Helping tenants understand their rights across England & Wales

Get Your Deposit Back

Fight unfair landlord deductions with professional dispute documents, legal evidence checklists, and step-by-step guidance — no solicitor needed.

No solicitor needed Ready in 10 minutes Document Quality Guarantee

Helping tenants across England & Wales recover unfair deposit deductions

The Issue

Are You Missing Out on Your Deposit?

43% of tenants report not receiving their full deposit back. The average tenancy deposit in England & Wales is £1,195. Over 54% of formal disputes involve cleaning charges alone.

43%

of tenants report not receiving their full deposit back

£1,195

average tenancy deposit in England & Wales

54%

of deposit disputes involve cleaning charges alone

46,950

disputes formally adjudicated in the year to March 2025

Sources: TDS Annual Reports, TDS Statistical Briefing 2025, DPS Private Rented Sector Review 2026

Simple Process

How It Works

Get everything you need in three simple steps

1

Tell Us Your Situation

Answer simple questions about your tenancy, deposit, and what your landlord is claiming. Takes about 5 minutes.

2

Get Your Documents

Receive a professional demand letter, evidence checklist, and dispute timeline — all tailored to your specific situation.

3

Send and Track

Send the letter to your landlord by email and post. Follow our step-by-step timeline — we tell you exactly what to do and when.

Preview

See Exactly What You Get

No surprises. Here's a real example of the professional demand letter DepositBack generates — personalised to your situation, citing the exact laws that apply.

demand-letter.pdf
Preview only

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Date]

[Landlord Name]
[Landlord Address]

RE: Formal Demand for Return of Tenancy Deposit — [Property Address]

Dear [Landlord Name],

I am writing to formally request the return of my tenancy deposit of £1,200.00, which was held in connection with my assured shorthold tenancy at the above address from 1 September 2024 to 28 February 2026.

You have proposed deductions totalling £450.00 for the following items: professional cleaning (£250), carpet stains (£120), and wall marks (£80). I dispute these deductions for the reasons set out below.

1. Professional Cleaning (£250)

Under established adjudication principles and ████████████████████████████████████ ██████████████████████, a landlord may only claim ██████████ costs where ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████.

2. ██████████ (£███)

████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████.

3. ██████████ (£██)

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...and much more: legal citations, evidence schedule, response deadline, escalation steps, scheme-specific dispute guidance

Full letter locked

Your personalised letter includes legal citations, evidence references, deadlines, and escalation steps — all tailored to your case.

Unlock from £14.99
The Process

How DepositBack Walks You Through It

We break your deposit dispute into clear, manageable steps. No legal jargon. No guesswork. Just a straight path to getting your money back.

1

Tell Us What Happened

Answer simple questions about your tenancy — move-in date, deposit amount, what your landlord is trying to deduct, and why you think it's unfair. Takes about 3 minutes.

Example Question

"What has your landlord deducted or proposed to deduct from your deposit?"

Cleaning £250 Carpet damage £120 Wall marks £80
2

We Analyse Your Case

Our system cross-references your situation against deposit protection scheme rules, Housing Act provisions, and adjudication precedents to identify exactly where your landlord's deductions are vulnerable.

Your Case Analysis

Cleaning charge: Likely unfair — 18-month tenancy
Carpet stains: Disputable — pre-existing wear
Wall marks: Partially disputable — depends on evidence
3

Get Your Documents

Download professional, legally-referenced documents ready to send. Every letter cites the specific laws, scheme rules, and adjudication principles that apply to your exact situation.

Your Document Pack

Formal Demand Letter (ready to send)
Evidence Checklist (what to gather)
Dispute Timeline (every deadline mapped)
4

Send & Escalate

Send the demand letter to your landlord. Most respond within 14 days. If they don't, your Complete or Premium pack includes escalation letters and scheme dispute guidance — we tell you exactly what to do next.

Typical Timeline

Day 1Send demand letter to landlord
Day 14Landlord deadline expires
Day 15Landlord pays or you escalate to scheme
Day 30-60Scheme adjudicator decides in your favour

The whole process is designed so you never feel stuck. Every step tells you exactly what to do and why.

Check Your Deposit Free
Common Scenarios

See How It Works in Practice

Unfair Cleaning Charges

Landlord deducted for professional cleaning despite the property being left in good condition. DepositBack generated a demand letter citing fair wear and tear guidelines and scheme rules. The tenant submitted organised evidence to their deposit scheme.

