Tenant deposit guide
How to get your deposit back in Glasgow.
Your deposit is protected by law and disputes are decided on evidence. Here is how the schemes work, what a landlord can and cannot deduct, and how to protect your money.
Checked August 2026.
Written from real Glasgow checkouts. Deposit-back guarantee on every clean we do.
The basics
Where your deposit sits, and why it matters.
On a private residential tenancy in Scotland your deposit must be lodged with one of three approved Scottish schemes within 30 working days of the tenancy starting: SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland or mydeposits Scotland. Thirty working days is roughly six calendar weeks, and it is a Scottish rule, not the 30-day English one. In the same window you must be given the prescribed information: which scheme holds the money, how much, when it was lodged and what tenancy it covers.
At the end of the tenancy your landlord submits a repayment proposal to the scheme. You accept it or you dispute it inside the window the scheme sets, and the scheme either pays out or adjudicates. Every Scottish scheme runs free adjudication that decides the disputed amount on the evidence. If the deposit was never lodged at all, that is a separate matter for the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), which can order the landlord to pay you up to three times the deposit.
What can be deducted
What a landlord can and cannot deduct.
A deduction has to be reasonable, evidenced and proportionate. A landlord can charge for cleaning only where the property is not returned to the cleanliness standard set out in the inventory, and for damage beyond fair wear and tear. They cannot charge you to put the property in a better state than you found it.
A blanket clause requiring you to pay for professional cleaning at the end of the tenancy is an unlawful charge in Scotland. Anything a landlord or agent asks you to pay beyond the rent and the deposit is an illegal premium under the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984, put beyond argument by the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011. Cleaning can still be deducted where the property genuinely is not clean, but not as a default fee.
- Deductions must be reasonable, evidenced and proportionate
- Fair wear and tear cannot be charged for
- A compulsory professional-cleaning fee is an unlawful charge in Scotland
- Cleaning is chargeable only if the property is not returned to inventory standard
Protecting your deposit
The evidence that wins a dispute.
Read your check-in inventory the day you move in and photograph every room, matching the angles. Do the same when you leave. Clean to the inventory standard, and if you book a professional, keep the invoice. That paperwork is exactly what an adjudicator wants to see.
Cleaning is the deduction adjudicators see most often, and SafeDeposits Scotland publishes its own Scottish adjudication figures each year (safedeposits.co.uk). We do not quote a percentage here, because the English number that gets repeated online is not a Scottish number. What matters for you is that cleaning is also the easiest deduction to defend against, with a checkout clean and a paper trail. Our printable checklist covers every line an inventory clerk checks.
The professional cleaning myth
Do you actually have to hire a cleaner? No.
The legal standard is simple: hand the property back as clean as the check-in inventory says it was, allowing for fair wear and tear. That is it. Nobody can force you to hire a professional, and an adjudicator compares condition, not receipts. If you have the time and the energy to clean a whole property to that standard yourself, our printable checklist walks you through every line, free.
Where a professional clean earns its money is everything around the condition: the hours it takes to do a full property properly, an inventory full of photos your own clean will be compared against, a shared house where half the tenants have already left, and the paperwork. A professional invoice and a timestamped photo record are ready-made dispute evidence. That is the honest trade: you are buying time and proof, not permission.
How adjudicators think
What the adjudicator actually compares.
A deposit adjudicator puts the check-in report and the checkout report side by side and reads them room by room. Dated photos carry the most weight; undated photos and written assertions carry very little. The burden of proof sits with the landlord: it is your money, and they have to evidence why any of it should be kept.
Itemisation matters too. A single line saying "cleaning" with a round number does badly against a tenant who can show dated photos of a clean kitchen and an invoice listing exactly what was done. Ask for an itemised breakdown of any deduction, with evidence, before you agree to anything.
- Check-in versus checkout, room by room, is the whole case
- Dated photos beat undated photos beat memories
- The landlord has to prove the deduction, not you
- Ask for an itemised breakdown before agreeing to anything
If it goes to dispute
The dispute path, start to finish.
On move-out day: photograph every room in daylight, photograph the meters, return every key and keep a note of when. If deductions are proposed, ask for the itemised breakdown and the evidence behind each line. You are allowed to disagree and make a counter-offer in writing; deductions are a claim on your money, not a bill.
If you cannot agree, use the scheme's free dispute service and raise it promptly, as the schemes set time limits. Provide your check-in inventory, the checkout report, your dated before-and-after photos and any cleaning invoice. The disputed amount sits safely with the scheme while it is decided. Adjudication is free for tenants, so a wrong deduction costs you nothing but the time to contest it. Scheme adjudication is the route for a disputed deduction; the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) is the escalation route, not the sheriff court and not a county court.
