Landlord and software developer
Andy Lewis is a landlord in England and the developer behind TenancyVaults. Each guide is written from the deposit schemes’ own rules and guidance, and checked against those official sources on the date it shows.
TDS guide
In a TDS dispute you submit your evidence within 5 working days of TDS’s invitation, then the tenant responds. An adjudicator decides on the papers alone, starting from the position that the deposit is the tenant’s, so each deduction stands on the evidence you send.
DPS guide
In a DPS dispute you and the tenant each get 14 calendar days from DPS’s evidence request to send your evidence. An adjudicator then decides on the papers alone. The deposit is the tenant’s until you show each deduction is justified, so the claim stands on your evidence.
mydeposits guide
Once a mydeposits case moves to resolution, both sides confirm their final evidence: within 5 working days for a custodial deposit, 10 working days for an insured one. An adjudicator decides on that evidence, and the deposit is the tenant’s unless you prove each deduction.
Guide
Write to the tenant with each deduction, what it costs and your evidence, and try to agree. If you can’t, your deposit scheme’s free dispute service decides on paper, if you both agree to use it: you send your evidence by its deadline and an adjudicator decides. Otherwise, it’s court.
Guide
All three disputes are free, optional and decided on paper, and the deposit is the tenant’s until you prove each deduction. What differs is the evidence deadline: TDS 5 working days, DPS 14 calendar days, mydeposits 5 working days (10 working days insured).
Guide
Fair wear and tear is the deterioration that comes from a tenant living in a home reasonably, plus time itself. A landlord can’t deduct for it. Damage, missing items and cleaning below the check-in standard can be claimed, but only a fair share of the cost, allowing for the item’s age.
Guide
Evidence that the tenant broke the tenancy and that it cost you something, judged on the balance of probabilities. The deposit is the tenant’s until you prove each deduction, so adjudicators look for check-in and check-out reports that compare, dated photos, and invoices or quotes.
Blog
Yes, if the carpet was damaged rather than worn, and you can show it. Stains, burns and tears are damage; flattening and fraying with age are fair wear and tear. Even then you can claim only a fair share of the cost, allowing for the carpet’s age, not the price of a new one.
Blog
Yes, for heavy marks, damage or redecorating done without permission, but not for light scuffs or faded paint, which are fair wear and tear. Even then you can claim only a share of the cost, allowing for the decoration’s age, the room and how long the tenancy lasted.
Blog
Yes, if the property was left less clean than it was at check-in, and you can show it. You can claim the reasonable cost of the cleaning the tenant didn’t do, but you can’t require a professional clean, or charge to bring the home up to a higher standard than at the start.
Blog
Charge the tenant for the life the item had left, not the cost of a new one. Divide the replacement cost by the item’s expected life, then multiply by the years it had remaining: a £500 carpet with 3 of its 5 years left is a £300 claim.
Blog
Take each deduction in turn: what is wrong, which clause of the tenancy it breaks, what it costs and exactly where the evidence is. Adjudicators decide on the papers and won’t ask for anything you leave out, so a clear, itemised statement that points to page and photo numbers does most of the work.