Returning a tenant's deposit: the 10-day clock starts when you agree the amount, with dates worked for three move-outs

A tenant hands back the keys on a Friday and asks on Monday where the deposit is. The agent is not sure whether the clock is already running. The GOV.UK page is short and the answer turns on one word: agreeing.

What GOV.UK says

On the returning-your-deposit page, GOV.UK says the landlord must return the deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you'll get back. The clock starts at the agreement. The page gives no return deadline where no amount has been agreed, so I cannot give a date for that case.

The disputes page says the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the issue is sorted out. It also says the scheme offers a free dispute resolution service, that both sides must agree to use it, and that the decision is final. If a landlord cannot be contacted, the tenant can raise a dispute where the deposit is held by an approved scheme, and the scheme refunds it if the dispute service agrees. It adds that there may be a time limit for raising a dispute and that the tenant should contact the scheme quickly. It gave no figure for that limit.

The dates

I counted 10 days forward from the agreement date, with the agreement date as day 0. GOV.UK does not say whether the 10 days are calendar or working days or what happens over a bank holiday, so these dates use calendar days and the safe move is to pay before them.

For the second and third rows, pay in the week of the agreement rather than on day 10. A transfer sent on a Saturday does not help a tenant who has already left.

The deduction sum

Take rent of £1,300 a month. A weekly rent is £1,300 x 12 / 52 = £300, and a 5-week deposit is £1,500. Suppose the landlord and tenant agree these deductions: cleaning £180, an unpaid utility balance £95 and a damaged door £250.

• Deductions: £180 + £95 + £250 = £525
• Returned: £1,500 - £525 = £975

The figures are illustrative, not typical. The point is the order of events: the amounts are written down, both sides say yes, the date of that yes is recorded, and the 10 days run from it. For the cap itself, see the tenancy deposit cap calculator.

What to do

• Record the agreement date. Keep the message or email in which both sides accept the figure. It is the start of the clock.
• Send the agreed amount at once. Paying the undisputed part early is easier to defend than a late payment of the whole.
• If there is no agreement, use the scheme. The deposit is already held there; see the 30-day protection rule and check it was met.
• Keep your fees clean. Charging for things that are not permitted is a separate problem: see what happens if an agent charges a prohibited fee.

What I did not read

I did not read the scheme rules on what deductions are allowed, how fair wear and tear is treated, evidence requirements, the time limit for raising a dispute, or the position for the tenancy types that replaced assured shorthold tenancies beyond the one line on the returning page. I did not check the separate rules in Scotland or Northern Ireland, nor changes after 20 October 2026.

Overlyft builds AI staff who join your agency team and take the deposit file at move-out, draft the itemised deduction list, work out the day-10 date from the recorded agreement and prepare the transfer for a negotiator to approve.

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Check the GOV.UK pages and your deposit scheme's rules for the case in front of you.