us via endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk Best wishes, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Hi Morgan, Thank you for your feedback. Here at flatfair, we're a neutral party that provides a platform for tenants and landlords to negotiate end of tenancy charges. If you are not able to agree, our adjudication process will ensure that a final decision is made based on the evidence provided by all parties and in line with tenancy law. I haven't been able to locate your specific case but if it's currently in the adjudication process, you can expect that the outcome will be fair and a detailed report will be provided, detailing the considerations that were made, as well as the outcome. If you have any further questions, reach out to us via endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk Best wishes, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Hi James, Thank you for your feedback. It's important to note that flatfair is a neutral party facilitating a process for tenants to negotiate end of tenancy charges with their landlord and these charges are brought forward by the landlord, not flatfair. The landlord has brought forward a £165 charge for cleaning. Tenants are required to restore cleanliness to same standard as at the start of the tenancy and the key evidence as to the condition of cleanliness at the tenancy start, is the check-in report which was signed by all relevant parties. As there was no agreement on the charges, the case was settled by adjudication. The adjudicator examined the photos and commentary in the check-in report as well as doing the same for the check-out report with the conclusion that there was a deterioration in cleanliness. The final award to the landlord of £60 reflected that the deterioration was not significant enough to justify the original £165 and this has been detailed in the adjudication report which was sent to all parties involved. I hope the above is understandable, if you do have any further questions you can reach out to us via endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk Best wishes, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Hi Emma Jade, Thank you for getting in touch and for taking the time to explain your concerns in so much detail. I’m really sorry to hear how upsetting this experience has been for you – I appreciate this was your first property and that the outcome has left you feeling very disappointed and frustrated. At flatfair, end of tenancy charges which aren't successfully negotiated can then be finalised via the adjudication process which is completely impartial. The adjudicator reviews the check-in and check-out reports alongside any evidence provided by both the landlord/agent and the tenant (such as photos, emails and other documents), and then makes a decision based on that information and legal frameworks. I understand you feel that the evidence you provided, particularly your time-stamped photos and email correspondence about the condition of the property, was not properly taken into account. So that we can look into your specific case in more detail, please contact our end of tenancy team at endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk with your full name, property address and any relevant flatfair reference numbers. We’ll then be able to review the adjudication and give feedback on the particulars of your case. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Hi Tom, I'm sorry to hear of this delay. When a tenancy appears to have ended according to our records, flatfair are proactive in reaching out to managing agents to confirm that the tenancy has indeed come to an end. If no confirmation is provided, we'll close the plan on our system based on the information we hold. If you could reach out to us via endoftenancy@flatfair.co.uk from your registered email address, we can locate your specific plan and advise exactly what could have created the delay. I look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Dear Sharon, I'm sorry to hear that you were disappointed with our service. Here at flatfair, we are committed to making sure that only fair charges are established through the negotiation process. As there was no agreement via the negotiation process between yourself and the managing agent (on the landlord's behalf), the case was sent to adjudication for a final decision. The adjudicator reviewed every charge in detail against all of the evidence provided by the parties involved whilst also applying tenancy law appropriately in order to make the final decisions. Having now reviewed the detail of the case along with the detailed and clear report provided to you by the adjudicator, I can't identify an error with the outcome. Though attempts were made to clean the property at the end of the tenancy, it's clear that the standard of cleanliness was significantly lower than at the start of the tenancy. Also, even with fair wear and tear considered, the garden wasn't returned at the level of maintenance required. I know that this was not the outcome you were looking for, but I'm absolutely confident that we've acheived our goal of a fair outcome. Best regards, Damola Head of Customer Operations

Dear Vida, Thank you for your feedback. We offer the opportunity for tenants to pay a much smaller fee than the 5 week cash deposit, and although this fee is non-refundable, for many tenants it's a better option than having 5 weeks rent of cash locked away. We have numerous positive reviews from tenants here and on Trustpilot. This recent review on Trustpilot gives a flavour of the benefits for tenants: "Great idea, especially with the cost of living crisis. This has really helped my family. The money we’ve saved will go towards hiring a removal van, some much needed new furniture and a takeaway on the night we move in!" Also tenants will have access to our end of tenancy platform where they can negotiate any charges directly with the agent/landlord. In most cases this negotiation is successful and if it's not, we have the adjudication process to fall back on, ensuring that there's a fair outcome. flatfair is a choice, we are here to give tenants the opportunity to choose what is best for them, whether that's our deposit alternative service or the 5 week cash deposit and the regularity with which tenants choose the deposit alternative, is a strong indication of the value our service provides. If you have any questions regarding our service, please reach out to us via support@flatfair.co.uk Best regards, flatfair team

Dear Dolly, We're sorry to hear of your experience with your landlord. … More

Dear Neelu, Thank you for setting out your concerns about the recent Flatfair adjudication. … More