Case studies

How Casebriar handles the complaints agencies see most.

Four common complaints, taken through Casebriar issue by issue: what was claimed, what the law says, which records settled it, and what the reply did.

These are worked examples, not customer stories. They're based on the complaint types letting agents see most, with details invented for illustration; no real tenant, agency or property is described. We'll publish case studies from pilot agencies here once they've agreed to it. Want yours to be one?

Repairs & condition

“Still no heating”: a broken boiler, damp, and a demand for a rent reduction

Property: Two-bed flat, assured shorthold tenancy
Complaint: One email, three issues
Outcome: Two decided, one waiting on an inspection

The tenant writes that the boiler has been broken for three weeks, damp is spreading across the bedroom wall, and they've read that the agency is legally required to reduce the rent until it's fixed.

What Casebriar found

Repair delay: boilerVerifiedLandlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.11: keeping installations for space heating and heating water in repair.
Damp in the bedroomNeeds evidenceLandlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.9A (fitness for human habitation): depends on the cause and severity, so records matter.
Automatic rent reductionNot establishedNothing in the legislation checked provides for an automatic reduction. The reply doesn't repeat the claim, or tell the tenant they're wrong.

Records that settled it

Date the fault was first reported; engineer visits and the part on order; the last inspection report and any damp survey.

Decisions and reply

Repairs: upheld, because the delay was too long, with a date for the repair. Damp: need more information, with a surveyor booked. Rent: addressed through the repair and the complaint outcome rather than as a legal entitlement.

Money & charges

“My deposit wasn't protected, so you owe me three times it”

Property: House share, one tenant complaining
Complaint: A claim about deposit protection
Outcome: Not upheld, explained from the records

Near the end of the tenancy, the tenant says the deposit was never protected and that the agency must therefore pay them three times its value.

What Casebriar found

Deposit protection within 30 daysVerifiedHousing Act 2004, s.213: the deposit must be protected, and the prescribed information given, within 30 days of receipt.
“You owe me three times the deposit”Needs evidenceHousing Act 2004, s.214: where the rules weren't met, a court must order between one and three times the deposit on the tenant's application. It isn't automatic: it needs a claim, and it depends on the facts.

Records that settled it

The date the deposit was received; the scheme's protection certificate; the prescribed information and proof it was sent.

Decisions and reply

The certificate shows the deposit was protected, and the prescribed information sent, within the 30 days. Not upheld: the reply sets out the dates and the scheme reference, without telling the tenant they misunderstood the law.

Money & charges

“Why was I charged to renew my tenancy?”

Property: One-bed flat, tenancy renewed this year
Complaint: A renewal fee on the tenant's statement
Outcome: Upheld, with a refund

The tenant queries a renewal fee added when their tenancy was extended, and asks whether the agency was allowed to charge it.

What Casebriar found

Prohibited paymentVerifiedTenant Fees Act 2019, s.2: a letting agent must not require a prohibited payment, which includes a renewal fee, in connection with a tenancy the Act covers.

Records that settled it

The tenancy start and renewal dates; the invoice and payment record; the terms of business in force at the time.

Decisions and reply

Upheld. The reply apologises, confirms the refund and the date it will arrive, and explains the change made so it doesn't happen again.

Conduct & handling

“Who is my landlord? And they've threatened to change the locks”

Property: Flat let on behalf of an overseas landlord
Complaint: Landlord details, and a harassment allegation
Outcome: Details provided; allegation escalated

The tenant asks for the landlord's name and address, and says the landlord has told them the locks will be changed if they don't leave.

What Casebriar found

Landlord's identityVerifiedLandlord and Tenant Act 1985, s.1: on a written request, the landlord's name and address must be provided within 21 days.
Address for serviceVerifiedLandlord and Tenant Act 1987, s.48: the landlord must give an address in England and Wales where notices can be served.
Threat to change the locksNeeds evidenceProtection from Eviction Act 1977, s.1: unlawful eviction and harassment are offences. Serious, and not something to decide from an email.

Records that settled it

The landlord's details and address for service on file; any messages between landlord and tenant; the tenancy agreement.

Decisions and reply

Landlord details: upheld, with the name and address for service provided. The lock-change allegation: escalated to the landlord and, where needed, a solicitor. The reply says so and gives the tenant a date for an update.

Law as it applies in England. These examples explain how Casebriar works; they aren't legal advice about any particular situation.

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