Holding Deposit Refused Despite Missed Deadlines â Avoid Getting a Tenancy With Them!
I paid a £183 holding deposit for a tenancy with Sure Property Burton and followed every step required of me. Unfortunately, the experience has been extremely poor, and I believe it is important to share the full timeline so others understand how this company handles holding deposits.
My actions (all documented):
â Requested the refund politely
â Explained the legal basis under the Tenant Fees Act 2019
â Provided evidence of missed deadlines and lack of communication
â Repeated the request when no progress was made
â Sent a reminder after more than a week
â Notified Trading Standards
â Notified the Property Ombudsman
â Gave them time to respond
â Gave them multiple chances to resolve the issue
â Received a final refusal
I also completed all referencing promptly, completed Right to Rent checks immediately, provided all documents without delay, and received a systemâgenerated message from Canopy confirming referencing was fully completed on 3 July. No contract or update was provided between 3â6 July.
Their actions (also documented):
â Missed the stated maintenance deadline (30 June)
â Missed the provisional moveâin date (2 July)
â Provided no updates or contract after referencing was completed
â Ignored the Canopy confirmation that referencing was completed on 3 July
â Repeatedly insisted referencing was only completed on 6 July
â Ignored my legal arguments
â Ignored the Tenant Fees Act requirements
â Ignored Trading Standards involvement
â Ignored the Property Ombudsman involvement
â Repeated their refusal to refund
â Refused to reconsider
â Provided a final position: no refund
Important additional detail:
After I requested the refund, the agent suddenly proposed a new moveâin date of 9 July 2026, despite the missed deadlines and lack of communication. I did not confirm or agree to this date.
Yet on 7 July 2026, they changed the propertyâs status on their website from âLet Agreedâ to âTo Letâ â while still refusing to refund the holding deposit.
This change is documented with a screenshot.
This means they were advertising the property again while still retaining my holding deposit, even though no tenancy agreement had been signed and I had already requested a refund.
Conclusion:
Despite the missed deadlines, lack of communication, contradictory information, and failure to progress the tenancy after referencing was completed, the agent has refused to return the holding deposit.
I have now escalated the matter formally to Trading Standards and the Property Ombudsman.
Avoid getting a tenancy with them.








