The Deposit Dispute Pack — Challenge Unfair Deposit Deductions

Your landlord has to prove it. Most of them can't.

Your landlord says they're keeping £680 for cleaning and "wear and tear." There's an invoice attached. It looks official, and final.

It isn't.

Your deposit is your money, held as security. If your landlord wants to keep any of it, they have to prove the deduction is justified — not the other way round. And to succeed, they have to prove three separate things: what condition the item was in when you moved in, that it changed and you caused it, and that the amount they're claiming is fair after allowing for normal wear.

Break any one of those and the deduction should fail or shrink. Most landlords can't manage all three, because the check-in inventory was thin, the photos were never taken, or the "quote" is for a brand-new replacement of something that was already eight years old.

There's a free, independent adjudication service that will decide this — paid for by your landlord's scheme membership, not by you. It costs you nothing to use. Most tenants never do, because nobody tells them how, or they miss the deadline.

This pack tells you how.

What's included

The Deposit Dispute Playbook — 17-page guide (PDF)
Find your deadline. Understand how adjudication actually works. Then the three principles that win cases — burden of proof, fair wear and tear, and betterment — with the apportionment arithmetic worked through on a real example. Plus a deduction-by-deduction playbook for cleaning, carpets, redecoration, gardens, damage and rent, and a section on what to do if your deposit was never protected at all.

Five editable letter templates (Word)
The full sequence, in order: formal request for return, request for the landlord's evidence, itemised challenge with a settlement proposal, final position and notice of dispute, and a letter for where the deposit appears never to have been protected. Fill in the highlighted fields and send.

The Dispute Statement Builder (Word)
The structure adjudicators find easiest to decide in your favour. Fill it in, copy it into the scheme's form. Includes the deduction-by-deduction block and the ten grounds of challenge, written out.

Evidence Checklist & 48-Hour Action Plan (PDF, printable)
Six things to do today, then every document worth gathering — including the four questions to ask the landlord in writing that make every apportionment argument possible.

Who this is for

This is for you if: you rented in England or Wales, your tenancy has ended, and your landlord or agent is proposing deductions you think are unfair — or has gone quiet on returning your deposit.

This isn't for you if: you're still in the property and want to challenge something mid-tenancy, you rented in Scotland or Northern Ireland (different schemes and rules), or you want someone to run the dispute for you. This pack gives you the knowledge and the documents; you do the sending.

What this won't do

It won't make a fair deduction disappear. If you genuinely broke something, you should pay for it, and the pack tells you to concede it early because conceding makes your other arguments credible. It doesn't guarantee an outcome — adjudicators decide on the evidence in each case. And it isn't legal advice.

What it will do is stop you paying for wear and tear, stop you funding new-for-old replacements, stop you paying unevidenced round numbers, and stop you losing by default because a deadline passed. In practice that's where most of the money is.

Questions

Is this legal advice?
No. It's educational material and document templates. For advice on your specific situation, Shelter, Citizens Advice, law centres and housing solicitors all help at no cost, and the pack points you to them.

Does it cost anything to raise a dispute?
No. The adjudication service is free to tenants — it's funded through the scheme, which your landlord is required to be a member of.

How long do I have?
It varies by scheme and by whether your deposit is custodial or insured, and it's roughly three months from the end of the tenancy for insured schemes. The pack's first section shows you how to confirm your exact deadline with your scheme, which you should do today.

England and Wales only?
Yes. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate schemes and different rules, so the specifics wouldn't serve you.

Is it up to date?
Yes — including the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which took effect on 1 May 2026 and made deposit compliance considerably more consequential for landlords.

What format?
Two PDFs to read and print, two Word documents to fill in. Instant download.

Refunds
14 days, no questions asked.

This pack provides general information and document templates for educational purposes. It is not legal advice and does not create a solicitor–client relationship. It does not guarantee any outcome; adjudication decisions turn on the evidence in each individual case. For advice on your specific circumstances, consult a qualified solicitor or a free advice service such as Shelter or Citizens Advice. Covers England and Wales only.