Tenancy Deposit Dispute Calculator UK 2026 — Challenge Unfair Deductions
Landlords can only make deductions from your deposit for specific, reasonable, and evidenced costs. If you disagree with deductions, you can dispute them for free through the deposit protection scheme’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. If your deposit was never protected, you can claim 1–3 times the deposit amount as a penalty. This calculator works out your options.
Deposit protection: landlord must protect within 30 days and provide prescribed information. Failure: 1–3x deposit penalty claimable in county court. ADR: free through the scheme, decision within 28 days. Deposits capped at 5 weeks’ rent (or 6 weeks for rent over £50,000/year) since June 2019. Time limit for unprotected deposit claim: during tenancy or within 3 months of end.
What Landlords Can and Cannot Deduct
| Landlord CAN deduct for | Landlord CANNOT deduct for |
|---|---|
| Unpaid rent | Fair wear and tear |
| Damage beyond fair wear and tear | Pre-existing damage (not in inventory) |
| Professional cleaning if property left dirty | Normal deterioration of old items |
| Missing items from inventory | Betterment (replacing old with new without allowance) |
| Replacement of broken items (with age deduction) | Costs not evidenced with receipts or quotes |
| Garden not maintained to move-in standard | Costs for work not actually carried out |
The ADR Process — How to Win
The ADR adjudicator decides based on evidence. To win your dispute:
- Submit your check-in and check-out inventory and photos showing condition at both dates
- Point to discrepancies between check-in and check-out that were the landlord’s fault or pre-existing
- Argue fair wear and tear for any deterioration consistent with the length and nature of the tenancy
- Challenge any deduction not supported by receipts, quotes, or proper evidence
- Challenge any deduction for betterment (e.g. replacing a 5-year-old carpet with a brand-new one and charging the full cost)
Deposit Cap Rules (Since June 2019)
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, deposits are capped at:
- 5 weeks’ rent for properties with annual rent under £50,000
- 6 weeks’ rent for properties with annual rent of £50,000 or more
If your landlord took a deposit above the cap, the excess must be returned. Taking an uncapped deposit is a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act and can be challenged through Trading Standards.
What Counts as Fair Wear and Tear
One of the most common sources of dispute is the distinction between damage (which a landlord can charge for) and fair wear and tear (which they cannot). Fair wear and tear covers the ordinary, gradual deterioration that happens simply from a property being lived in normally over the length of a tenancy — things like slightly faded curtains from sunlight, worn patches in carpet from regular footfall, small nail holes from hanging pictures, or scuff marks on walls from everyday use. Genuine damage covers things beyond this ordinary use — burns or stains on carpet, holes punched in doors, broken fixtures, or significant unauthorised alterations. Adjudicators expect landlords to factor the length of the tenancy and the age/condition of items at check-in into their assessment — a five-year-old carpet showing wear after a three-year tenancy is very different from a brand-new carpet stained within the first few months, and the amount a landlord can fairly deduct should reflect the item's remaining useful life, not its full replacement cost.
Preparing Evidence Before You Move Out
The strength of your position in any deposit dispute depends heavily on evidence gathered before problems arise — ideally starting with a detailed, dated check-in inventory comparing the property's condition against a similarly detailed check-out inventory. If your landlord didn't provide a proper check-in inventory, take your own thorough photos and, ideally, video walkthrough on the day you move in, and again on the day you move out, capturing timestamps where possible. Keep copies of all correspondence with your landlord throughout the tenancy, particularly anything reporting disrepair or requesting permission for changes, since a landlord cannot fairly deduct for damage they were told about and failed to address themselves. This evidence becomes essential if a dispute reaches formal ADR, since adjudicators decide based on the paper trail submitted, not on verbal accounts of what happened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do not simply accept a full deposit retention. Write to the landlord formally disputing the deductions and asking for itemised evidence (receipts, quotes, photos). If the deposit is in a scheme, start the ADR process immediately. If the landlord refuses to engage, the scheme can adjudicate on their behalf. ADR decisions are binding on both parties. Keep all communication in writing and take photos of the property at check-out.
Check the three government-approved schemes: TDS (tenancydepositscheme.com); DPS (depositprotection.com); myDeposits (mydeposits.co.uk). Each has a free online checker where you can search by postcode and landlord name. Your landlord should also have given you the scheme details and certificate within 30 days of taking the deposit. If you cannot find it in any scheme, your deposit may be unprotected and you have a claim for 1–3x the amount.
There's no single statutory deadline written into law for returning a deposit, but the government-approved schemes require landlords to return the undisputed portion promptly once both parties agree on the amount — in practice, this is expected within about 10 days of agreement being reached. If the landlord is proposing deductions, they should raise these with you promptly at check-out rather than staying silent for weeks and then claiming a large deduction, since unreasonable delay can itself count against them if the dispute reaches ADR.
Only if the tenancy agreement specifically required professional cleaning and the property genuinely wasn't left to a reasonable standard, or if a clause requiring professional cleaning regardless of condition was included — though blanket clauses demanding professional cleaning regardless of actual condition are increasingly viewed unfavourably by adjudicators and can be challenged as an unfair term. If you cleaned the property to a reasonable standard yourself and have photos or receipts to prove it, this is strong evidence to submit if a cleaning deduction is disputed.