This guide explains where to start, what evidence matters, and what you can do if you still can't agree. It covers England. Housing rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
First, find out where your deposit is
If you rent your home on an assured periodic tenancy, your landlord or agent must protect your deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme. Assured periodic tenancies replaced assured shorthold tenancies in England on 1 May 2026, so most private renters are now on one.
The three approved schemes are:
- Deposit Protection Service
- MyDeposits
- Tenancy Deposit Scheme
Your landlord or agent must protect the deposit within 30 days of getting it, and must give you information saying which scheme holds it and how. If you are not sure, contact the schemes to check rather than assuming it was never protected. This matters because if your deposit is protected and you cannot agree how much should come back, the scheme can give you a free way to resolve it.
What can a landlord actually keep money for?
A deposit is not an extra payment to the landlord. It is there to cover genuine losses linked to the tenancy: unpaid rent, or damage beyond fair wear and tear. It is not there to cover normal wear and tear, or to clean the place to a higher standard than when you moved in.
The important word is evidence. If you are told £300 is being deducted, don't just argue about whether £300 feels unfair. Ask three specific questions:
- What exactly is the deduction for?
- What evidence supports it?
- How was that amount calculated?
That turns a frustrating argument into something specific you can challenge.
Build your evidence before you build your argument
Pull together whatever you have, and don't rely on memory if you have something better. A dated photograph is far more useful than two people remembering a carpet differently.
- Your tenancy agreement
- The check-in inventory and the check-out report
- Photos or video from when you moved in, and from when you moved out
- Emails and messages with the landlord or agent
- Receipts for any cleaning or repairs you arranged
- The exact list of deductions being claimed
Then put your position in writing
Keep it calm. You don't need an angry three-page email. Set out what is being deducted, which deductions you disagree with, why, what evidence supports your position, and how much you believe should be returned. Keep a copy. If the deposit scheme later has to look at the dispute, you have already created a clear record.
If you still can't agree
The tenancy deposit schemes offer a free dispute resolution service. You and the landlord provide evidence and the scheme decides how the deposit should be dealt with. Using it usually needs both sides to agree to it, and there can be time limits, so don't leave it indefinitely. While a dispute is open, the protected deposit stays held by the scheme until it is sorted out. Once you do agree an amount, it must be returned within 10 days.
What if your deposit was never protected?
That is a different situation. If your landlord should have protected the deposit and didn't, you can apply to your local county court. The court can order the landlord to repay the deposit or pay it into an approved scheme, and it may also order the landlord to pay you up to three times the deposit. There is a court fee (currently £387) which you can claim back if you win, and you can apply for help with the fee on a low income. You do not need a solicitor, but get advice about your own situation before you start.
Your landlord or agent deals with tenancies all the time. You probably don't. They know the terminology, they know the process, and they may have templates and support behind them. You are standing in your kitchen wondering whether a £450 deduction in an email is just something you are expected to accept. That imbalance is the whole point of this site.
AI can't decide your legal rights, and it shouldn't pretend to be your solicitor. But used properly it can help you organise what happened, understand unfamiliar language, work out the questions to ask, and turn a pile of notes, emails and photos into a clear account of your position. That is giving an ordinary person better tools before they reach the point of needing to pay for them.
What AI could help you do
- Turn a timeline of events into a structured summary
- Organise the deductions you are disputing, point by point
- Compare the check-in and check-out descriptions
- Identify information you are still missing
- Rewrite an emotional email into something factual and specific
- Prepare the questions to ask before you speak to an adviser
Don't give an AI system the final word on what the law says. It can sound completely confident and still be wrong, and it can invent rules, figures or deadlines that don't exist. For anything that decides money or your legal position, check the current official guidance and get qualified advice.
A good rule: use AI to help you understand and organise your own information. Use authoritative sources and qualified people for the legal position itself.
A better way to prompt it
That is a much better use of the technology. The point isn't to make the loudest argument. It is to make your position clear, specific and evidenced. And you don't have to do that alone.
Where to get proper help
- Your tenancy deposit scheme (for free dispute resolution)
- Citizens Advice, for free guidance on deposits and renting
- Shelter, for housing advice
- A qualified housing adviser or solicitor for your specific circumstances
Sources, checked 16 September 2026
- GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection (schemes, 30-day protection, 10-day return)
- GOV.UK: Disputes and problems
- GOV.UK: If your landlord does not protect your deposit (county court, up to 3x, £387 fee)
This guide is general information for England and is not legal advice. Housing law differs across the UK and can change. Check the current official guidance and get qualified advice where your own circumstances require it.
Common questions
How do I find out where my deposit is protected?
Your landlord or agent should have told you which scheme holds it. If you are not sure, contact the three approved schemes to check.
What happens if my landlord and I disagree?
If your deposit is protected, the scheme offers a free dispute resolution service. Both sides provide evidence and the scheme decides how the deposit is dealt with.
How quickly should an agreed deposit be returned?
Once you and the landlord agree how much is being returned, GOV.UK says it must be returned within 10 days.
What if my landlord never protected it?
You can apply to the county court. It can order the landlord to repay the deposit or pay it into a scheme, and may order up to three times the deposit. Get advice before starting.