Customer Reviews
What Our Customers Say
5.0 from 50+ Google and Bark reviews
Recent feedback from tenants, landlords, and letting agents across Glasgow.
Really thorough deep clean. The team worked hard throughout and left the property finished to a very high standard. I would happily book again.
We booked an end of tenancy clean and were very pleased with the result. Communication was quick and helpful throughout, and extra effort was made to get everything completed before the tenancy ended.
Keep reading
Sources and official bodies
FAQ
Deposit questions
What Glasgow tenants ask about getting their money back.
How long does a landlord have to return my deposit?
In Scotland the landlord submits a repayment proposal to the scheme at the end of the tenancy. You accept it or dispute it inside the window the scheme sets, and the scheme pays out or adjudicates. There is no English-style 10-day rule here, so check your scheme's own timetable. Any disputed amount is held by the scheme until it is resolved.
Can my landlord charge me for professional cleaning?
Only if the property is not returned to the cleanliness standard in the inventory. A compulsory professional-cleaning clause on its own is an unlawful charge in Scotland under the Rent (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011.
What counts as fair wear and tear?
Reasonable use over time: lightly worn carpets, small scuffs, faded paint. It is not the same as damage or dirt, and you cannot be charged for it.
What evidence do I need to dispute a deduction?
Your check-in inventory, the checkout report, dated before-and-after photos, and any cleaning invoice. Adjudicators decide on evidence, so the more you have the stronger your case.
Which deposit scheme holds my money?
One of the three approved Scottish schemes: SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland or mydeposits Scotland. The prescribed information you were given tells you which. SafeDeposits Scotland sits within the same TDS Group that runs the Tenancy Deposit Scheme in England and Wales, so seeing the TDS name on paperwork does not mean your deposit is in the wrong place.
Do I have to hire a professional cleaner?
No. The legal standard is returning the property to the cleanliness recorded at check-in, allowing fair wear and tear. An adjudicator compares condition, not receipts. A professional clean buys you time and ready-made evidence, not permission.
How long does a dispute take?
The disputed amount is held safely by the scheme while it is decided, and the timetable is the scheme's own. The dispute service is free for tenants.
Is cleaning really the most common deduction?
It is the deduction adjudicators see most often. SafeDeposits Scotland publishes the Scottish adjudication figures, and we would rather point you at those than repeat an English percentage as if it were Scottish. Either way, cleaning is the easiest deduction to avoid with a checkout clean and a paper trail.
Get a free quote
See your fixed price in 60 seconds. Photos lock it in.
1 / 6
How big is the property?
Your fixed price
From £155
Pick your property size to see your fixed price.
Anything bigger or unusual? Tick what applies.
Our fixed price covers a standard 3-bed. Tick anything bigger or unusual and we'll confirm the final price on a quick call.
How's the property?
Honest answer, no penalty either way. We just need to know what we're walking into.
Where and when?
Pick the area and the rough timing. We'll confirm exact dates after the photos.
Area
Timing
Any paid add-ons?
Standard end of tenancy clean is below. Tick add-ons to build your total. Photos in the next step lock everything in, including close-ups of any add-ons you pick.
Running total
£155
Base price for your property
Send photos to lock your price.
One clear photo per room being cleaned, taken from a corner of the room. Kitchen, bathroom, and each bedroom at minimum. If you ticked add-ons like oven or fridge, add a close-up of each. This locks your fixed price.
Your details.
Quote summary
£155
Heads up: that postcode is outside our 18 coverage areas. We will still come back to you, no penalty for trying.
0 / 500
Mon to Fri 9 to 5 we'll call within the hour. Weekends 11 to 3 by arrangement. Outside those hours, by 9am the next working day.
By submitting, you agree your details and photos are sent to us and our email provider Web3Forms. See our Privacy Policy.
Prefer to call? 0161 399 3461 · Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm · Weekends 11am to 3pm, by arrangement.
Quote request received.
Thanks. Your details are with us.
What happens next
- Mon to Fri 9 to 5 we'll call within the hour. Weekends 11 to 3 by arrangement. Outside those hours, by 9am the next working day.
- We email your fixed quote once we've confirmed the details on the call.
- Once you're happy with the price, we book your move-out date by text.
Your request
Can't wait?
While you wait, read the checklist Glasgow letting agents actually use.