Dear Mr George,

The process of returning deposits is not a simple one. Most houses
are left in a great condition and if there are any deductions for breakage etc they
can usually be agreed without need for arbitration. However, if we return deposits
without comparing our check in inventory and condition report with its check out
counterpart then we are held to task by our client landlord. The process we use
is transparent and works well. As you were not a tenant of ours, we have not explained
this to you but the deposits are protected by a government approved agency and in our
case this is MyDeposits. We agree for them to arbitrate any disputes and we agree
to abide by any decision that they come to. The money is held in a client account
allocated to the tenant. If a disputed amount is raised with MyDeposits then that disputed amount is sent to MyDeposits to hold until the case is resolved., the undisputed balance is then refunded to the tenants. We cannot touch client money, we cannot use it to pay rent, we get no interest on it and most of all we cannot use
it as an interest free loan to support cash flow.

If we arrive at the situation where we cannot agree a settlement
with our tenants, it is usually due to the fact that they disagree with our independent 50 page
check in and check out reports. Unless these reports exist, we would be left to negotiate a decision based on memories
or second hand reports that are by this time over a year old.

At this point we suggest using the arbitration service. We pay
the deposits to my MyDeposits and submit our evidence and the tenants are invited
to do the same. It is a non-confrontational and entirely free service that we actively
encourage our tenants to use to sort out a dispute. You suggest that tenants take
hundreds of photos at the beginning of the tenancy - we absolutely agree, we do
and we also do so at the end of the tenancy and see no reason that the tenants don't do
the same. We also actively encourage all tenants to report any instances when something becomes
broken or dysfunctional so that we repair it or replace it. Our aim is always to ensure as best we can that the tenant is happy in their home and that all or any repairs issues are dealt with in a timely manner.

We share the move in inventory with the tenants when they initially collect keys and ask them to check over th property carefully before signing it off. We also direct them to our "Guide to Living with Billfreehomes" which we believe to be a good overview on many aspects of the tenancy and the house which they will be living in.

We take some degree of exception to the word ruthless. We believe that we are thorough and we do always point out that there is a recourse to a complaints procedure and you can always make a complaint to the RICS or Property Ombudsman , which unlike this platform does require that you have a direct business relationship with us and some evidence.