Unprotected Deposit

Landlord never registered the deposit with a protection scheme. DepositBack's Premium Pack guided the tenant through a compensation claim under Section 214 of the Housing Act 2004, which allows courts to award 1–3x the deposit amount.

Damage vs Fair Wear and Tear

Landlord claimed for carpet replacement after a three-year tenancy. DepositBack's evidence checklist helped the tenant demonstrate normal wear and tear, with depreciation calculations based on the item's expected lifespan.

Average deposit at stake

£1,195

DepositBack costs

From £14.99

Your deposit is worth protecting

Average deposit: DPS Private Rented Sector Review 2026

Pricing

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Choose the package that fits your situation. All packs include instant download with organised folders.

Starter Pack

Perfect for straightforward disputes

£14.99

One-time payment

What's included

  • Professional demand letter with legal citations
  • Personalised evidence checklist
  • Dispute timeline with key dates
  • Step-by-step guide
  • Email support
Most Popular

Complete Pack

Everything you need to build a strong dispute

£34.99

One-time payment

Everything in Starter, plus

  • Deposit scheme complaint form
  • 5 response templates for landlord replies
  • Evidence organiser with strength ratings
  • Witness statement template
  • Template letters for deposit schemes
  • Priority email support

Premium Pack

For unprotected deposits & court claims

£54.99

One-time payment

Everything in Complete, plus

  • Unprotected deposit claim guide
  • Court proceedings explainer
  • Compensation calculator (claim 1-3x deposit)
  • Priority support
Document Quality Guarantee — we'll fix your documents free or refund you in full
Secure payment powered by Stripe — your card details are never stored on our servers
The Facts

The Law Is on Your Side

Real statistics about deposit disputes in England & Wales

%

Evidence Matters

Many tenants who submit organised evidence receive favourable outcomes in deposit scheme adjudication. However, every case is unique and no outcome is guaranteed. DepositBack provides professional documents — not legal advice.

£
1-3x

Penalty for Unprotected Deposits

Under Section 214 of the Housing Act 2004, landlords who fail to protect deposits can be ordered to pay 1-3x the deposit amount.

£
£1,195

Average Tenancy Deposit

The average tenancy deposit in England & Wales — well worth protecting with professional dispute documents.

Source: DPS Private Rented Sector Review 2026

All 3 deposit schemes

Current E&W law

Document Quality Guarantee

No hidden fees

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this legal advice? +

No. DepositBack is a document generation and information tool. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. We generate documents based on current England & Wales tenancy law and guide you through the dispute process. You should consult a solicitor if your situation is complex.

Will this definitely get my deposit back? +

No outcome is guaranteed. However, tenants who follow proper dispute procedures and submit well-organised evidence have a better chance of a fair outcome. DepositBack helps you build the strongest possible case.

How long does the dispute process take? +

Typically 4-8 weeks from sending your demand letter to receiving your deposit back. If you need to escalate to the deposit scheme, adjudication usually takes an additional 4-6 weeks.

What if my deposit wasn't protected? +

You may be entitled to claim 1-3x the deposit amount as a penalty under Section 214 of the Housing Act 2004. Our Premium Pack guides you through this higher-value claim process.

Does this work in Scotland or Northern Ireland? +

Not yet. DepositBack currently covers England and Wales only. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different tenancy deposit legislation. We plan to expand in the future.

What if my landlord ignores the letter? +

The demand letter is just the first step. If your landlord doesn't respond within 14 days, we guide you through escalating to your deposit protection scheme's formal dispute resolution process.

Can I use this if I'm still living in the property? +

Yes. You can use the free deposit checker at any time and prepare evidence before you move out. The dispute kit is most useful after your tenancy has ended and deductions have been proposed.

What evidence do I need? +

The most important evidence is a dated check-in inventory/report, dated photos from move-in and move-out, and any correspondence with your landlord about property issues. Our evidence checklist tells you exactly what to gather based on your specific deductions.

Is my data safe? +

We do not store your personal tenancy data after generating your documents. If you use our Free Deposit Checker, we collect your email to send results — you can opt in to occasional updates and unsubscribe any time. We use Stripe for payment processing and never see your card details. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

What's your refund policy? +

We offer a Document Quality Guarantee. If your documents aren't tailored correctly to your situation, we'll fix them free or refund you in full — no questions asked. Contact us with your order number and we'll sort it out.

Take the Next Step

Deposit schemes have strict deadlines for raising disputes. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

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