“It is a common problem with assured shorthold tenancies of a flat or a house. An unscrupulous landlord takes a deposit from a tenant and then, at the end of the tenancy, refuses to return the deposit on some largely trumped up basis. In effect the landlord challenges the tenant to sue him for return of the deposit. The sums involved are important to the tenant losing them, but in reality are so small that the time and money required to recover them through the Courts is disproportionate. The landlord gets a windfall.”
Hardwicke Chambers, 15th April 2013
Source: www.hardwicke.co.uk
