Your tenancy ends in a few weeks, and your deposit, probably more than £1,000, is waiting for your landlord to decide how much to claim. Most deductions collapse when the tenant has good evidence. The catch is that the evidence has to exist before you hand back the keys.
Here is the checklist, starting 4 weeks out, plus what to do if the money does not come back.
What to do 4 weeks before the end of your tenancy
Get your notice right. In England you must give at least 2 months' written notice, and in Wales at least 4 weeks. The detail is in our guide to ending a tenancy in 2026. Keep a copy and proof you sent it, because getting this wrong means owing extra rent.
Re-read your check-in inventory. It sets the standard. You have to return the property in the condition it records, minus fair wear and tear. Nothing more. Go through it room by room and note anything needing attention.
Book cleaning only if the inventory justifies it. If the check-in report says the property was professionally cleaned, aim to match that standard. If it does not, an ordinary thorough clean is enough. Your landlord cannot force you to pay for professional cleaning, whatever the contract says. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 made that clause unenforceable in England, and Wales banned the same fees in 2019.
What to photograph before handing back the keys
After the last clean, photograph everything. Adjudicators decide deposit disputes on paper, and dated photos are the strongest paper there is.
- Every room, wide shots plus close-ups of floors, walls and windows
- Inside the oven, fridge, freezer and cupboards
- The garden, if you have one, showing it tidy
- Every meter, with the reading legible
- Anything the inventory flagged as damaged when you moved in
Your phone timestamps each photo. Back them up, then send the meter readings to your suppliers and redirect your mail the same day.
What happens at the check-out inspection
Attend the check-out inspection if you can. A report is less likely to overstate problems with you standing there, and you can query entries on the spot. If you cannot attend, ask for the report as soon as it exists.
Return every key, including window keys and fobs, and get written confirmation. Then send one message with your forwarding address, bank details and a request for the full deposit back. That message starts the clock.
How long does a landlord have to return a deposit
Once you and your landlord agree how much you will get back, the deposit must be returned within 10 days. That is the rule across all three government-approved schemes, stated plainly on gov.uk.
If your landlord wants to deduct, they must say how much and why, item by item. Vague claims for "cleaning and damages" with no breakdown are a red flag. If you hear nothing within a couple of weeks, contact your scheme directly. Each has a process for getting your money back when the landlord goes quiet, and we have guides to TDS, DPS and mydeposits.
How to challenge cleaning, garden and blu-tack deductions
Most deductions fall into four categories, each with a standard rebuttal.
Cleaning. The test is the check-in condition, minus fair wear and tear. If the flat was tired when you arrived, you do not owe a spotless one back. Itemised claims only, so a greasy oven justifies an oven clean, roughly £50 to £80, never a £300 full-property clean.
Wear and tear. Fair wear and tear covers gradual deterioration from normal living. Faded paint, carpet worn thin in the hallway, scuffs by the light switch. None of that is deductible.
Gardens. The standard is the check-in condition again. Seasonal growth and a lawn that needs one mow are maintenance, and a landlord claiming a full landscaping bill for that will lose at adjudication.
Blu-tack and picture hooks. A few marks after years of living somewhere are usually fair wear and tear. A landlord cannot charge you for redecorating a whole room to fix two marks. That leaves them better off than before you arrived, which adjudicators call betterment and reject. Our guide to what counts as a fair deduction covers the harder cases.
Should you raise a scheme dispute or send a letter before action
If the deposit is protected and the fight is over deductions, use the scheme's free dispute service. An independent adjudicator reviews both sides' evidence and decides, usually within a few weeks. The disputed amount stays locked in the scheme until then.
If the landlord has vanished, refuses to engage or holds the money outside a scheme, a letter before action followed by a county court claim is the stronger route.
Your landlord had 30 days to protect the deposit
One more check before you settle. Your landlord had to protect your deposit in an approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it and give you the prescribed information. Checking takes minutes on the three scheme websites.
If they failed, section 214 of the Housing Act 2004 lets you claim 1 to 3 times the deposit in compensation through the county court, on top of the deposit itself. A £1,200 unprotected deposit could mean up to £3,600 in compensation. The claim works even after you have moved out, and you have 6 years to bring it.
If any of this is looming for you, Remedy can check whether your deposit was protected and whether a deduction would hold up, then draft the letters if the negotiation stalls. The first check takes about two minutes.
