Tenancy Deposit Dispute Letter

When you pay a deposit at the start of a tenancy, that money is still yours. The landlord is just looking after it. They have to do two things by law:

1. Put your deposit into one of three official schemes (DPS, mydeposits or TDS) within 30 days of taking it. 2. Tell you which scheme it is in, in writing, within the same 30 days.

If they fail to do either of these, you can take them to court. You can claim back the full deposit and also a separate amount on top, between 1 and 3 times what your deposit was. So a £1,500 deposit could mean a claim worth up to £6,000.

When you move out, the landlord cannot just keep your money. If they want to take some out for damage or cleaning, they have to prove it is fair. It is their job to prove it, not yours to prove they are wrong.

What you do next depends on whether your deposit was protected properly.

If your deposit was protected. Each scheme (DPS, mydeposits and TDS) has a free service for sorting out arguments. An independent person looks at the evidence from you and the landlord and decides who gets what. The deposit stays in the scheme while they decide. It usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. You do not pay anything.

If your deposit was not protected, or the landlord never told you which scheme it was in. You can take them to court. You claim back the full deposit and also between 1 and 3 times that amount on top. Most cases get an award of 1.5 to 2 times the deposit, on top of the deposit itself. You can do this online through Money Claim Online. It costs between £35 and £185 to start, and the landlord pays that back if you win.

A well-written letter often sorts the problem out before you have to do either of these things. Most landlords would rather pay up than face an official decision against them on the record.

This is where most arguments happen. The rule is simple. Your landlord can only take money out of your deposit for things you damaged or broke. They cannot take it for normal wear from living there.

What counts as normal wear and tear (cannot be charged): - Carpets looking a bit worn where people walked - Small marks on walls from where furniture sat - Hinges getting loose over time - Paint slightly faded near a window - A tap that drips - Doors that no longer close perfectly

These are all things that happen naturally when someone lives in a property. Landlords are not allowed to deduct for them.

What your landlord can charge for, with proof: - Actual damage (a burn in the carpet, a hole in the wall, a cracked window) - Items from the inventory that are missing - Cleaning, but only if you left the place dirtier than when you moved in - Unpaid rent or bills - A seriously neglected garden, if looking after it was your job under the contract

Professional cleaning is the most common rip-off. Many old tenancy contracts say the property must be "professionally cleaned" at the end. Since 2019, this rule is mostly not allowed. Landlords cannot force you to pay for a professional clean just because the contract says so. They can only charge for cleaning if you left the place in a worse state than when you moved in, and they have to show evidence.

The strongest evidence in any argument is: - A check-in inventory (the list of everything in the property, signed at the start) - Photos and videos from when you moved in and when you moved out - Your tenancy agreement - Messages between you and the landlord or letting agent

If there was no check-in inventory, the landlord cannot prove what the property looked like before you moved in. That makes it really hard for them to justify any deductions.

Most landlords back down once they receive a properly written letter. The letter names the right laws, lists every charge they have made, and gives them a clear deadline. That usually changes the conversation from "we are keeping your money" to "what will it take to settle this".

If the deadline passes and the landlord still refuses, your next step depends on whether your deposit was protected.

If your deposit was protected. Log into the website of the scheme that holds it (DPS, mydeposits or TDS). Start a dispute case. Upload your evidence: the letter you sent, the landlord's list of charges, photos, the inventory, any messages. The scheme contacts the landlord, gets their side, and an independent person decides. Most cases finish within 4 to 8 weeks. The decision is binding when both of you agree to use the service, which most landlords do.

If your deposit was not protected. The next step is the small claims court. You can start a case online through Money Claim Online. For most deposit claims (under £10,000), you do not need a lawyer. It is set up for normal people to use. You claim back the deposit and the extra money on top. If you win, the landlord also pays your court fees and you can claim interest.

If your deposit problem is part of a bigger argument (like an illegal eviction or the property being in bad condition), the step before court is usually a letter before action (/letter-before-action-uk). For deposit-only problems, the letter you send first usually does the same job.

We build your letter from your answers. It mentions the right laws, lists every charge the landlord has made, and changes automatically based on whether your deposit was protected or not. We print it and post it by Royal Mail from £1.99.

For high-value cases, the Royal Mail Tracked 24 upgrade at £9.99 gives you proof of delivery. That matters if the case ends up at the scheme's dispute service or court, because it stops the landlord from claiming they never received the letter.

If you already know what you want to write, you can upload a PDF and we will print and post it. If you want help working out what to say, our complaint letter generator (/complaint-letter-generator) walks you through the right questions for a deposit dispute.