Deposit Deductions · DPS
Marks on Walls / Redecoration Deduction Under DPS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with DPS (Deposit Protection Service) and your landlord is withholding money for redecoration or wall marks, 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 redecoration or wall marks
Scuffed paintwork and small nail holes from hanging pictures are ordinary wear and tear after any reasonable length of occupation, not tenant damage. Interior paintwork is also generally expected to need refreshing every few years regardless of tenancy.
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Check my case freeWhat to gather before you dispute it
For a redecoration or wall marks case with DPS, the evidence that actually moves the needle is photos of wall condition at move-out, and how long it had been since the property was last decorated before you moved in. 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 redecoration or wall marks 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 redecoration or wall marks?
- Scuffed paintwork and small nail holes from hanging pictures are ordinary wear and tear after any reasonable length of occupation, not tenant damage. Interior paintwork is also generally expected to need refreshing every few years regardless of tenancy.