Lots of terminology to deal with while renting or managing rented property? At SafeDeposits Scotland we work hard to make deposit protection the easiest part of the process. In this A-Z series we aim to put some of the key terminology, and other considerations, front and centre to help you along the way.

B is for Betterment

In cases where the landlord has claimed part of the deposit under damage to property or items, compensation should not put the landlord in a position where they have profited off of the deposit, such as being awarded for the replacement of an item with one of higher value, which would be considered betterment. The adjudicator would only be able to award an amount that is proportionate to the level of damage caused.

For example, consider a situation where someone has spilled red wine on a carpet. The stain is irremovable, and the check-in report has described the carpet as being “free from stains” when the tenant moved in. The landlord may now wish to replace the carpet with a new one and has therefore made a claim on the deposit for damage. An adjudicator, however, will not award the full replacement cost of the carpet, as it is only a small area of the carpet that has been affected, and it is overall still usable. Rather than the full cost, the adjudicator would instead award the landlord with an amount that is proportionate to the area affected by the stain.

In cases of betterment the adjudicator will take several criteria into account. They will consider the item’s quality both currently and at its time of purchase, as well as the expected lifespan of the item and how long it has actually lasted for. Other considerations the adjudicator may make include how damaged the item is and if it can still perform its intended purpose. Adjudicators will award based on a proportionate scale that takes these factors into account.

SafeDeposits Scotland is a government approved tenancy deposit scheme for Scotland, and is the only scheme based in Scotland. We hold the deposit during the tenancy and return to the tenant at the end of the tenancy when the landlord or letting agent has agreed to repayment. We also provide an impartial adjudication service for tenants and landlords if they can’t come to an agreement.