Adjusting deposit against last month's rent?

I am living in a rented property in London, UK for past 2 years. All this time, my rent is paid punctually on the 1st of each month.





However I doubt the intentions of my Landlord on payment of my security deposit. He has not paid the Property Agent's commission and has been quite fussy with me about payment related matters.





Our Rent Agreement expired last month and has not been renewed. So technically I am living without a contract. Now that I have served my notice for termination, he has come up with points that, if I remedy, will take away my entire deposit.





Considering these factors and that I don't have a living Agreement, I am considering;





(a) Adjusting reasonable (say 50%) of the deposit against last month's rent. Explaining that the cost of cleaning can't be more than the retained amount. Or


(b) Adjusting entire deposit towards last month's rent





What are my rights? and what are his rights if I do any of the above 2 options? Can he evict me?|||It's against the law for you to withhold the last month's rent against the deposit, but...





...actually there's nothing he can do about it. He's not allowed to harass you. If he did so he'd be committing a criminal offense and you could and should call the police immediately. He can instigate eviction proceedings against you, but realistically this takes 6-10 months, by which time you'd be long gone and you'd be square by then. A court would look unfavourably upon him if he continued with the case after you were square.





Contact the Citizens' Advice Bureau to discuss this more fully.