The ratio of deposit disputes in England & Wales is just over 1% according to official figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The Government figures show that of the seven million (7,052,255) deposits that have been protected since the launch of the legislation in 2007, only 91,802 (1.3%) have ended up requiring formal dispute adjudication.

Eddie Hooker, Chief Executive of my|deposits, said: “TDP was introduced to protect the tenant’s money so it’s extremely encouraging to learn that only one per cent of tenants experience issues over the return of their deposit which they cannot sort out without the help of the schemes.

“It’s good news for tenants, as it shows the vast majority are happy with the return of their deposit at the end of the tenancy. It also shows that the relationship between landlord/agent and tenants is improving.”

There have been a total of 10,657 complaints, which are separate from disputes, about deposit protection and the service provided made to all three schemes during the same period, which accounts for just under 1,800 complaints a year.

All Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes are required to provide a free and impartial service to landlords and tenants who are unable to reach an agreement over the return of tenancy deposits.

The official government figures also show that the total number of deposits protected last year, which stands at 2,659,301, totals a whopping £2.6bn (£2,637,843,361).