How to Assemble a Deposit Dispute Evidence Pack (File, Not a Scheme Pitch)

The risk is a camera-roll dump plus a lump “make-good” total in the scheme portal. An adjudicator who does not know the house cannot pair a photo to a check-in line, cannot tell cleaning from damage, and cannot see which invoice belongs to which claim. List each deduction first. One labelled group per line: check-in, check-out, photo, and an invoice or quote.

Tuesday, the scheme email lands. The landlord zips the phone camera roll, a tenancy PDF, and a £480 “end of tenancy clean and make good” invoice. The oven-grease line has no check-in pair. The carpet photo has no date. The adjudicator is a stranger who will not phone to ask which file is which.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

Why does the pack start with claim lines, not the photos?

Open a one-page index before you open the camera roll. A deposit pack is the labelled file that sits with the lease: photos, invoices, and the start and end reports. One row per deduction — what, room or item, amount, and the clause if you rely on one. Keep cleaning and damage on separate rows.

Do write the rows first. Do not start by zipping IMG_4821.jpg into the portal. TDS wants a stranger to follow each line: what it is, how much, why (clause plus start versus end), then the cost paper. Break “cleaning” into oven, carpet, general — do not leave “see enclosed estimates”.

The deposit is treated as the tenant’s money until the papers justify a claim. The adjudicator works from what you send; they do not visit or phone for missing files. Official scheme pages treat estimates and unpaid quotes as usable cost evidence — the work does not have to be done first. What usually fails is a lump total with no start/end pair.

If a row is unpaid rent, stop. That line needs a rent statement — a different file. Keep a rent schedule that shows who paid which period. Do not turn this pack into an arrears chase or a court bundle.

How do you name files so a stranger can sort them?

Name every file so someone who has never seen the house can sort it. Lead with the date, then the room or claim, then the type. Number photos and put the same number on the index. In a long inventory, highlight the page number.

Do use a date a stranger can sort. Do not upload IMG_4821.jpg and scan.pdf. mydeposits wants clear names and groups by claim. For example 2023-09-01_kitchen-oven_check-in.jpg next to the matching check-out and 2026-08-14_kitchen-oven_quote.pdf.

Write a one-page checklist index: amount, start-file page, end-file page, photo numbers, cost-file name. One folder per row. If a piece is missing, write that on the index — do not hide the gap.

What to pair next to each deduction?

Each claim line needs a four-piece pair: the check-in page or photo, the check-out page or photo, a close-up that shows the change, and the invoice or quote. If a piece is missing, say so on the index. Attach the cost paper now — do not write “estimates are available if required”.

Do keep the same label as the claim. An estimate and an invoice are treated equally when the paper breaks down materials and labour and points back to the start and end lines. A cleaning invoice belongs on a cleaning line. Inconsistent labels weaken the row.

Build the start file separately — see how to do a property inventory check-in. Build the end file separately — see how to complete a tenancy check-out against the check-in. This article is the pack that sits on top, not a second walk.

Photos: only those that support this issue. Number them and pair to the written line. Date-stamp or embed the date in the report; upload can strip file dates. Video needs a timestamp cue. End photos without matching start photos are weak. If you claim replacement, attach a two-line age working — then stop.

How do you keep the correspondence log short?

Keep a dated correspondence log — the deduction proposal, the tenant reply, and any written comment on the start inventory. The adjudicator does not need every email of the tenancy. Long threads bury the line.

Do include proof the start inventory was sent with a comment window. Do not paste the whole inbox. NRLA and TDS say outline, explain, evidence, quantify — and not to oversupply. Character notes, suspicions, and “estimates available if required” are common fail patterns.

No signed inventory: still submit the start file if it exists, plus proof it was sent. If they refuse to sign the check-out, still submit the report — a later reader looks at the evidence, not only the signature. Photos-only with no start written file is a weak pack. Say so on the index.

What to leave out of the upload?

Leave out undated camera-roll extras, blurry copies, character notes, duplicate emails, leftover utility bills, and a new-for-old lump with no age working. The other side can usually view the upload.

Do upload under each claim category. Do not email a zip to the scheme. TDS is portal only — listed formats, often 20MB per file. DPS cites 40MB per upload and a 14-calendar-day window from the evidence email (checked 8 September 2026). mydeposits often cites 20MB. Scheme windows differ. Read that email. Resize.

The finished file goes to TDS, DPS, or mydeposits as a destination only. This is a file pack, not a scheme-win guide.

The short workflow is List claim lines → Folder per row → Name files → Index + comms log → Cost papers → Drop the rest → