Deposit disputes in the UK

If you and your landlord can't agree on what should be deducted from your deposit, you don't go to court — you use alternative dispute resolution (ADR), a free service that every deposit protection scheme offers. It's a paper-based process. The adjudicator never sees your face. They never meet your landlord. They make the call on the evidence both sides put in front of them, and the better-prepared side usually wins.

This guide explains how to use ADR well — when it's worth starting one, how to assemble evidence the adjudicator can act on, and what happens after the decision lands.

What ADR is

Alternative dispute resolution is an independent decision service offered by each of the three UK deposit schemes:

• Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
• mydeposits
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)

It runs entirely in writing. Both sides submit evidence. A single adjudicator — typically with a surveying or legal background — reviews the file and issues a written decision saying what should happen with the disputed amount. The decision is binding on both sides.

There's no charge to either side. Use of the service is voluntary, but most landlords (and the schemes themselves) will push for it as the first port of call before any court action.

When to use it

Use ADR when:

• You and the landlord disagree on the amount to be returned.
• The landlord has proposed deductions you think are excessive or unjustified.
• The landlord won't respond to your requests for the deposit back, but the deposit is still held by the scheme.

Don't use ADR when:

• The deposit was never protected. The scheme can't adjudicate on money it doesn't hold. Go to court instead and claim the penalty — see tenancy deposit protection.
• You have a claim that goes beyond the deposit amount (damage you think the landlord caused, harassment, deposit penalty). ADR only looks at the protected deposit.

How to start a dispute

The process is broadly the same across all three schemes:

1. Try to agree first. The scheme will ask whether you've attempted to negotiate. A short email exchange explicitly inviting a response and disagreeing with the proposed deductions is enough.
2. Log in to the scheme's portal using the reference number from your prescribed information. Both sides need to consent to ADR.
3. Set out the amount in dispute. If the landlord wants to deduct £400 and you think £100 is fair, the disputed amount is £300, not £400. Be precise.
4. Submit your evidence by the scheme's deadline. You typically get 14 days, sometimes extendable on request.
5. Wait for the decision. The adjudicator works through the file and issues a written reasoned decision.

Evidence that wins

Adjudicators have nothing else to go on. The case is won or lost in the file. Strong tenant evidence usually includes:

• The check-in inventory — ideally with photos, signed by both sides. This is the baseline.
• The check-out inventory — same. If the landlord provided one, you're entitled to a copy. If not, your own dated photos taken on the move-out day are the next best thing.
• Your tenancy agreement, with any cleaning, gardening or repainting clauses flagged.
• All correspondence with the landlord about deductions — emails, texts, letters. Submit them in date order.
• Your counter-quote evidence. If the landlord claims £200 to replace a curtain, find a comparable curtain online and screenshot the price.
• Receipts or proof of payment for any cleaning or repairs you did yourself.

The adjudicator will usually disregard:

• Generic landlord invoices without itemisation (“£300 for cleaning and repairs”).
• Allegations without photos or receipts to back them up.
• Costs that reflect betterment — i.e. the landlord ending up with something better than they started with.
• Deductions for fair wear and tear.

Timeframes

From start to finish, expect roughly:

• 2-4 weeks from raising the dispute to both sides submitting evidence.
• 2-4 weeks for the adjudicator's decision.
• 10 days from the decision to the deposit being paid out.

So plan for around 8 weeks end-to-end. Don't agree to a figure you're unhappy with just to get the money faster — the process is free and most tenants who use it well recover more than they would have settled for.

The decision

You'll receive a written reasoned decision — usually two to four pages — explaining what the adjudicator awarded and why, item by item. The protection scheme then releases the deposit accordingly, typically within 10 days.

The decision is final. There's no appeal within the scheme. You cannot then go to court for the same deduction.

If ADR doesn't go your way

ADR is final on the protected deposit. But if the underlying issue goes wider — for example, the deposit wasn't properly protected, or you think the deductions are part of a pattern of bad conduct — you may have separate claims that ADR didn't address. Those are court matters.

Get advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice before paying for a solicitor. The thresholds for small-claims court action are low and the process is designed to be navigable without a lawyer.

Frequently asked questions