Deposit Deductions · TDS
Carpet Damage Deduction Under TDS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) and your landlord is withholding money for carpet stain or damage, the process and the arguments that work both depend on which scheme is involved. Here's what matters for your specific situation.
How TDS disputes actually work
TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) is the only scheme offering both custodial and insured protection, and the only one open to letting agents as members in their own right. You raise a dispute through TDS's online case portal. Both sides are given 14 days to submit evidence — photos, the check-in/check-out inventory, receipts, correspondence. An independent adjudicator then reviews everything and decides on the balance of probabilities, usually within 30 working days. The decision is binding, with no internal appeal.
TDS's own 2024/25 statistical briefing found cleaning was the single most common trigger for a dispute, appearing in 54% of all cases it handled that year.
What the law says about carpet stain or damage
Carpets are widely treated by adjudicators as having a useful life of around ten years. The longer your tenancy, the more a claim must be discounted for age and prior wear — a landlord cannot charge you for the cost of a brand-new carpet when the old one was already partway through its useful life ("betterment").
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Check my case freeWhat to gather before you dispute it
For a carpet stain or damage case with TDS, the evidence that actually moves the needle is the age of the carpet at move-in, photos of its condition, and any invoice the landlord provides for repair or replacement. Without it, you're relying on the general legal principle alone — which still helps, but evidence wins disputes faster.
Frequently asked questions
- How does TDS handle a carpet stain or damage dispute?
- You raise a dispute through TDS's online case portal. Both sides are given 14 days to submit evidence — photos, the check-in/check-out inventory, receipts, correspondence. An independent adjudicator then reviews everything and decides on the balance of probabilities, usually within 30 working days. The decision is binding, with no internal appeal.
- Can my landlord charge me for carpet stain or damage?
- Carpets are widely treated by adjudicators as having a useful life of around ten years. The longer your tenancy, the more a claim must be discounted for age and prior wear — a landlord cannot charge you for the cost of a brand-new carpet when the old one was already partway through its useful life ("betterment").