Deposit dispute letter, written properly
Fill in the facts and this page writes a polite, neutral letter disputing a deposit deduction, ready to print or copy into an email. It is a template with the thinking done. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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[Your full name]
[Property address]
[Date]
Dear [Landlord or agent name],
Re: return of the tenancy deposit for [property address]
I was the tenant at the above address from [start date] to [end date]. A deposit of £[amount] was paid at the start of the tenancy, and is protected with [scheme].
I have not been given the details of the scheme protecting this deposit. Please confirm which government-approved scheme holds it and send me the prescribed information for that scheme. If the deposit is not protected, please return it in full.
On [date] you proposed deductions of £[amount] for [reason]. Having reviewed the check-in inventory and the condition of the property at check-out, I do not agree to the proposed deduction.
The proposed deduction includes the cost of replacing [item]. A deduction of that kind is apportioned for age and expected lifespan, so it can reflect only the remaining life the item had at the end of the tenancy rather than the price of a new one; charging the full cost would leave the property better off than it was, which the deposit schemes do not allow. Please confirm the age and original cost of [the item], and the apportionment behind the figure claimed.
On the figures I have, [item] was about [age] years old at the end of the tenancy, against an expected lifespan of [lifespan] years, so an apportioned claim on the £[amount] quoted would be in the region of £[amount].
On the figures I have, [item] had already passed its expected lifespan by the end of the tenancy, so the remaining value a deduction could reflect is nil.
In support of my position I hold the following, with copies available on request:
- the signed check-in inventory
- dated photographs taken at check-out
- the cleaning invoice for the end of tenancy clean
- the receipt for professional carpet cleaning
- our written correspondence about the tenancy
I ask that the £[amount] not in dispute is released now; under the tenancy deposit protection rules, agreed money should be returned within 10 days. I would like to resolve the disputed amount in writing.
If we cannot reach agreement within 14 days of the date of this letter, I intend to refer the disputed amount to the free dispute resolution service run by [scheme], which decides on the written evidence from both sides.
Please reply in writing.
Yours sincerely,
[Your full name]
Why this letter is deliberately boring
Because it might be read by three audiences. The landlord first, who is far more likely to settle when faced with dates, amounts and a list of evidence than with a wall of feeling. The letting agent second, who processes dozens of these and responds to the organised ones. And possibly a deposit scheme adjudicator, who will see this letter in the case file and judge you partly by it. Adjudicators are moved by documents, not by tone, so the letter states facts, holds its evidence up, asks for the undisputed money, and sets a calm path to the free dispute service. No accusations, no quoted statutes, no threats. That is not softness; it is strategy.
How to send it
In writing, always. Email is fine and gives you a timestamp; if you post it, keep a copy and consider proof of postage. Attach copies of your evidence, never originals. If you have not yet handed the keys back, the check-out evidence pack lists the photographs to take first. If the deduction conversation has been happening by phone, this letter is the moment it moves onto paper, and everything after it should stay there.
What happens after it lands
Three ways it goes. The landlord agrees, and the money must then be returned within 10 days of agreement. You meet somewhere in the middle, in writing, same 10-day rule on whatever is agreed. Or the 14 days pass without movement, and you refer the disputed amount to your deposit scheme’s free resolution service, where the file you have been building does the talking; decisions typically arrive within two to four weeks and the disputed money stays protected throughout. The legal background to all of it, with sources, is on the deduction checker page.
Next tenancy, skip the letter
Most cleaning deductions never survive contact with a proper end of tenancy clean and a dated photo set. Next move, work the check-out checklist, or book the clean that arrives with its own evidence pack, from £156.
Questions people ask about dispute letters
What should a deposit dispute letter include?
The facts, in order: the tenancy dates, the deposit amount and where it is protected, the deductions proposed and when, which part you dispute, the evidence you hold, and what you want to happen next. Keep opinions and tone out of it. The letter this page writes covers each of those and nothing else, which is exactly why it works.
Should the letter be angry or legal-sounding?
Neither. If the disagreement ends up at the deposit scheme, an adjudicator will read this letter as part of the file, and adjudicators are moved by documents, not by tone. A calm letter that states dates, amounts and evidence reads far stronger than one that quotes law at a landlord. The polite version is the intimidating one.
How long should I give the landlord to reply?
The letter sets 14 days, which is a reasonable window rather than a legal deadline. What is fixed by the protection rules is this: once you both agree the figures, the money must be returned within 10 days. If the reply never comes or you cannot agree, the scheme dispute service takes over from there, free.
Can I skip the letter and go straight to the deposit scheme?
You can raise a dispute without one, but the letter is worth sending first. A good share of disagreements settle at this stage, before formal adjudication, and if yours does not, the letter itself becomes part of your evidence: it shows you set out your position clearly and gave the landlord a fair chance to respond.
Is my information stored anywhere when I use this?
Only on your own device, so the form remembers your details if you come back. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, there is no account and no signup, and the “Clear my details” button removes the stored copy from your browser too.
This tool produces a letter from facts you provide; it is general guidance for tenants in England, not legal advice, and it does not promise any outcome. Check the letter reads true before you send it. For your specific tenancy, talk to Citizens Advice or Shelter.