How long does my landlord have to return my deposit?

At the end of your tenancy you are entitled to your deposit back within a reasonable time, minus only deductions that are agreed or properly evidenced. Under the rules of the three government-approved protection schemes, the landlord has 10 days to return the deposit — or the undisputed part of it — once both parties have agreed the figures.

If your landlord delays or proposes unfair deductions

Write to the landlord or agent requesting return of the deposit, then:

• Contest deductions in writing, itemising which you dispute and why, and ask for evidence — photographs, invoices, quotes — for each one.
• Use the scheme's free ADR service. You do not need the landlord's cooperation to start a dispute, and if they fail to engage, the adjudicator can decide on your evidence alone. Decisions usually arrive within 28 days of evidence being submitted, and the disputed amount is held safely by the scheme in the meantime.
• The burden of proof is on the landlord, not you. Without a signed check-in inventory and dated photographs, they will struggle to justify any deduction.

Two rules protect you on common deductions. Landlords cannot charge for fair wear and tear — worn carpets, minor scuffs and faded paint from normal living. And since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, professional cleaning cannot be demanded by default: the standard is the condition at move-in, allowing for wear and tear, so cleaning charges only stick if the property was professionally cleaned when you arrived and you left it worse.

Protect yourself before you hand back the keys

Most disputes are won or lost on evidence gathered at the end of the tenancy: compare the property against the move-in inventory, clean thoroughly, photograph every room with date stamps, attend the checkout inspection if you can, and return all keys. If your landlord never protected the deposit at all, you have a separate claim for a penalty of one to three times the deposit — see our guide to deposit protection rules.