ReturnLah

Getting your deposit can be long and tiring

While some landlords return deposits promptly, here's what can happen when they don't

We simplify what we can

While we can't simplify the whole process, we can help you raise the odds of an early amicable settlement

Problem statement

Many renters find themselves in disputes with their landlords over the return of their security deposit.

Currently, the best route of action is through the Small Claims Tribunal, which specialises in low-value disputes for which civil trials may be inappropriate. However, the ~1500 annual SCT rental cases undershoots our own order-of-magnitude estimates for the number of disputes, suggesting that some tenants are failing to benefit from the process either by (i) choosing not to use the SCT or (ii) failing to initiate the SCT process.

Research and Approach

We spoke to ~15 profiles to understand why these disputes do not resolve amicably, the choices available to disputants, and what factors into their choices:

1. Tenants who refused to start the SCT process due to worries of complexity and legal consequences.

2. Tenants who successfully chased their landlord to retrieve their deposit, but regret the arduous process.

3. Tenants who gave up the retrieval of their rental deposit.

4. Tenants who completed the SCT process successfully and retrieved their deposit.

5. Landlords who have avoided disputes successfully for years.

6. Landlords who initiated disputes with their tenants.

7. Representative from the SCT on their existing processes.

8. Policeman with experience handling escalations between tenants and landlords.

Solution attempted

We focus on the pre-SCT escalation process, which tenants find emotionally draining. Based on user interviews, barring the most hardened individuals, most landlords tend to agree to settlement as long the tenant demonstrates a seriousness in intent and clearly states their demand terms.

We find that, despite the effectiveness of this technique, tenants may not have the bandwidth to craft a sound letter of demand.

Outcomes and Impact

40 users tried the prototype and gave feedback. No actual impact was landed.