'Legal helpers' AST omits provisions re deposit schemes

[nelliott009]

hello all. complete newbie so be nice:)

After moving in with my boyfriend I have decided to rent out my flat rather than sell. I have a tenant lined up and after reading the stuff on this site I decided that I would pay Legal helpers for an AST as although I could find a free copy of an old AST I couldn't find one with the new paras on the deposit protection scheme in it. So after a few people on here recommended getting a proper one drawn up I decided to bite the bullet and pay for one so it would have the right bits in without me having to look around for the right paras on the DPS.

So I paid £30 for a new AST from legal helpers (plus an extra £20 for the notices for them to leave if I decide to move back in or default on my mortgage) and ticked to say I would be taking a deposit. Now for £30 I have a total of 6 pages and no mention within the document of the DPS, just the old paras on a depost will be paid etc but a note that came with the AST recommending that I look at the DPS website for the wording I might need.

I think this is a rip-off - I expected for the correct paras to be in the document. Does anyone agree or am I expecting too much?!

[Poppy35]

Did you check it had the right info in it before you purchased it??? i.e was it advertised as stating it included the relevant information.

If not, then theres not a lot that can be done.

If you do a search on here you will find all the info you need to put into AST.

[Editor]

In fact Legalhelpers is a very professional firm run by expereinced lawyers - all agreements are produced manually.
In the many years they have been selling documents through LandlordZONE we had no more than one or two queries.
I will look into this for you and report back.

[nelliott009]

LegalHelpers was the link to an AST from the front page of this web site.

Under the AST dets it simply said 'From 6th April 2007, a new Tenancy Deposit scheme comes into force. It is extremely important that Landlords and Tenants are aware of the implications. Please see our Tenancy Deposit helpsheet for more information.' The help sheet details what the TDS is about. It doesn't specifically state it will include the correct para on TDS in the AST so I guess I don't have much come back.

I would have expected better from a link from this site though!

[palmere]

Dear Landlordzone

From the thread, I thought it would be prudent to reply to the recent queries regarding our Tenancy Agreements.

I should state that we have been working with Landlordzone for many years now and have not had many concerns about our documents in all these years.

To address the two main issues:

Firstly, 'only 6 pages to the agreement'. This is done deliberately, ensuring all the relevant information is in the agreement. Legalhelpers believes that the agreement should be in plain English containing only what is required, which can be understood by the Landlord and Tenant. There is simply no need for excessive legal jargon.

Secondly, 'no TDS clauses'. There are no required clauses for the agreement!!! Please see the helpsheet on our website for more information. This will also be confirmed by the Department for Communities and Local Government responsible for the scheme and the various scheme providers.

Therefore, I have to state I am a little surprised about the concerns from nelliot009, but hope the above clarifies matters.

Edward Palmer LL.B (Hons), LL.M (Distinction) Dip P.G.L.S
Director Legalhelpers Limited