Check out fee removed from deposit ?

[liquidsquirrel]

I've just signed the tenancy agreement for my new rental. Seemed to have a few hole but mainly above board.
They then handed me a checklist which states a few things, making me aware of details and so forth. At the bottom of this is a note to mention that upon leaving the property the agent will take £75 from my deposit as an admin fee to cover things such as informing the utilities and council of my vacation.

I have a feeling that they cannot do this as after all it's a deposit, secondly it's not part of the tenancy agreement but a supplemental couple of sheets.
I did sign it, however I crossed out that section on both mine and the agent's copies and they signed theirs which I hold.

I've already made the point that I wont be paying it, legally where do they and I stand ?

Reading other threads on the forum, if they were to go ahead and keep it I would have to sue the landlord as the agent is supposedly acting upon their behalf ?
I doubt the landlord even knows about it...

[Poppy35]

nothing they can do, if its not part of the contract that u have signed and you have crossed it out on both copies and they have signed both copies then fine.

btw - with regard to your last comment about the landlord not knowing about the £75 charge - why would they?

landlord does not need to know what agent charges tenant. Likewise tenant does not know what fees landlords are charged for the service provided.

[liquidsquirrel]

Oh yeah, I doubt they do know about it. It'd be likely to be a shock when the summons comes through the door and they ring the agent to ask WTF is going on ;)