Unprofessional check-out procedures and retroactive communication.
I became a tenant with DJ Alexander by default after they acquired my original letting agency, Margaret Duffus Leasings. Unfortunately, the move-out process has been characterized by significant administrative failures and a lack of clear communication, requiring a considerable expenditure of my own time to rectify.
After providing my 28-day notice, my official tenancy end date was set for May 15th. I informed the agency I would be vacating early on April 22nd, and I formally handed my keys back on April 28th. This early handover was done as a gesture of goodwill to allow them to begin property viewings and administrative work ahead of schedule. The property was left in a clean and tidy condition.
Instead of conducting a timely inspection upon receiving the keys, the agency delayed the check-out process by several weeks. They subsequently proposed a £160 deduction from my deposit for "cleaning," attempting to charge me for light atmospheric dust that had naturally settled in an empty flat. When I formally challenged this—which they attempted to justify by referencing two pages of photos of this dust—I was suddenly informed that I could have returned to collect my keys at any time before May 15th to maintain the property. At no point during the key handover or in the weeks prior to the dispute was this option communicated to me; it was only stated retroactively as an excuse to justify the deduction.
This disorganization has also extended to external administration. I recently discovered that my utility accounts were improperly managed post-handover, leaving me facing three months of utility bills for a period after I had vacated and returned the keys.
The dispute regarding the deposit is currently undergoing formal arbitration through MyDeposits Scotland. The delayed inspections, retroactive policy justifications, and subsequent billing issues have made this an unnecessarily stressful process. I strongly advise prospective tenants to document everything and exercise extreme caution when dealing with this agency's check-out procedures.
Reply from DJ Alexander
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
We’re sorry to hear about your experience. We always aim to deliver the highest standard of service, and we take feedback like this very seriously.
So we can look into this properly, please contact our Customer Service Team at customerservice@djalexander.co.uk who will be able to assist you further.
You can also find details of our formal complaints procedure on our website.
Thank you again for raising this with us.