The deposit: when it must be returned and what can be deducted
The most common dispute at the end of a tenancy. What counts as fair wear, what counts as damage, and what to do if a month passes with no sign of it.
You move out, hand back the keys and the silence begins. The deposit is the most frequent source of argument at the end of a contract, almost always because nobody made clear at the start what condition the property was handed over in.
The deadline
The deposit is returned at the end of the tenancy, once the state of the property has been checked. If a month passes from the handover of keys with no return and no explanation, the amount starts accruing interest. It is not an open-ended process: the landlord has to inspect and respond.
What can be deducted and what cannot
- Yes: damage beyond normal use, repairs that were your responsibility and you did not carry out, unpaid utility bills, or outstanding rent.
- No: the wear that comes with time. Faded paint after four years, a scuffed skirting board or worn flooring are not damage, they are use.
- No: improvements the landlord wants to make while taking advantage of your departure.
What prevents the whole dispute
Dated photographs on the day you move in and the day you move out, plus an inventory signed by both parties. It costs half an hour at the start and settles the argument at the end by itself, because it stops being your word against theirs.
If there are deductions, ask for the breakdown and the invoices. A landlord who has genuinely repaired something can justify it without difficulty; one who cannot, usually has not repaired anything.
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