To get your deposit back in full, return the property in the same condition it was in at the start of your tenancy, as recorded on the check-in inventory, allowing for fair wear and tear. Clean it thoroughly, put right any damage you caused, remove all your belongings and keep dated photos to prove it.
Cleaning is one of the most common reasons for deposit deductions, and it’s also the easiest to avoid. You can do it yourself or book a professional end of tenancy clean; what matters is the result.
This guide walks renters in Hull and East Yorkshire through the whole process, from how deposit protection works to what to do if you disagree with a deduction.
Key takeaways
- Your landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days.
- The check-in inventory is the benchmark: match it, allowing for fair wear and tear.
- Landlords can’t make you pay for a professional clean, but they can deduct reasonable, evidenced cleaning costs if the property is left dirty.
- Dated photos at check-in and check-out are your strongest evidence.
- If you can’t agree on deductions, the deposit scheme offers free dispute resolution.
How tenancy deposit protection works
For most private tenancies in England, your landlord or letting agent must protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it. The three schemes are the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), mydeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Deposits are generally capped at five weeks’ rent.
Your landlord must also give you the prescribed information, which explains which scheme holds your money and how to get it back. At the end of the tenancy, you and your landlord agree how much is returned. If you can’t agree, every scheme offers a free dispute resolution service where an independent adjudicator weighs up the evidence from both sides.
The official rules are set out on GOV.UK’s tenancy deposit protection guidance.
Tip: If you never received details of which scheme protects your deposit, ask your landlord or agent in writing. Keep a copy of the request and the reply.
Start at check-in: the inventory is your benchmark
Getting your deposit back starts on the day you move in. The check-in inventory records the condition and cleanliness of every room, and at check-out it’s compared line by line with the property you leave behind.
- Read the inventory carefully and challenge anything inaccurate within the time it allows.
- Take your own dated photos and video of every room, including inside the oven, fridge and cupboards.
- Report problems such as damp, mould or broken fittings in writing as soon as you notice them.
If you’re a landlord, our guide to recording cleanliness at check-in explains what a good inventory includes. As a tenant, knowing exactly what’s written there tells you the standard you need to reach.
What can a landlord deduct from your deposit?
Deductions must be reasonable, proportionate and backed by evidence. A landlord can typically claim for:
- Cleaning needed to bring the property back to its check-in standard
- Damage beyond fair wear and tear, such as burns, broken fittings or large stains
- Removing belongings or rubbish left behind
- Unpaid rent, or bills the tenancy makes you responsible for
Fair wear and tear versus damage
Fair wear and tear is the natural deterioration that comes from normal use over time: lightly worn carpet in a hallway, faded curtains or small scuffs from furniture. A landlord can’t charge you for it. Dirt and damage are different. A greasy oven, limescale-crusted taps or a red wine stain on the carpet aren’t wear and tear.
The length of the tenancy matters too. An adjudicator will expect more wear after several years than after six months.
Adjudicators distinguish between dirt, which a tenant is expected to clean, and deterioration from normal use, which a landlord is expected to absorb. The table gives typical examples, although every case turns on its own evidence and the length of the tenancy.
| Usually a cleaning issue | Usually fair wear and tear |
|---|---|
| Grease and burnt-on food inside the oven | Faded enamel or a worn oven door seal |
| Limescale and soap scum on taps and shower screens | Dulled chrome on older fittings |
| Food and drink stains on carpets | Flattened carpet pile in walkways |
| Dust and cobwebs on skirting boards and light fittings | Light scuffs on paintwork from furniture |
| Rubbish left in cupboards, the loft or the garden | Sun-faded curtains or blinds |
Where carpets were clean at check-in and now have spills or marks, a professional carpet clean is usually a more proportionate fix than a claim towards replacement, and it is far easier for both sides to agree on.
Can you be made to pay for professional cleaning?
No. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords and agents in England can’t charge you for professional cleaning as a fee or make it a condition of your tenancy. They can only deduct the reasonable cost of cleaning if the property isn’t returned to the check-in standard. We cover this in detail in our guide to professional cleaning clauses in tenancy agreements.
How to clean so you get your full deposit back
A normal weekly tidy won’t pass a check-out inspection. You need a top-to-bottom clean that reaches inside appliances, cupboards and the places nobody looks day to day. Work through our room-by-room end of tenancy cleaning checklist and give extra attention to the areas that cause the most disputes:
- Oven, hob and extractor: grease and carbon are easy to spot and costly to put right.
- Bathroom limescale: hard water across East Yorkshire leaves scale on taps, screens and toilets.
- Kitchen cupboards and fridge: crumbs, spills and mould in the seals.
- Skirting boards, doors and frames: dust and fingerprints build up gradually.
- Carpets and floors: stains, pet hair and dirt along the edges.
If there’s black mould from condensation, clean it off and mention it in your check-out notes, especially if you reported it during the tenancy. Our guide to damp and black mould in older Hull homes explains the causes and how to tackle it.
For a heavily soiled oven or stained carpets, you can book specialist oven cleaning or carpet cleaning on its own, or have everything covered in a single end of tenancy clean.
Gather evidence on move-out day
- Clean once everything is out, so nothing hides marks or dust.
- Photograph and video every room in good light, matching the angles in the check-in inventory where you can.
- Include close-ups of the oven, hob, fridge, bathroom taps, inside cupboards and carpets.
- Keep receipts for any professional cleaning or repairs.
- Attend the check-out inspection if possible, or ask for a copy of the report.
- Return all keys, get written confirmation and give your forwarding address.
Knowing what letting agents look for at check-out helps you photograph the right things.
What to do if your landlord makes deductions
Once you and your landlord agree how much you’ll get back, the deposit must be returned within 10 days. If you disagree with a proposed deduction:
- Ask for an itemised breakdown with evidence, such as photos, invoices or quotes.
- Compare each item with the check-in inventory and your own photos.
- Reply in writing, explaining which items you dispute and why.
- If you still can’t agree, raise a dispute with the deposit scheme. It’s free, and both sides submit evidence to an independent adjudicator.
Adjudicators decide on evidence, not on who argues hardest. They don’t visit the property, so they rely on the written and photographic evidence each side submits, and the quality of your paperwork matters as much as the state of the oven.
Common mistakes that lose cleaning disputes
Disputes are usually lost on paperwork rather than on the state of the property. The most common mistakes, on either side, are:
- No check-in inventory, or one that simply says “clean” for every item.
- Photos with no dates, or check-out photos taken after contractors have already been in.
- Claiming a flat sum for “cleaning” with no breakdown of what was done.
- Tenants handing back keys before the cleaning is finished, or losing their cleaner’s invoice.
- Missing the scheme’s deadlines for submitting evidence.
- Arguing about general standards instead of comparing the property with the inventory.
Knowing what letting agents check at check-out helps you focus on what an adjudicator will actually look at.
Getting the property ready for check-out
If you’re short on time or already moving into a new place, our team can clean the property to inventory standard before your inspection. We work across Hull, Cottingham and the wider East Riding, follow letting-agent checklists, and offer a re-clean guarantee if something isn’t right.
Read more about our end of tenancy cleaning, or contact us for a fixed quote agreed before any work starts.
