Advice Needed – £643 Deposit Deductions (No Inventory, No Evidence Provided)

RandomUser6758

Hi everyone,

I’ve just finished my tenancy in student accommodation, and my landlord has made seven deductions from my deposit totalling £643.

Deductions:

• £219 – Curtain replacement (new, not in original charges)
• £109.99 – Kitchen sink repair (my share)
• £50 – Wardrobe replacement
• £205.17 – Utility overuse (Mar–Jul 2025)
• £21.67 – Kitchen cleaning (bottom kitchen)
• £19.05 – Utility overuse (1–17 Aug)
• £18.33 – Oven cleaning

I’ve disputed all of them through the TDS, as the landlord provided no proper evidence: no signed check-in/check-out inventory, no dated photos, no invoices, and no utility bills or meter readings.

During my tenancy, I reported a broken wardrobe and blocked sink through the PropertyFile maintenance app. The tickets were marked cancelled because the landlord uses her own contractors but the issues were never resolved. I repeatedly followed up via email (proof available) and even re-reported the same problems months apart.

For example, the wardrobe issue was logged twice and left unrepaired. The sink was only given verbal advice (“be careful”) and later marked “resolved”, I was not charged for this at any point during the tenancy. I’ve asked for a repair invoice  to justify the charge of £109.99 none has ever been provided. I highly doubt if they fixed the sink drain issue, from what I suspect it is, they might have just changed the pipe connecting under the sink. I have further reported mold on curtains and walls at tenancy start via maintenance app. Multiple inspections conducted, photos taken by landlord's contractors, but marked as “cancelled”,  never repaired despite repeated visits

I also paid £75.00 earlier in the tenancy (Sep 2024–Feb 2025) in utilities and now request a refund, as no supporting evidence has been offered.

I also have end-of-tenancy photos/videos showing the oven was clean and my area left tidy.

The landlord is now charging me for things that:

• Were never repaired,
• Are normal wear and tear, or
• Have no proof of overuse/damage.

Key Problems:

• No documentation for utility claims (despite requests)
• No check-in/out inventory with dated photos
• Pre-existing issues charged to me
• Claimed damages fall under fair wear and tear
• I was charged for a kitchen I rarely used

My Evidence:

• End-of-tenancy photos/videos
• Maintenance logs marked “cancelled”
• Emails and payment records
• No move-in photos (uploaded to PropertyFile, now inaccessible)

My Questions:

1. How can I strengthen my TDS dispute wording (1000-character limit per deduction)?
2. Am I within my rights to request copies of the images and documents I uploaded to the third-party maintenance app (PropertyFile) used by my letting agent?
3. Will maintenance app screenshots and emails count as valid evidence?
4. How to challenge utility deductions without bills or meter readings?
5. Any phrases or points adjudicators tend to find persuasive?
6. What should I avoid mentioning that might weaken my case?
7. How strong is my case without move-in photos but with maintenance logs?
8. Can landlords add new charges (like the curtains) after initial deductions?
9. Should I highlight the £280 utility claim has zero supporting evidence?
10. Does the fact that repair tickets were “cancelled” after I reported them strengthen my case?

Any advice from people with TDS/DPS dispute experience would be really appreciated.

Thank you!

Uriziel

I don't understand the "were never repaired" bit. What are you trying to say there? Did you break it or not? Did it break on its own?
The landlord cannot charge you for something that you did not break and that is due to wear and tear. They can only charge you for something that you have broken.
The overuse of utilities is also nonsense. Were you using the utilities normally? Just using lights? Charging computers? Nothing special? Then there is simply no way they can say that you overused.

You already have disputed this via the scheme so there is nothing else you can do apart from that. You should have recorded a video of the flat when you moved in and then when you moved out and uploaded it to YouTube on the day as evidence.

They rip you off because you're a naive and gullible student and you will end up giving in to avoid stress.

Start typing up a timeline of all of the things you are mentioning so you can provide it and refer to it.

RandomUser6758

Uriziel said:

I don't understand the "were never repaired" bit. What are you trying to say there? Did you break it or not? Did it break on its own?
The landlord cannot charge you for something that you did not break and that is due to wear and tear. They can only charge you for something that you have broken.
The overuse of utilities is also nonsense. Were you using the utilities normally? Just using lights? Charging computers? Nothing special? Then there is simply no way they can say that you overused.

You already have disputed this via the scheme so there is nothing else you can do apart from that. You should have recorded a video of the flat when you moved in and then when you moved out and uploaded it to YouTube on the day as evidence.

They rip you off because you're a naive and gullible student and you will end up giving in to avoid stress.

Start typing up a timeline of all of the things you are mentioning so you can provide it and refer to it.

For instance, the wardrobe in my room was quite flimsy from the start. The door came off the hinge when I opened it, and I reported this back in March. Someone did come to inspect it and simply moved the broken door outside, but no further action was taken. I followed up again closer to July to ensure it was documented before the end of my tenancy, especially since the issue still hadn’t been resolved.

