According to the Annual Review 2020 from The Dispute Service (TDS), cleaning is the most common reason for tenancy deposit dispute claims.

The report from TDS looked at claims from TDS Insured, TDS Custodial, TDS Northern Ireland, and SafeDeposits Scotland. The other main reasons for deposit disputes included damage, rent arrears, redecoration and gardening.

Cleaning resulted in 42% of TDS Insured’s claims, 53% of TDS Custodial’s, 45% of TDS Northern Ireland’s, and 69% of SafeDeposit Scotland’s.

The data in this review also revealed that the proportion of disputes raised by tenants is increasing. In the 2018-19 review, it was at 67%, whereas in the latest review of 2019-20 it had increased to 74%.