Cleaning remained the leading cause of tenancy deposit disputes last year, accounting for almost three in 10 claims, according to new figures from The Deposit Protection Service (DPS).
The data shows that cleaning-related issues were responsible for 29.37% of all deposit claims in 2025, making it the most common source of disputes between landlords and tenants for the fifth consecutive year.
Damage to property was the second most common reason for a claim, accounting for 18.42% of cases, followed by rent arrears at 16.45%.
Under tenancy deposit rules, landlords can seek deductions from a tenant’s deposit to cover reasonable costs incurred during a tenancy. The DPS said cleaning has consistently remained the biggest area of disagreement when tenancies come to an end.
The figures also show that disputes relating to redecoration have become more common, increasing by 3.4 percentage points since 2021.
|
Claim reason |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Cleaning |
24.57% |
26.72% |
27.70% |
28.66% |
29.38% |
|
Damage |
14.60% |
16.68% |
17.70% |
18.16% |
18.42% |
|
Rent arrears |
17.71% |
19.74% |
18.74% |
17.31% |
16.45% |
|
Redecoration |
7.48% |
8.95% |
10.02% |
10.47% |
10.88% |
|
Other |
26.30% |
17.04% |
13.93% |
13.66% |
13.31% |
Matt Trevett, managing director, The DPS, said: “It’s interesting to see that the reasons behind deductions have remained fairly consistent during the last five years.
“We encourage tenants to make sure they understand their obligations whenever they leave a property – and landlords to communicate clearly around expectations at the end of a tenancy.
“Less than 5% of all deposits protected by The DPS end in a dispute and, if a tenant and landlord cannot agree on deductions, our impartial free-to-use dispute resolution service makes sure tenancies are settled fairly.”
