When your tenancy is renewed, we'll automatically notify the deposit scheme of any tenants who have been added to, or removed, from the tenancy. This means that your deposit record will automatically be updated. You can see where the deposit was protected via your OpenRent MyTenancy page.
Any monetary arrangements should aim to be resolved between the tenants themselves.
The next steps will be dependent on whether any tenants are being removed or added to the tenancy.
If a Former Tenant is Leaving and Being Replaced By a New Tenant:
In this instance, the tenant that is leaving will need to receive their share of the deposit back and the new incoming tenant will need to pay their share of the deposit. This can be handled most easily directly between the tenants themselves. If there are no deductions to be made, the incoming tenant can simply pay the amount directly to the outgoing tenant.
We recommend that the landlord orders a Check-Out report for any tenants that are leaving and also a new Inventory inspection before any new tenants move in. A new inventory at this point gives an accurate record of the state of the property when the new tenant moves in and helps reduce the risk of disputes at the end of the tenancy.
If it is necessary to make a deduction from the outgoing tenant’s deposit and all parties are in agreement, the outgoing tenant should pay the damages directly to the landlord. The incoming tenant can then pay the outgoing tenant’s share of the deposit to them to replace them on the deposit certificate.
If a Tenant Is Leaving the Tenancy and No New Tenant is being added:
The remaining tenants should make up the difference for the deposit and refund the departing tenant’s share.
As above, before releasing a tenant's deposit, we recommend that the landlord orders a Check Out Report to take account of any damage that has occurred during the tenancy period and makes any necessary deductions from the original deposit. Ordering a Check Out Report at this stage ensures that previous tenants cover their share of damage fairly.
If it is necessary to make a deduction from the outgoing tenant’s deposit and all parties are in agreement, the departing tenant should pay the damages directly to the landlord.
If a New Tenant Is Moving In And No Tenant Is Moving Out:
It is not possible to increase the deposit amount once a tenancy has been set up using our renewals service, so if a new tenant is moving into the property without any of the existing tenants moving out, they should pay a share of the deposit to each existing tenant. For example if a fourth tenant is added to a tenancy and the deposit is £1,200, the previous deposit would have been £400 each. The new tenant in this case can pay each existing tenant £100 so each tenant has paid £300 for the tenancy deposit in the new tenancy.
We still recommend that the landlord carries out a new Inventory. Having a new Inventory will identify any damage caused during the initial tenancy and help prevent disputed damages at a later point.