Cleaning was again the top reason for deposit claims in 2025, accounting for very nearly 30% of claims.
That’s the news from the Deposit Protection Service (DPS).
Its figures show that a need to clean the property has been the most common reason in each of the last five years.
| Claim reason | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Cleaning | 24.57% | 26.72% | 27.70% | 28.66% | 29.38% |
| Damage | 14.60% | 16.68% | 17.70% | 18.16% | 18.42% |
| Rent arrears | 17.71% | 19.74% | 18.74% | 17.31% | 16.45% |
| Redecoration | 7.48% | 8.95% | 10.02% | 10.47% | 10.88% |
| Other | 26.30% | 17.04% | 13.93% | 13.66% | 13.31% |
Managing director Matt Trevett says: “We encourage tenants to make sure they understand their obligations whenever they leave a property – and landlords to communicate clearly around expectations at the end of a tenancy.
“Less than 5% of all deposits protected by The DPS end in a dispute and, if a tenant and landlord cannot agree on deductions, our impartial free-to-use dispute resolution service makes sure tenancies are settled fairly.”
Repairing damage (18.42%) and covering arrears (16.45%) were the second and third most common reasons for a claim respectively in 2025.
Redecoration-related claims increased by 3.40% between 2021 and 2025, The DPS added.
