How long does a deposit dispute take?

How long does a deposit dispute take from start to finish?

Most deposit disputes take several weeks once the scheme asks for evidence. mydeposits says a decision is usually made within 8 to 12 weeks (mydeposits). DPS’s own timeline puts the adjudicator’s decision at about day 42 after its evidence request (DPS).

The time before that depends on you and your tenant. The schemes’ dispute services are free, and they expect you to try to agree the deductions first (GOV.UK). A dispute reaches an adjudicator (the scheme’s impartial decision-maker) only once both sides have consented to the service (DPS custodial terms, mydeposits).

What are the stages of a deposit dispute?

The three schemes in England and Wales follow the same broad order. The time limits at each stage differ.

1. You propose your deductions to your tenant, in writing, and try to agree them.
2. One of you raises the dispute with the scheme, and both of you consent to its dispute service.
3. The scheme asks for evidence, and each side has a fixed window to send it.
4. A member of the scheme’s team checks the file, and may try once more to help you agree.
5. An adjudicator reads the papers and decides.
6. The scheme pays out, or tells the deposit holder what to pay.

The evidence window (stage 3) is the only fixed deadline you control. The rest is the scheme’s own timetable.

How long does a TDS dispute take?

At TDS, you send your evidence first. You have 5 working days from TDS’s invitation, for custodial and insured deposits alike (TDS key documents). Your tenant then has 5 working days to read it and respond.

Once both deadlines pass, the case waits for a TDS resolution executive to review it. They check the whole deposit is accounted for, any disputed amount has reached TDS and the key documents are present and legible. They also check that both sides have tried to settle. After that review, TDS aims to issue a decision in about 15 business days, or 21 calendar days (TDS).

How long does a DPS dispute take?

DPS asks you and your tenant for evidence at the same time. Each side has 14 calendar days from its email, and evidence must arrive before 11:59:59 pm on the last day (DPS custodial terms). DPS publishes its own estimated timeline (DPS):

• day 1: the claim enters dispute and DPS asks both sides for evidence
• day 15: the evidence deadline
• day 16: a pre-adjudication check, which normally takes about 7 calendar days
• day 23: the case goes to an adjudicator
• day 42: the adjudicator decides
• day 44: DPS sends the decision to you both

The bank payment then takes 3 to 5 business days. DPS’s terms say the adjudicator usually decides within 15 working days of receiving the papers (DPS custodial terms).

On an insured deposit, there’s an earlier step. When your tenant raises the dispute, DPS sends you a Notification of Dispute form. You return it, and pay DPS the disputed amount, within 10 calendar days. DPS then asks each of you for evidence, and each has 14 calendar days from its request (DPS insured terms).

How long does a mydeposits dispute take?

It depends on how the deposit is protected.

Custodial (mydeposits holds the money). If the side that needs to reply to an offer doesn’t within 14 calendar days, the case goes to resolution. It also goes there after three months of negotiating without agreement (custodial conditions). Both sides then confirm their final evidence within 5 working days, and a case assessor reviews it within the first 20 working days (mydeposits). If a decision is needed, the adjudicator has 28 calendar days.

Insured (you or your agent hold the money). Under the July 2026 rules, a release has to reach resolution within 90 days of the tenant moving out. If your tenant starts resolution, you lodge the disputed amount within 10 working days. Both sides then have 10 working days to finalise evidence, and a further 10 working days to clarify their positions (process flow). If a decision is needed, the adjudicator has 15 working days (insured conditions).

At both, mydeposits pays out within 5 working days of the decision.

How long after the tenancy ends can a dispute be raised?

On an insured deposit, the tenant has a set window:

• TDS Insured: within 3 months of the tenancy ending, and only after giving you at least 10 days to respond to their request for the deposit (TDS)
• DPS Insured: within 90 days of the tenancy ending (DPS insured terms)
• mydeposits insured: the release must be in resolution within 90 days of the tenant moving out, or it closes (process flow)

DPS’s and mydeposits’ custodial rules set no such cut-off. The scheme holds the money until you both sign an agreement, an adjudicator decides or a court orders its release (DPS custodial terms).

What can make a deposit dispute take longer?

The fixed windows rarely move. The stages around them can:

• Questions about the evidence. DPS says its timings may be extended if a query arises about the evidence or the claim (DPS).
• A missing document. The review stage at TDS checks key documents are present before the case reaches an adjudicator (TDS).
• The disputed amount not lodged. On an insured deposit, the scheme needs the money before resolution goes ahead.
• One side refusing the service. At DPS, whoever refuses has 6 months to settle or start court proceedings (DPS custodial terms). At mydeposits, the side choosing court has 6 months to show an issued claim (insured conditions).

Late evidence doesn’t buy time. At DPS, nothing can be uploaded after the deadline (DPS). At mydeposits, evidence is final once confirmed. Work out your date on the day the scheme writes to you.

Is going to court quicker than the dispute service?

Usually not. mydeposits says that from making a court claim to the final hearing “you can expect to wait several months”, against 8 to 12 weeks for a scheme decision (mydeposits). Court tends to fit when the claim is more than the deposit, or one side won’t use the scheme’s service.

Where next?

The deadline calculator works out the exact date your evidence is due, from the scheme’s notification. Each scheme has its own guide: TDS, DPS and mydeposits, with the three compared. With only days to send your evidence, a deposit dispute pack sets it out in your scheme’s order, ready for you to check and submit.