Deposit Deductions · DPS
Garden Not Maintained Deduction Under DPS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with DPS (Deposit Protection Service) and your landlord is withholding money for garden maintenance, the process and the arguments that work both depend on which scheme is involved. Here's what matters for your specific situation.
How DPS disputes actually work
DPS (Deposit Protection Service) is purely custodial — DPS holds the actual deposit money itself for the whole tenancy, not your landlord. Because DPS holds the money directly, raising a dispute simply freezes the disputed portion while any undisputed amount is released to you immediately. Both sides submit evidence online, an adjudicator reviews it, and the ring-fenced sum is paid out according to the decision.
DPS is the largest of the three schemes by volume, protecting more deposits in England and Wales than TDS or mydeposits.
What the law says about garden maintenance
Garden disputes usually turn on exactly what your tenancy agreement required. If it only asked you to keep the garden "tidy," a landlord cannot charge for professional landscaping, replanting, or lawn treatment beyond that standard.
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Check my case freeWhat to gather before you dispute it
For a garden maintenance case with DPS, the evidence that actually moves the needle is your tenancy agreement's exact wording on garden upkeep, and photos of the garden at move-out. Without it, you're relying on the general legal principle alone — which still helps, but evidence wins disputes faster.
Frequently asked questions
- How does DPS handle a garden maintenance dispute?
- Because DPS holds the money directly, raising a dispute simply freezes the disputed portion while any undisputed amount is released to you immediately. Both sides submit evidence online, an adjudicator reviews it, and the ring-fenced sum is paid out according to the decision.
- Can my landlord charge me for garden maintenance?
- Garden disputes usually turn on exactly what your tenancy agreement required. If it only asked you to keep the garden "tidy," a landlord cannot charge for professional landscaping, replanting, or lawn treatment beyond that standard.