Deposit Deductions · TDS
Missing Items or Furniture Deduction Under TDS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) 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 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 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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For a missing items case with TDS, 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 TDS handle a missing items 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 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.