Tenancy Deposit Claims
Didn’t get your deposit back? Let’s fix that.
Landlords must follow strict rules when taking, protecting, and returning tenancy deposits. If they don’t, you could be entitled to compensation of up to three times your deposit amount. Complex Law makes the process straightforward, fast, and easy to understand – in plain English.
The Facts
What is a tenancy deposit claim?
If you rent under an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST), there are laws governing how your deposit is handled. Your landlord must protect your deposit in a government‑approved scheme, provide the required prescribed information, and return your deposit fairly and promptly at the end of the tenancy. We help tenants take effective legal action when landlords fail to protect or return deposits properly.
The law
Under the Housing Act 2004, landlords, and by extension their agents, are obliged to protect your tenancy deposit in a government-authorised scheme, and provide you with details of the scheme and how it operates, within 30 days of receiving the deposit. At the end of the tenancy, deposits must be returned promptly, with any deductions being fair, evidenced, and agreed or adjudicated.
Your rights
Yes, depending on the issue and the evidence, you may be able to obtain a court order obliging the landlord to return your deposit. You may also be able to recover compensation from the landlord for failing to comply with the law, up to an amount equal to three times the total deposit. You may also be able to recover any legal costs in successful proceedings.
Next steps
Check the protection status of your deposit. You can use TDS, DPS, and MyDeposits online lookups with your details and property address. Gather documents: tenancy agreement(s), deposit receipts, emails/texts, check‑in/out inventories, inspection reports, and any correspondence about deductions. Contact Complex Law, and we’ll assess your tenancy, timelines, and evidence to determine the best course of action.
How Complex Law can help
We help tenants take fast, effective action when landlords fail to protect or return deposits. Work with us for straightforward advice, quick timelines, and robust negotiation – backed by court action if necessary.
Common non‑compliance scenarios
Common issues we handle include: your landlord failing to protect your deposit in an appropriate scheme, returning it late without justification, or making unfair or unnecessary deductions from the deposit.
Managing your claim
We collect evidence, draft the letter of claim, negotiate with the landlord/agent, and issue proceedings if needed. We’ll also advise on alternative dispute resolution with the deposit scheme if appropriate.
No‑win, no‑fee available
We offer a range of funding options. In appropriate claims for compensation, we may act on a no‑win‑no‑fee basis. We’ll let you know the options available to you at the outset and clearly explain all associated costs.
How we calculate costs
Where no-win, no-fee applies, we’ll usually charge 25% plus VAT of any compensation you are awarded. In other cases, we offer fixed or staged fees where possible to reduce the financial impact.
Do you have a claim?
If you’re in a dispute with your landlord or agency about the return of a deposit after the end of a tenancy, check if any of the points on our checklist apply to you.
If so, you may be able to claim 1–3 times your deposit, and the return of the deposit itself. Speak to Complex Law for clear next steps.
Claim checklist
Your landlord did not protect your deposit in an approved scheme.
You weren’t given the required information about the scheme within 30 days.
Your deposit was protected late or in the wrong name.
Your deposit was returned late, or unfair deductions were taken.
Legal services tailored to your needs
Our practice is focused on three areas of law: Consumer Claims, Individuals, and Businesses (Complex 360), making it easy to match your legal issue with the right team and strategy.
Consumer Claims
If you’ve been missold a loan or targeted by fraudsters or scammers, you don’t have to face the fallout alone. We’ll represent you on a no-win, no-fee basis.
What Others Say
Hear from our past clients
We’re proud of our success rate. Over the last four decades, we’ve helped thousands of clients secure the judgments, compensation, settlements, or resolutions they were seeking.
Excellent rating
Paul W
Ridiculously easy to check and apply. All the searching is done for you in literally one minute. A soft credit check is required but doesn't impact your score. Go and claim what’s rightly owed!
Kathleen H
This is the first time I have contacted Complex Law. It was easy and I got a quick response. I was shocked how many finance companies they found within half an hour. There was no way I would have remembered these companies.
Sidali S
Really pleased with how easy it was to fill out the complaint form. The layout was clear, and the steps were simple to follow, which made the whole process quick and stress-free. It’s great to see such an efficient and user-friendly system in place.
Frequently asked questions
If you don’t find the answer to your question here, get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.
Yes, whether you are still living in the property or have received all or part of your deposit back from the landlord does not affect whether you have grounds for a tenancy deposit claim. You may still claim for past non‑compliance even if the deposit has been repaid, and you can also challenge unfair deductions separately.
Making a claim for an incorrectly protected deposit, or for non-return or unfair deductions, does not affect your rights as a tenant. If you’re still occupying the property during or after the claim and face unfair treatment, threats of eviction, or further disputes with your landlord or agency, speak to Complex Law and we’ll advise on the best way to handle the issue.
We always strive for fair and prompt settlements, but exact timelines depend on the complexity of the claim and the level of cooperation from the landlord or agency. Many tenancy deposit claims are settled within a matter of weeks after sending a formal notice of claim. If the case must go to court, however, the timeline may be closer to several months.
If your landlord protected your deposit in an approved scheme, but did so outside the permitted window – 30 days from receipt of the deposit, then a court may still decide to apply a penalty, depending on the exact facts of the case. As with failure to protect the deposit, this can still trigger a penalty of 1–3 times the deposit and can invalidate a Section 21 notice until compliance is made.
Yes. Failure to serve prescribed information within 30 days constitutes a breach that may result in a penalty. If you never received the prescribed information about the scheme your landlord used to protect your deposit, or you received it more than 30 days after paying your deposit to the landlord, then you may have grounds for legal action. Speak to Complex Law to explore your options
.svg)
