Claim the whole price of a six-year-old carpet and you lose the lot.
Deposit claims fail on arithmetic far more often than on evidence. Work the deduction the way adjudicators work it, item by item, with the before and after photographs sitting next to the figure.
What can a landlord deduct from a deposit?
Only the value that was actually lost, and only the share of it that is the tenant’s doing. The commonest way a landlord loses a deposit dispute is by claiming the full replacement cost of something that was already part-worn, because that would leave them with a better item than they started with, at the tenant’s expense.
Deposit schemes apportion instead. A carpet that costs £600 to replace, with a ten year life, already six years old, has four of its ten years left. The claimable amount is that share, £240, and then only the part of the damage that is beyond ordinary wear and tear. Fair wear and tear is never deductible, and an item that has reached the end of its expected life has no remaining value to lose, so the honest claim on it is nothing however bad it looks.
LetCompliance does this on the check-out itself. Against each item that fell, you enter what it costs to replace, how long it was expected to last and how old it was, and the claimable figure is worked out in front of you, with what you absorb shown next to it.
The figure and its working then go into the evidence pack: the replacement cost, the life remaining, the share of fault and the before and after photographs, on the same page. A number on its own is an assertion. The same number with its arithmetic beside it is an argument the other side can check.
Three reasons a claim that felt fair still fails.
The full price of a part-worn item
Replacing a six-year-old carpet with a new one leaves you better off than you were, funded by the tenant, and schemes will not allow it. The claim is the share of life the item had left. Ask for all of it and you invite the whole line to be refused rather than reduced.
No condition to compare against
A deduction needs a before as well as an after. Walk the property at check-in and again at check-out and the two are paired for you: what changed, by how much, and with the photographs from both days on the same row.
Wear and tear counted as damage
Carpets flatten, paint marks and hinges loosen. That is ordinary use and it is never deductible. Each item carries a share of responsibility, so a scuff shared with fair wear is costed as a share and not as a replacement.
How the deduction is worked out
- 01
Walk the property twice
Once at check-in, once at check-out, on a phone, with photographs. The two walks are paired automatically, item by item.
- 02
See exactly what changed
Each item shows the condition it was in, the condition it is in, and how far it fell, with the pair of photographs side by side.
- 03
Cost the items that fell far enough
Enter the replacement cost, the expected life and the age. The claimable amount and the part you absorb are worked out as you type.
- 04
The working goes into the pack
Each figure appears with its arithmetic and its photographs, and the pack totals the claim rather than leaving you to add it up.
The apportionment above is the approach the deposit protection schemes describe in their own adjudication guidance, not a statutory formula, and every dispute turns on its own evidence. Deposits in England and Wales must be protected in an approved scheme. Checked against gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection on 2 August 2026. This is not legal advice.
The deduction is the end of a tenancy you already ran here.
The evidence is strong because it was collected as you went, not assembled at the end. That is the same login the rest of the let runs in.
Check-in and check-out reports with photographs
Repairs logged with before and after pictures
Rent by Direct Debit, with late payments chased
A free tenant portal, no password to remember
SA105, Section 24 and capital gains figures
A live 0 to 100 score for every property
Questions, answered
- How much can I claim for a damaged carpet?
- The share of its life that was left, then the share of the damage that is the tenant’s rather than ordinary wear. A £600 carpet with a ten year life that is six years old has four years left, so £240 is the starting point, and less again if the damage is partly fair wear. Claiming the full £600 is the single commonest reason a deposit claim is refused.
- What is betterment?
- Ending up with a better item than you started with, paid for by the tenant. Replacing a part-worn carpet with a new one at the tenant’s cost is betterment, which is why schemes apportion the claim over the life the item had left rather than allowing the replacement price.
- Can I deduct for fair wear and tear?
- No. Carpets flatten, paintwork marks and fittings loosen with ordinary use, and none of that is deductible. Only damage beyond ordinary wear is, which is why each item is costed with a share of responsibility rather than as an all-or-nothing replacement.
- What if the item was already at the end of its life?
- Then there is nothing left to lose and the honest claim is nothing, however bad the damage looks. The software says so rather than quietly returning a zero, because "you cannot claim for this" and "the sum came to nothing" need different words on screen.
- What evidence do I need?
- A record of the condition at the start and at the end. Walk the property at check-in and again at check-out with photographs, and the two are paired item by item, so what changed is shown rather than argued. Without a check-in there is no baseline, and the page tells you that plainly rather than letting you cost an item you cannot evidence.
- Does the pack show how the figure was reached?
- Yes. Each claim is printed with its replacement cost, the years of life remaining, the share of responsibility and the photographs from both walks. A total on its own asks the other side to take it on trust; the working lets them check it.
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Ask for the right number and you are far more likely to get it.
Walk the property at check-in, walk it again at the end, and the deduction works itself out with the evidence attached. Free forever for one property.
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