Deposit Deductions · TDS
Garden Not Maintained Deduction Under TDS? How to Dispute It
If your deposit is protected with TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) 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 TDS disputes actually work
TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) is the only scheme offering both custodial and insured protection, and the only one open to letting agents as members in their own right. You raise a dispute through TDS's online case portal. Both sides are given 14 days to submit evidence — photos, the check-in/check-out inventory, receipts, correspondence. An independent adjudicator then reviews everything and decides on the balance of probabilities, usually within 30 working days. The decision is binding, with no internal appeal.
TDS's own 2024/25 statistical briefing found cleaning was the single most common trigger for a dispute, appearing in 54% of all cases it handled that year.
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 TDS, 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 TDS handle a garden maintenance dispute?
- You raise a dispute through TDS's online case portal. Both sides are given 14 days to submit evidence — photos, the check-in/check-out inventory, receipts, correspondence. An independent adjudicator then reviews everything and decides on the balance of probabilities, usually within 30 working days. The decision is binding, with no internal appeal.
- 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.