What’s causing landlords and tenants to fall out of love in your region? Rental dispute reasons revealed

The latest data by rental deposit replacement scheme, Ome, has revealed which areas of the UK have seen the biggest uplift in deposit disputes, as well as the areas with the highest number of total disputes raised.

Research shows that London is home to the highest proportion of rental disagreements between landlords and tenants when it comes to the return of a deposit, accounting for 37% of all cases in the last year.

The South East came second with 16% of all disputes, while the North West also accounted for double-figure disputes at 11%.

However, when it comes to the change in dispute figures year on year, it is Yorkshire and the Humber that tops the table, with a notable 28% increase in the number of rental deposit disagreements seen within the rental market.

The East of England has also seen one of the largest increases at 17%, with the capital ranking third, up 7% in the last year.

It’s not all negative though, with the East Midlands and South West seeing a decline in deposit disputes, down -2% annually, while the West Midlands saw an increase of just 1%.

Poor communication as to why a deposit was to be withheld was the most frequent cause for disputes across every region other than the South East. In the South East the cleanliness of a property at check-out was found to be the number one cause of a dispute.

Cleaning, poor communication and damage to a property ranked as the top three issues across all regions other than the East Midlands where general redecoration ranked third along with cleaning and deposits as the biggest cause of a dispute.

Across the board, disputes resulting from the lack of explanation for withholding the deposit has seen the largest annual increase, up 12% year on year, followed by disputes on missing items from the property (+10%) and damage to the property (6%).

However, disputes concerning holding onto the deposit due to rent arrears have seen a year on year decline of -8% which should be encouraging for landlords.

Co-founder of Ome, Matthew Hooker, commented:

“Deposit disputes have always been a bone of contention within the rental industry and despite the sector’s diverse makeup, they tend to focus on the same issues concerning outstanding payments, damage, cleanliness, and missing inventory wherever you are.

The introduction of formal dispute resolution has, at least, eased the burden from the courts and a standardised approach has raised standards in the sector. However, despite this rental deposits remain a friction point for many tenants and landlords.

This tends to be most prevalent within London where the sums being disputed are far higher than other regions but as the data shows, the number of cases fluctuates regionally and will continue to do so year to year.

Unfortunately, there’s no one solution that can fix all when it comes to deposit disputes and it’s imperative that the industry continues to deal with each dispute on a case by case basis with an impartial body regulating this practice.”

Ranking by disputes %
Disputes 2018-19
Region
All %
Annual Change
Yorkshire and the Humber
5%
28%
East of England
7%
17%
London
37%
7%
North West
11%
6%
North East
3%
5%
Wales
2%
3%
South East
16%
2%
West Midlands
6%
1%
South West
8%
-2%
East Midlands
5%
-2%
All
100%
6%
Dispute Type
Annual Change
Deposit held with no reason
12%
Missing Items
10%
Damage
6%
Redecoration
4%
Other
3%
Cleaning
0.8%
rent arrears
-8%
Yorkshire and the Humber
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
39%
Cleaning
20%
Damage to property
15%
General redecoration
12%
Other deductions
8%
Missing / replacement items
3%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
2%
East of England
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
26%
Cleaning
25%
Damage to property
20%
General redecoration
16%
Other deductions
7%
Missing / replacement items
4%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
2%
London
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
30%
Damage to property
21%
Cleaning
18%
General redecoration
12%
Other deductions
11%
Missing / replacement items
5%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%
North West
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
35%
Cleaning
22%
Damage to property
16%
General redecoration
12%
Other deductions
8%
Missing / replacement items
4%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%
North East
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
36%
Cleaning
21%
Damage to property
16%
General redecoration
12%
Other deductions
7%
Missing / replacement items
4%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%
Wales
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
30%
Cleaning
28%
Damage to property
16%
General redecoration
11%
Other deductions
10%
Missing / replacement items
3%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
2%
South East
Dispute type
%
Cleaning
30%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
24%
Damage to property
17%
General redecoration
14%
Other deductions
9%
Missing / replacement items
3%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%
West Midlands
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
38%
Cleaning
21%
Damage to property
16%
General redecoration
10%
Other deductions
9%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%
Missing / replacement items
2%
South West
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
28%
Cleaning
27%
Damage to property
16%
General redecoration
16%
Other deductions
6%
Missing / replacement items
4%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
4%
East Midlands
Dispute type
%
Deposit not returned – no reason given by landlord
32%
Cleaning
25%
General redecoration
15%
Damage to property
14%
Other deductions
8%
Missing / replacement items
3%
Rent arrears / outstanding bills
3%

Properganda PR

National and local media coverage for property businesses. Journo quotes delivered in minutes.

You May Also Enjoy

Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove’s Weekly Mortgage Tracker – 01/07/25

Average rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Average rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 4.57% -0.05% -0.83% 5-year fixed 4.55% -0.04% -0.45%   Lowest rates for 2-year and 5-year fixed-rate mortgages   Term Lowest rate Weekly change Yearly change 2-year fixed 3.69% -0.13% -0.98% 5-year fixed 3.87% -0.01% -0.36%   Average…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing Insight Report Covering May 2025

Sales On average, there were around 11.5 homes placed for sale per member branch in May 2025. Lettings The average void period reported by member agents increased to just over three weeks in May 2025. We are seeing an average of 37% of housing transactions taking longer than 17 weeks to complete. The timescales are…
Read More
Breaking News

Rental Market Hotspots Drive National Growth

New analysis from FCC Paragon reveals modest national growth in rental demand across England in Q2 2025, up by 1.2% to 29.4%. However, this overall increase masks significant regional variation, with several counties experiencing substantial quarterly surges that are driving the market forward. The research shows that rental demand across England strengthened in Q2, up 1.2%…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 – Thoughts from the Industry

Nationwide House Price Index for June 2025 shows House prices fell by -0.8% between May and June of this year. On an annual basis, the average house price increased by 2.1% although this rate of growth had slowed from 3.5% the previous month. As a result, the average UK house price now sits at £271,619.…
Read More
Breaking News

Clarity still needed on key areas in Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords later today, 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging the UK Government and Peers to amendment Bill, so it is fit for purpose. There remain long-standing concerns about the capacity and capability of the Courts, with the time from claim to hearing…
Read More
Cozy Pet Cat Tree Grey
Breaking News

Pet deposits only option following UK Government U-turn on Renters’ Rights Bill

Ahead of Report Stage of the Renters’ Rights Bill in the House of Lords which kicks off later today, Tuesday 1 July 2025, Propertymark is urging Peers to support an amendment that would allow for an additional pet deposit now that the UK Government has tabled amendments to remove pet insurance requirements. Since the introduction…
Read More