For over four months since the initial report and till the end of my tenancy, I’ve had to use the wardrobe without a door. I also mentioned in emails to my lettings agent via email, that the way the door came off could have caused injury, which makes this a safety concern. To clarify, I did not cause the damage the wardrobe appeared worn out, likely from overuse over the years. Had it been replaced during my tenancy, I would’ve understood being charged, as I’d have been able to use a functional wardrobe. However, that wasn’t the case.

By "not repaired," I mean that whenever I raised an issue through the propertyfile, someone would usually come and inspect it, but instead of properly fixing the problem, they would just suggest temporary ways to manage it. This approach didn’t resolve the issue and, in some cases, allowed it to get worse over time. It felt more like a short-term patch than a proper repair, which was frustrating as a tenant trying to maintain the space responsibly.

Secondly, regarding the utility charges: I accepted the £75 per tenant charge for the September 2024 to February 2025 period, understanding that heating use can vary during the winter, especially in student accommodation. However, given the ongoing stress caused by unresolved maintenance issues and lack of clear communication, I did request that they provide the actual utility bills for this period. I felt it was only fair to understand how these charges were calculated.

The £205.17 charge per tenant for the March to July 2025 period seems unusually high. This was during peak summer, when radiators weren’t in use and days were longer, so less lighting and heating would typically be required. Even if some tenants used fans, it’s hard to see how that would lead to such a high overuse amount.

I also wasn’t aware of the YouTube upload option, but I’ll do my best to present a clear and fair case based on the information and records I do have.

monkey-fingers

You just have to follow the process. TDS will contact you when they've made a decision (if the Landlord accepts it as a dispute and adjudication)

Purplelady65

Hopefully the TDS will rule in your favour. The fact you have raised issues and nothing has been done to fix them and are now being charged for the very issues you raised seems very unfair. When my daughter was a student one of her landlords tried to make significant deductions to all the house mates deposits eg saying the grout in the bathroom wasn’t white (this was a bathroom with no windows so the only ventilation was a little fan that came on when the light was switched on), that the microwave, oven and job had been left dirty (I’d been there when they moved out and seen them fully clean it), damage to a little patch of flooring caused by water from a freezer (the seal on the door was faulty and had been reported but nothing ever done). My daughter responded on behalf of all the other students disputing the deductions but the landlord would only reduce a small amount from a total of £2,500 in deposits. My daughter then lodged a complaint with TDS who ruled in favour of the students bar £100. 

saajan_12

RandomUser6758 said:)

My Evidence:

• Maintenance logs marked “cancelled”

My Questions:

2. Am I within my rights to request copies of the images and documents I uploaded to the third-party maintenance app (PropertyFile) used by my letting agent?
3. Will maintenance app screenshots and emails count as valid evidence?
7. How strong is my case without move-in photos but with maintenance logs?
10. Does the fact that repair tickets were “cancelled” after I reported them strengthen my case?!

You're putting too much focus on the portal and repairs during the tenancy - while that does sound unreasonable,  the time to escalate was then. Its now largely irrelevant to the deposit deductions. 
(unless the problems actually got worse but that's not the case here). 

The question is did you (the tenants colelctively) tenants damage the items through negligence or was it normal wear and tear. If Tenants, then they can deduct for the reasonable cost to repair, regardless of when or if they do it. If wear & tear, then its their own problem.
- Eg on the wardrobe, I'd focus on the fact that it was flimsy and broke in the course of normal use, you didn't jerk it or hang heavy things on it etc.
- Eg on the sink, I'd focus on the cause, plus what an appropriate fix is - if it only needs a pipe replacement, that's all that can be charged, regardless of whether they choose to replace the lot or leave it as is for the next tenant to suffer through. 

On some of your other questions / points: 

RandomUser6758 said:
Key Problems:

• No documentation for utility claims (despite requests)
• No check-in/out inventory with dated photos
• Pre-existing issues charged to me
• Claimed damages fall under fair wear and tear
• I was charged for a kitchen I rarely used

To check, is it a joint tenancy with all the tenants on one agreement or an individual tenancy for just your room and access to the shared areas? 
If joint, then who used the kitchen is largely irrelevant - the deductions are against the group, and if you disagree with the split, that's something to take up with the co-tenants. So woudln't focus on this, rather on the cause being normal use or poor use. 

The other problems with their proof are legit problems, so you have a good chance here. 
 

RandomUser6758 said:

My Questions:

1. Can landlords add new charges (like the curtains) after initial deductions?

Yes, there's no particular requirement for a list of deductions to be given in one go. Of course the adjudicator may read into why the delay for one item (eg if it was obvious damage, they might be suspicious why it was missed) but they could go either way. 

RandomUser6758 said:

Deductions:

• £205.17 – Utility overuse (Mar–Jul 2025)
• £19.05 – Utility overuse (1–17 Aug)

I also paid £75.00 earlier in the tenancy (Sep 2024–Feb 2025) in utilities and now request a refund, as no supporting evidence has been offered.

1. !

Not clear to me how the utilities worked - was it included in the rent with a fair usage clause, or was there a specific payment for utilities that was paid via the LL? 

Did you not take meter readings when you moved in / out?