Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many disputes have been filed through an accredited tenancy deposit scheme and withdrawn before a final decision was made in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis

The number of disputed cases filed but withdrawn by each of the three authorised tenancy deposit schemes in the last five years is set out in the tables below.

Number of cases withdrawn before adjudication by approved scheme

2010/11(1) 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

MyDeposits (2)

177 1,012 1,324 1,626 1,728

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Deposit Protection Service (3)

1,049 (4) 1,945 1,888 2,489 2,464

The Dispute Service

832 1,186 1,810 2,140 2,075

(1) From 24 November 2010

(2) Figures include cases where tenants have raised a dispute but scheme has been unable to contact them for further information.

(3) Figures include cases where (i) both parties have reached agreement (ii) notification given that the case is going to court (iii) one party has not submitted any evidence within the required timescale which has resulted in the disputed amount being paid to the other party and (iv) other reasons.

(4) From June to December 2011

The upward trend in the number of cases withdrawn before adjudication is a result of the successful use of mediation services by the schemes before the formal adjudication process begins and the detailed guidance and advice provided to both landlords and tenants by the schemes to help avoid disputes.