# TenancyVaults > TenancyVaults is an evidence preparation tool for self-managing landlords in England and Wales. It matches check-in and check-out evidence for TDS, DPS and mydeposits deposit disputes and builds the deposit dispute pack the landlord submits to the scheme. It is not legal advice. Bring the inventory, the photos and the receipts. TenancyVaults matches what the property looked like at check-in with how it was left, and builds the dispute pack you submit to TDS, DPS or mydeposits. A typical case takes about 15 minutes. ## Start here - [Dispute packs](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/dispute-packs): Deposit dispute evidence for landlords: check-in matched to check-out, each deduction weighed, in a pack you check and submit. Not legal advice. - [Start for free](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/app/cases/new) - [Full text for AI assistants](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/llms-full.txt) ## Products - [Evidence Locker](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/evidence-locker) - [Dispute packs](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/dispute-packs) - [How dispute packs work](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/dispute-packs#how-it-works) - [Deadline calculator](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/deadline-calculator) - [Pricing](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/pricing) - [See a sample case](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/demo) ## Guides - [TDS disputes](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/tds-dispute-landlord) - [DPS disputes](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/dps-dispute-landlord) - [mydeposits disputes](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/mydeposits-dispute-landlord) - [Fair wear and tear](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/fair-wear-and-tear-landlords) - [Blog](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog) ## Help - [FAQs](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs) - [Contact](mailto:help@tenancyvaults.co.uk) - [Accessibility](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/accessibility) - [Not legal advice](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/not-legal-advice) ## Your case - [Start a case](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/app/cases/new) ## Guides - [How to handle a TDS deposit dispute as a landlord](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/tds-dispute-landlord): 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. - [How to handle a DPS deposit dispute as a landlord](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/dps-dispute-landlord): 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. - [How to handle a mydeposits dispute as a landlord](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/mydeposits-dispute-landlord): 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. - [How to dispute a deposit deduction as a landlord](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/landlord-deposit-dispute): 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. - [TDS vs DPS vs mydeposits: how deposit disputes differ](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/tds-vs-dps-vs-mydeposits): 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). - [What counts as fair wear and tear in a UK rental?](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/fair-wear-and-tear-landlords): 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. - [What does a deposit adjudicator look for?](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/guides/what-deposit-adjudicators-look-for): 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 - [Can I charge my tenant for a damaged carpet?](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog/charging-tenant-for-carpet-damage): 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. - [Can I charge my tenant for redecorating?](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog/charging-tenant-for-redecorating): 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. - [Can I charge my tenant for cleaning at the end of a tenancy?](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog/charging-tenant-for-cleaning): 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. - [How to work out a deposit deduction for an item’s age](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog/apportioning-deposit-deductions): 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. - [How to write a landlord statement for a deposit dispute](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/blog/landlord-statement-deposit-dispute): 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. ## FAQs - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs): Protecting a deposit; Prescribed information; Penalties and unprotected deposits; The deposit schemes - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords · Page 2 of 6](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/page/2): The deposit schemes; Deposit limits, holding deposits and the Renters’ Rights Act; Joint tenants and changes of tenant - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords · Page 3 of 6](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/page/3): Selling, letting agents and other changes; Ending a tenancy and returning the deposit; Rent arrears, bills and tax; Cleaning - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords · Page 4 of 6](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/page/4): Carpets, walls and decoration; Kitchens, bathrooms, furniture and appliances; Gardens, pets, smoking, damp and pests - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords · Page 5 of 6](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/page/5): Fair wear and tear and costs; Inventories and check-out; Evidence - [Deposit dispute FAQs for landlords · Page 6 of 6](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/faqs/page/6): Disputes, deadlines and your statement; Adjudication, reviews and court; Using TenancyVaults ## About the author - [Andy Lewis](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/authors/andy-lewis): Landlord and software developer ## Terms and policies - [Terms of use](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/terms): The terms for using TenancyVaults: what it does, your responsibilities, the £49 price, refunds, and our liability. - [Privacy notice](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/privacy): What personal data TenancyVaults collects, why, who it’s shared with, how long it’s kept, your rights, and the cookies we use. - [Not legal advice](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/not-legal-advice): TenancyVaults prepares your deposit dispute evidence. What it does, what it doesn’t, and where to get help. - [Accessibility statement](https://tenancyvaults.co.uk/accessibility): How accessible TenancyVaults is, how we check it, what isn’t fully accessible yet, and how to tell us about a problem. Evidence preparation tool, not legal advice. Contact: help@tenancyvaults.co.uk