Edinburgh tenants to protest outside DJ Alexander offices over claims of unfair charging

A protest is planned outside DJ Alexander's offices

The Evening News reported last week how disputes between tenants and landlords have nearly doubled in four years.

Now tenants’ union Living Rent Edinburgh is planning the demo outside DJ Alexander’s New Town offices amid allegations the firm and others are charging excessive end-of-lease fees.

But the firm’s bosses said they only charge for legitimate cleaning and damage while most tenants leave without disputing the fees.

Rory Maclean, of Living Rent Edinburgh, said: “This issue of extremely high cleaning fees is something we see across the board with letting agents.

“A lot of them have cleaning subsidiaries and are charging £300-£400. Part of the problem is that the deposit process can take three to four months.”

Deposits must be lodged with one of three protection schemes in Scotland but tenants’ groups believe the system is weighted towards landlords and letting agents.

“People are living pay cheque to pay cheque and have hundreds of pounds locked up in the scheme that they don’t have to put into another home,” said Mr Maclean.

Anastasia Potapova is in dispute with the firm

“People are giving up on the scheme – they don’t have the time or energy to go through it. It’s an advantage for letting agents because they can take it.”

Mr Maclean said tomorrow’s action is about tenants coming together in numbers to challenge the current system.

Recruiter Anastasia Potapova, 25, told last week how she is challenging DJ Alexander after they charged her £529 for cleaning and marks on doors of her Abbeyhill flat.

Her story prompted others to come forward. Mandy Forrest posted on Facebook: “I had the same with DJ Alexander’s. I spent 5hrs cleaning the flat I was in and I still never got deposit back. Flat was cleaner than when I moved in!”

And Emma Jamieson said: “They tried to charge me extra and retain deposit for damages left behind by their lack of maintenance.”

Kevin Fraser, Head of  Property Management at DJ Alexander, said: “If a tenant takes time to clean and rectify any damage caused to the property before they move out they will have their full deposit returned to them.

“However, if there are problems found in the property we will have to arrange for these issues to be addressed and the costs then met by the outgoing tenant.”

Mr Fraser backed the Safe Deposit Scotland scheme as fair to all parties and said last year more than 90 per cent of their clients left without disputing the proposed deductions.

Of the tenants who did dispute the proposed charges, SDS awarded less than ten percent of them in full to the tenant, he added.

“DJ Alexander use independent and in-house contractors to help us deliver the service we require to our clients,” said Mr Fraser.

“The pricing structure for these contractors is set at a level which is standard in the industry and the depository scheme.”