Deposit Deductions · DPS
Missing Items or Furniture Deduction Under DPS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with DPS (Deposit Protection Service) and your landlord is withholding money for missing items, the process and the arguments that work both depend on which scheme is involved. Here's what matters for your specific situation.
How DPS disputes actually work
DPS (Deposit Protection Service) is purely custodial — DPS holds the actual deposit money itself for the whole tenancy, not your landlord. Because DPS holds the money directly, raising a dispute simply freezes the disputed portion while any undisputed amount is released to you immediately. Both sides submit evidence online, an adjudicator reviews it, and the ring-fenced sum is paid out according to the decision.
DPS is the largest of the three schemes by volume, protecting more deposits in England and Wales than TDS or mydeposits.
What the law says about missing items
Claims for missing items are comparatively easier for a landlord to sustain, but they still carry the burden of proving the item was present at check-in and in what condition — ideally through a signed inventory. Without one, it becomes your word against theirs.
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Check my case freeWhat to gather before you dispute it
For a missing items case with DPS, the evidence that actually moves the needle is the check-in inventory, and any photos or receipts you have showing the item's presence and condition. Without it, you're relying on the general legal principle alone — which still helps, but evidence wins disputes faster.
Frequently asked questions
- How does DPS handle a missing items dispute?
- Because DPS holds the money directly, raising a dispute simply freezes the disputed portion while any undisputed amount is released to you immediately. Both sides submit evidence online, an adjudicator reviews it, and the ring-fenced sum is paid out according to the decision.
- Can my landlord charge me for missing items?
- Claims for missing items are comparatively easier for a landlord to sustain, but they still carry the burden of proving the item was present at check-in and in what condition — ideally through a signed inventory. Without one, it becomes your word against theirs.