How Letting Agents Can Help Renters Get Their Full Tenancy Deposit Back

A new Google survey highlights just how easy it is for renters to lose chunks of their tenancy deposit over minor issues. The study points to everyday pitfalls like dirty ovens, scuffed walls, missing lightbulbs and shows many tenants simply avoid small repairs because they don’t know how to tackle them. A third reported losing between £500 and £999, with three-quarters admitting to skipping repairs due to a lack of knowledge on how to sort them.  

The good news? Letting agents are perfectly placed to stop this happening. Here’s a practical, step-by-step playbook to help your tenants walk away with their full deposit and keep your landlords’ properties in great condition.

Tips to Help Renters Receive Their Full Tenancy Deposit

1) Start strong: bullet-proof check-in

Produce a detailed, room-by-room inventory with time-stamped photos and meter readings. Have tenants review and sign it within seven days, and make it easy for them to add notes or photos of pre-existing marks so you can compare them with the state of the property at the end.

Provide a one-page “What good looks like” guide with photos showing acceptable cleanliness for kitchens, bathrooms, ovens, fridges, carpets and grout. If they’ve seen the standard, they can meet it.

2) Educate early: the “no-drama” maintenance guide

Under the Tenants Fees Act, you can’t demand tenants pay for “professional cleaning”, but you can require the property to be returned as clean as at move-in. Explain the difference in plain English and show examples.

Share quick guides on common, deposit-busting issues, how to fill small nail holes, replace bulbs, clean extractor filters, descale shower heads, tackle limescale and oven grease.

Many tenants lose money through inaction, not intent. And knowledge closes that gap. Give tenants a dedicated repairs portal or email with photo upload and set response times so niggles don’t snowball into deductions. Make sure your maintenance department can react promptly.

3) Mid-tenancy “health check” (at 6 to 9 months)

With notice, check ventilation, mould spots, leaks under sinks, grout and sealant and the condition of appliances. This allows you to tackle issues before they grow. £20 fixes prevent £200 clean-up claims.

4) Pre-exit MOT (4 to 6 weeks before move-out)

Offer tenants a voluntary 15-minute visit to highlight what will be assessed at check-out (oven interior, fridge seals, hob, skirtings, window tracks, limescale, garden, bins, marks on walls, furniture feet, mattress protectors and so on). Provide a tick-box move-out checklist, recommended eco cleaners and a realistic timeline for how long it should take to make things clear for the tenant.

Reiterate that age-related deterioration isn’t chargeable; only excess damage or reduced cleanliness is. (It defuses arguments and focuses effort where it matters.)

5) Check-out

Replicate your check-in photos so that like-for-like comparisons are obvious. Keep invoices, time logs and before/after images for any works you claim. Make sure you and the landlord base any claims on actual loss, such as cleaning to restore the condition or a reasonable contribution for the damage.

6) Coach tenants on the deposit process

Remind tenants that the tenancy deposit is protected and that alternative dispute resolution is free. Many renters don’t contest deductions, even though disputing tenants often win back the majority of claimed sums.

Encourage calm, evidence-led dialogue. Invite tenants to share their own time-stamped photos and receipts so you can have a level-headed conversation with tenants and the landlord to reach a fair resolution.

Invest in Property Management

A letting agent needs happy tenants and happy landlords, which puts you right in the middle of any tenancy deposit disputes. However, by helping guide tenants towards better practices, you can eliminate many of the highlighted reasons why they often lose some of these deposits at the end of their tenancy. You can play your part by outsourcing property management to Executive Property Management Solutions, where our team is on hand to provide a professional and consistent maintenance service, amongst many other activities. Call us today on 0208 5757630 to find out more.