Deposit
£1,400
For tenants · England & Wales · Small claims under £10,000
Get your deposit back.
Up to 3× if it was never protected.
Landlord keeping your deposit or making deductions that don’t add up? Under the Housing Act 2004, deposits must be protected within 30 days — if yours wasn’t, you can claim 1× to 3× the deposit as a penalty on top.
We help you prepare the documents and file them yourself — you’re always the claimant on the record. Not a law firm, no legal advice given.
✓ Unprotected deposit — 1×–3× penalty under s.214
✓ Fair wear and tear arguable
✓ s.69 interest at 8% recoverable
Up to 3× deposit penalty ✓
3×
Maximum penalty for an unprotected deposit under Housing Act 2004 s.214 — on top of the deposit itself.
30 days
The window landlords have to protect a deposit and provide the prescribed information after it’s paid.
£500–£2.5k
Typical deposit-dispute claim — well inside the small-claims track for unrepresented tenants.
Can you take this to court?
Five checks.
If most are yes, you’ve got a claim.
Deposit cases come in two shapes: unfair deductions, or unprotected deposits. The second is far more powerful — the landlord can owe you up to 4× the deposit before you even argue the wear-and-tear.
1
Your landlord hasn’t returned the deposit within 10 days of you agreeing the deductions.
2
Your landlord has made deductions you believe are unfair or excessive.
3
Your deposit was not protected in a government-approved scheme (DPS, TDS, MyDeposits).
4
You have an inventory, check-in report, or photos showing the property’s condition.
5
Your tenancy has ended and you’ve vacated the property.
· Eligibility self-check
✓Your landlord hasn’t returned the deposit within 10 days of you agreeing the deductions.
✓Your landlord has made deductions you believe are unfair or excessive.
✓Your deposit was not protected in a government-approved scheme (DPS, TDS, MyDeposits).
✓You have an inventory, check-in report, or photos showing the property’s condition.
What CourtPilot drafts for you
Pleaded to s.214.
Not a template.
Generic deposit letters miss the statutory remedy. CourtPilot drafts to the specific scheme rules — DPS, TDS or MyDeposits — and pleads the unprotected-deposit penalty under s.214 Housing Act 2004 where it applies.
1
Letter Before Action — Names the tenancy, the deposit, the deductions in dispute and — if relevant — the s.214 penalty. 14-day deadline under the Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct.
2
Inventory comparison — Side-by-side of check-in vs check-out, with your photos exhibited — the document that wins most deposit hearings.
3
Particulars of Claim — Pleaded to CPR Part 16, citing Housing Act 2004 s.213–s.214 where the deposit was unprotected or the prescribed information wasn’t served.
4
Witness statement & court bundle — Your account, the tenancy agreement, the inventory and the photos — indexed and paginated for the hearing.
9:415G
Re: Tenancy deposit — 27 Chestnut Avenue
Dear Mrs Okafor,
I write before issuing a claim in the County Court. The deposit of £1,400 paid on 3 March 2024 in respect of the AST at 27 Chestnut Avenue was not protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, contrary to Housing Act 2004 s.213.
I therefore seek the return of the deposit in full, plus a penalty of three times the deposit under s.214 of the Act…
s.214 penalty
£4,200
Total sought
£5,600
Deadline
14 days
Download Word doc →
The cost of being heard
Solicitors rarely take deposit cases.
The maths doesn’t work.
On a £1,400 deposit, even a £4,200 s.214 penalty wouldn’t cover a solicitor’s fees on the small-claims track. That’s why tenants run these cases themselves — and win them.
What a solicitor charges
£800–£2,000
Plus their hourly rate after that
Typical solicitor fee for a small-claims deposit case — and they’ll often decline unless the s.214 penalty is in play. Not recoverable on the small-claims track.
What CourtPilot charges
£97
One-off · the lot
LBA, inventory comparison, particulars, witness statement, MCOL walkthrough, court bundle. One-off — credited against the £9.97 if you sent the letter first.
What changes
Nothing
You’re still the claimant
Same court, same forms, same procedure. You sign and file. We draft, walk you through MCOL, and produce the bundle.
Pricing, in one breath
£9.97 today. £97 if it goes the distance.
Send the letter first. Most disputes settle once a proper LBA lands. If yours doesn’t, the £9.97 comes off the toolkit — same total either way.
01 · Today
£9.97
Letter Before Action
Drafted from your tenancy and inventory, names the deductions in dispute and — where it applies — the s.214 penalty. Lots of landlords pay up once the statute is cited.
02 · If they don’t settle
£97
£87.03
Upgrade to the full toolkit
MCOL walkthrough, particulars, inventory comparison, witness statement, court bundle, hearing script. £9.97 credited automatically.
03 · Included
Free
Scheme ADR helper
If your deposit was protected, the scheme’s ADR is free and faster than court. We’ll tell you which is the cleaner route for your facts.
The questions people ask
The bits people always ask.
What if my deposit was not protected in a scheme?+
If your landlord failed to protect the deposit in DPS, TDS or MyDeposits within 30 days of payment, you can claim compensation of 1× to 3× the deposit under Housing Act 2004 s.214 — on top of the deposit itself. The court has discretion on the multiplier, but unprotected deposits are one of the strongest tenant claims in the small-claims track.
What counts as fair wear and tear?+
Fair wear and tear covers gradual deterioration from normal everyday living — faded curtains, minor scuffs on walls, worn carpet near doorways. Landlords cannot deduct for these. They can only deduct for actual damage beyond normal use, such as holes in walls or stained carpets from spills. Photos and a dated inventory are your best evidence.
Do I need to use the deposit scheme’s ADR first?+
If the deposit was protected, the scheme offers free Alternative Dispute Resolution. You don’t have to use it — you can go straight to court — but it’s worth trying first as it’s free and usually faster. If the deposit was unprotected, court is your only route.
How much can I claim?+
The full deposit amount wrongly withheld, plus up to 3× the deposit as a penalty if it was unprotected. You can also claim court fees and s.69 interest at 8% per year.
What evidence do I need?+
Your tenancy agreement, proof of deposit payment, the check-in and check-out inventories, dated photos and any correspondence with the landlord about deductions. For an unprotected-deposit claim, you really only need the tenancy agreement and proof the deposit was paid — the burden is on the landlord to show they protected it.
Two minutes · No card
Find out what your deposit is really worth.
Free case check tells you whether you’ve got an unprotected-deposit claim, what to value it at, and the exact next step. No card required.