How long after you move out does your landlord or letting agent have to return your deposit or bond?

Looking for help on this subject?

We are a not for profit free advice service for tenants.

    Call free on 020 3476 6648 to speak to trained advisors.

    Fill in the form below.


Free Advice Form

Your personal information will not be given to any third parties (Privacy Policy). If you request free advice and provide contact details you are actively consenting to us contacting you in order to provide free advice.


There is no time period that a landlord or agent has to follow to return your deposit. It is important that you put your request for your full deposit return in writing (email or even SMS). If your landlord or agent does not respond in a useful way, then you can start a deposit dispute online for free with a Deposit Protection Scheme.

The 10-day rule?

Many tenants have heard of a 10-day rule. Some believe that a landlord or letting agent has 10 days to return your deposit. You have to wait until 10 days after your tenancy has ended before you can start a claim with a Deposit Protection Scheme.

Is my deposit protected?

It is very important to know whether your deposit has been registered with a Deposit Protection Scheme before you start speaking to your landlord or estate agent. If your deposit is NOT protected, you are entitled to your full deposit and compensation of up to 3 times the amount of the deposit.

Let us help

If you are not sure whether your deposit is protected, please call us between 09:30-17:30 Monday - Friday on 020 3476 6648 or email a scan or photos of your tenancy agreement to info@justicefortenants.org and we will find out if your deposit is protected with any of the Deposit Protection Schemes. We will then let you know where it is protected and how to raise a dispute, or talk about what to do if your deposit is not protected.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your individual case, please don’t hesitate to get in contact. We are a not-for-profit tenant advice service and all our tenant advisors are professionally trained and certified.

If you would like to know more about Deposit Protection Schemes, please see - Is my deposit or bond registered in a government approved tenancy deposit protection scheme?


Related Pages