I kid you not, I could almost have written this myself. Nearly identical situation & Canadian, too!
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No way, BasilPlant! Incredible coincidences! I hope you are in a stable rental with a good landlord!
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Thatās really kind, thank you 
We actually have the most wonderful landlord and love our house, but theyāve decided to sell. Unfortunately, this decision coincides with my visa renewal, which will completely diminish our savings. Weāve been looking non-stop since receiving the bad news, but not getting anywhere and I fear thereās a reasonable chance we may be facing homelessness.
Heartbroken and scared, to say the least.
If anyone here might be able to offer advice Iād be very grateful!
Iāve already tried putting our name down for housing, but it seems they wonāt help until youāre actually homeless. I hate to think of it coming to that, especially with a young child.
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Oh BasilPlant sorry to hear about your situation! I definitely know how you feel. It might be wise to create a post about your situation, budget, number of rooms and area you are looking at for a property. Visa renewals are extremely expensive and moving is, too. I wholeheartedly feel for you. I donāt know what advice to offer but am surprised that the council housing is even an option as it wasnāt whilst I was on a visa. Now I have full leave to remain it might be, but I havenāt had a reason to look. Things will work out for you, they just have to. Thinking of you!
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Your response and kindness are both appreciated, thank you!
Iām trying to remain hopeful; weāre doing everything we possibly can, so weāll just have to see what happens.
Re: housing, no one has been able to give me a clear answer. My partner and our daughter are both British citizens, so if need be heād be able to apply, but in terms of whether or not theyād allow me to stay at the same property, no one Iāve spoken with has been able to give a definitive answer and itās maddening.
Somethingās got to give 
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I think youād be able to stay but the funds wouldnāt be given for 3, but 2 maybe (your partner and daughter)? Iād have to research. If youāre doing all you can - it will work out somehow, I have faith.
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Iām going to do some more digging around and try phoning them again. Just want to cover all of our bases and hoped it mightāve helped to take preventative measures. This is all very new to me.
Thank you, again! 
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You sound like great tenants that any landlord would be happy to have. My advice is to always have open communication direct with the landlord (bypassing the agent) if possible.
In your case I think it would have been cheaper to leave it with the minor repairs you did right after the damage and have the deposit cover anything further if the landlord does not think the repairs were sufficient, keeping in mind you can also challenge the claim such that it is reasonable - make sure you have everything well documented. But good on you for going above and beyond.
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Thanks Surgi. I should have done as you said. The landlady and agent donāt care what we did, they are demanding Ā£900 from my deposit. Iām in dispute with them currently and am absolutely gutted. I have another post about it. Iām going to have to let it go to arbitration as they wonāt budge on demands for replacement cost, and are being very unreasonable.
I hadnāt viewed this post before, but reading today, was curious of the outcome, and sadly this hasnāt come as a surprise.
At this stage, you should dispute via the deposit scheme, and presumably you have all the communication you made with the agent, whilst seeking to confirm their wishes.
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Thank you Karl. I have raised a dispute with TDS and have all communications and evidence. I just want a fair outcome, hardly seems fair she wants me to pay replacement cost and didnāt show me any proof of her costs, such as invoices or even quotes.
Nichole, you should be aware that there is no requirement for the landlord to go ahead with the work for their claim to be valid. What you are compensating them for is the loss in value of the items damaged. As you say, this is not the replacement cost and if repairs or installation is being claimed, the landlord would have to show quotes to justify the claim. All you have to do is decline any deductions you think are unreasonable and let the landlord prove his case to the deposit scheme. The schemes are very adept at picking up over-charging.
Thank you for your input. I take it on board. Iāll update this post when there is a final outcome from TDS.
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