The most common reason for a deposit claim in the 2025 DPS data.
TENANCY DEPOSIT DATA · 2025
Cleaning remains the leading reason for deposit claims.
29.38%
of claims recorded by The Deposit Protection Service in 2025 related to cleaning—the highest individual category for the fifth year running.
Source: The Deposit Protection Service, published 11 June 2026.
THE COMPARISON
Cleaning sits ahead of damage, arrears and redecoration.
The second-largest individual claim category.
The third-largest category in the same dataset.
A smaller—but still material—reason for claims.
READ THE NUMBER CAREFULLY
A leading claim reason is not the same as every tenancy ending in dispute.
The DPS also reports that fewer than 5% of all deposits it protects end in a dispute. The useful lesson is not that a dispute is inevitable; it is that cleaning is one of the clearest areas where expectations, evidence and the final condition need to align.
A professional clean cannot guarantee a deposit outcome. Responsibility depends on the tenancy agreement, check-in condition, fair wear and tear, evidence and the decision of the relevant parties or deposit scheme.
REDUCING AVOIDABLE FRICTION
Three things matter before the keys are handed back.
Start with the check-in evidence
The required return condition should be understood in relation to the original inventory, photographs and tenancy obligations.
Define the cleaning brief
Ovens, carpets, internal cupboards, appliances and other details should be discussed rather than assumed.
Allow time for the finish
Leaving the clean until the final hours reduces the opportunity to address access issues, overlooked areas or separately scoped work.
Sources and further guidance
The figures on this page come from The Deposit Protection Service’s 2025 claims data. Government guidance explains how approved tenancy deposit schemes and dispute resolution work.
PREPARING FOR CHECK-OUT?