How to negotiate with your landlord or agent about damages and deductions to get your deposit or bond back

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At the end of a tenancy, it is common for a landlord or an agency to attempt to make deductions from your deposit. Below is a 4 stage guide to successfully negotiating as much of your deposit back as possible, and what to do if the landlord or agent in being unreasonable or unfair about their claims for damages and deductions, and no settlement can be reached.

Confirm whether your deposit or bond has been protected in a government approved deposit protection scheme

If you have any doubts, please contact us using the contact form, or call us on 020 3476 6648 and our trained tenant advisors will check for you.

Please note, landlords and agents will often tell you they have protected your deposit, but unless you have a certificate from the deposit protection scheme, it is best to confirm this with us. If your deposit is not protected, contact us today, as your landlord has broken the law and you are entitled to your full deposit back as well as up to 3 times the amount of your deposit in addition as compensation.

Request a copy of the Check-out Report and a clear, itemised list of deductions

Give a clear deadline for this of either 3 working days or ten days after you moved out. It is best to have a written record of this, so don’t do it over the phone.

Once your landlord or agent has given an itemised list of deductions

Explain in writing, why you are disagreeing with each item and amount.

If your landlord or agent is not being reasonable

Use the code on your Deposit Protection Certificate to start a dispute online with that deposit protection scheme. You will then get a chance to submit your evidence and your point of view, and an independent adjudicator will look at your submission and the evidence from the landlord or agent, and decide what deductions are reasonable and supported by evidence. The deductions will be sent to the landlord and the rest will be sent to your bank account.

Important Note: If your deposit is not registered with a deposit scheme, you are legally entitled to your full deposit plus up to 3 times the amount of the deposit. If your deposit is not protected, or you are not sure, please contact us using the contact form or call us between 09:30-17:30 Monday - Friday on 020 3476 6648.