What Can a Landlord Legally Deduct From Your Deposit?

Your deposit is your money. A landlord can only keep part of it to cover specific, justifiable costs — and they have to prove those costs.

What landlords can deduct for

Legitimate deductions usually cover unpaid rent, damage beyond normal use, missing items listed on the inventory, and cleaning where the property was left dirtier than at move-in. The key word throughout is reasonable — the deduction must reflect the actual loss to the landlord.

What they cannot deduct for

Landlords cannot charge you for fair wear and tear: faded paint, lightly worn carpets in high-traffic areas, or small marks that come from simply living somewhere. They also cannot charge the full replacement cost of an old item — adjudicators apply "betterment," meaning you only owe the depreciated value.

How to push back

If a deduction looks excessive, ask for evidence: receipts, quotes and dated photos. If the landlord can't justify it, you can raise a dispute through your deposit protection scheme's free adjudication service.

The best defence is your own dated evidence.