So over 2 months and no security deposit back

They still have to do gas safety checks though don't they?

Yes, Liz, they most certainly do.  GSIUR 1998 is applies to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Thanks everyone. I will definitely investigate further!

If you had a gas supply in your property during your tenancy, he is obliged to have gas safety checks done on the appliances he owns.  Appliances are defined not only as boilers, cookers, gas fires, etc, but also gas pipework.  He is also obliged to provide you with a copy of current the Landlords Gas Safety Record within 28 days of moving in and those checks must be done every year.  Additionally, he is legally required to keep copies of the last two year's Records.

If he is giving you problems over a gas boiler and he didn't do the checks, you have some leverage by threatening him with the Health & Safety Executive as the fines can run into the thousands.

If he is giving you problems over a gas boiler and he didn't do the checks, you have some leverage by threatening him with the Health & Safety Executive as the fines can run into the thousands.

Thanks. Definitely have some more fodder  

Uggh. I don't need this on top of everything else!

Not to mention, he has tenants in there already, right? So how can he prove the boiler went bad while you were in there? Regardless, it shouldn't be your responsibility to fix it!

This!  That was one of our big points in our recent debacle with our last landlord.  We hadn't had control of the apartment in 3 weeks and "problems" were cropping up.

Well he is a registered landlord, just checked the list.

How can I report him to HSE?

I reported a previous landlord to HSE for the same thing. I think I just sent them an email. If you look on the hse website it tells you what to do. They got onto it very quickly. (In our case, it turned out they had done the gas inspection but had never informed us).

I reported a previous landlord to HSE for the same thing. I think I just sent them an email. If you look on the hse website it tells you what to do. They got onto it very quickly. (In our case, it turned out they had done the gas inspection but had never informed us).

Thanks! 

So this jerk sends me an email saying "he's being perfectly reasonable and not charging me for other issues, so this is a fair settlement" 
Ugggh.  I don't think so. Down to the CAB I go. HSE next.  Screw this crap.  I am not getting jerked around like this. 

Definitely don't back down!  He's clearly hoping you'll just roll over and let it drop...just wait until he gets court papers, hehehe.

Stick to your guns!!! I would also  not reply to his email until you've spoken to someone at CAB or Shelter.

Well the earliest I can get an in person appointment at the CAB is on the afternoon of the 18th Sept.  I was hoping to threaten him sooner!

Yes they are usually very booked up. Try sending an email query to Shelter, they are very quick at replying. I emailed them about a problem with our landlord when we were in Inverness and they replied within a few days.

So an update!

I wrote a very long letter in legal speak to my landlord, about why things weren't justified and also to show me the receipts for his work- he was really pissed off at me, because we had previously been very cordial.

He wrote me an email trying to be nice again, but still not justifying any of my claims against him, just reiterating what he said before.

I went away on holiday and had absolutely no chance to write a response to him.  

I have now gotten a letter which was really cheeky and rude with a cheque for my whole deposit back.  He closed it along the lines of "I'll leave it up to you if your concious allows you to deposit the whole thing"

Yes, my concious does allow, thank you.  

So on one hand, I am quite chuffed that he's given me all £650 back, but on the other hand, I am upset that I have made someone pissed off at me.  Still, not upset enough to not take my whole deposit back!  I will write him a thank you letter and say no more!  

What a pr*ck. If he felt he had any grounds whatsoever for keeping your deposit, he would have done so. The fact that he returned it means that the only conscience with any problem at all is his.

I'm glad you got your money back and also doubly glad you don't have to deal with him anymore!