From my own experience,
most landlords and estate agents will just try it on and keep part of your deposit on the assumption that you won't fight back. There are three important things to remember:

1. They're not legally allowed to take any part of your deposit without warning you first.
2. Strictly speaking, I don't think they're allowed to take it out of your deposit - I think they're supposed to give back the whole deposit and then send you invoices for any cleaning or repairs they think need doing
3. If you write a suitably outraged letter, they will, more often than not, realise they've been caught out and sheepishly give the rest back.

Well, it worked the last time the bastards tried to take £400 off my flatmates and I for "cleaning..."
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:28, 1 reply, 16 years ago)

I think you're right
So long as you haven't set fire to the living room or anything else that drastic then they should give you a bloody good reason for taking your money.

Fingers crossed they won't try and take anything from us this time around!?!
(Flim-Flam the Magnificent "You is talking loco and I like it!", Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:31, Reply)

These days they aren't even allowed to take your deposit and earn interest on it
it should sit in an escrow(sp?) account and in the even of a disagreement between you and the landlord regarding damage etc there is an independant adjudication thing now.
(Bazongaloid, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:34, Reply)

Fingers, toes and testicles crossed on your behalf
Because although it doesn't normally take too many shouty letters to make them give it back, it's one additional headache that you really don't need when you're trying to move.

(e.g., when they replied to my email to explain that they'd taken a chunk off our deposit, I had to go and have a walk round the department for half an hour or so and then sit down with a cup of tea before I was sufficiently composed to write a suitably British email of complaint perfumed with sulphur and brimstone. Got a sheepish reply within an hour and half_{; just as well, as if he'd argued back I'd have gone and bought a HONDA ACCORD specially so I could drive it through the plate glass front of his office and pin him against the wall! And hit him! More than once! GRRRR!)}
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:37, Reply)

Hehehe
Thank you muchly, hopefully we'll be fine and dandy. They tried to get us last time because we didn't clean the fridge, doesn't matter that the rest of the flat was gleaming and when we moved in the fridge contained very very dead orange juice, half a pizza and smelt of salami. Bloody bum heads!

I am pleased that you didn't have to whip out the HONDA ACCORD OF JUSTICE!! :)
(Flim-Flam the Magnificent "You is talking loco and I like it!", Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:46, Reply)

Cleaning is always the most contentious
as the average decent tenant leaves the place in a better state than that in which they found it. "Professionally cleaned," my arse, in many cases.

How rude of me, I never answered your original question: I'm currently obsessed with David Gilmour's Live in Gdansk album. A bit of classic atmospheric prog rock with absolutely glorious guitar playing. Certainly helping to distract from this morning's tedium.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 12:11, Reply)

If you moved in within the last couple of years,
you'll be under the protected deposit scheme which is all of the good, and takes away most of their opportunity to rip you off. In my last place I had the worst landlord ever, but just mentioning that I was aware this thing existed had a cheque in the post immediately.

www.direct.gov.uk/en/TenancyDeposit/DG_066373
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:39, Reply)

Ooooh
Clever! Thanks for that, I might print off a copy and just leave it around the house when they come for an inspection. I've already told them I work for a 'law firm' to shit them up... doesn't really matter that they don't deal with the relevant sort of law. Mwahaha!
(Flim-Flam the Magnificent "You is talking loco and I like it!", Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:44, Reply)

My favourite bit is that, if they haven't protected your deposit like they're supposed to,
they have to give you triple the amount to say sorry. Muhahahahahah.
(wellgroomedwookiee is a filthy-minded hobgoblin, Mon 19 Oct 2009, 11:49, Reply)