What Can a Landlord Actually Deduct From Your Deposit? (UK Guide)

Not everything your landlord or agent lists at check-out is a lawful deduction. Here's what they can charge for, what they can't, and where the grey areas are.

Legitimate deductions

• Cleaning — but only to return the property to its check-in standard. If it wasn't professionally cleaned when you moved in, you can't be required to fund a professional clean when you leave (though you must still clean it to the same standard).
• Damage beyond fair wear and tear — broken fixtures, burns, stains, holes, damaged furniture in furnished lets.
• Unpaid rent and bills owed under the agreement.
• Missing items listed in the inventory of a furnished property.
• Replacement keys/fobs if you lost them.

What is "fair wear and tear"?

The natural decline of a property from normal living: lightly worn carpets in walkways, faded curtains, small scuffs, minor marks around switches. Key factors adjudicators consider: length of tenancy, number of occupants, and the item's age and expected lifespan. After a 3-year tenancy with children, a carpet is expected to show wear — that's not damage.

What landlords cannot deduct for

• Betterment — replacing an old item with a brand new one at your expense. A 7-year-old carpet with a stain is compensated at its depreciated value, not the price of new carpet.
• Redecorating to freshen the property between tenants.
• Wear and tear of any kind.
• Their time for arranging the check-out (unless the contract specifically and fairly allows fees).
• Anything they can't evidence against the check-in inventory.

The cleaning deduction — the big one

Cleaning is the single most common deposit deduction in the UK. It's also the most avoidable: the standard is simply "as clean as at check-in". A documented, receipted professional clean removes the argument before it starts — adjudicators consistently side with tenants who produce a professional cleaning receipt dated at the end of the tenancy.

Our end of tenancy cleaning covers the full letting-agent checklist, with a 48-hour re-clean guarantee — get your instant quote.

If a deduction looks wrong

Dispute it in writing with evidence, and if the agent won't budge, use the deposit scheme's free adjudication — the burden of proof is on them, not you. Step-by-step here: how to get your deposit back from a letting agency.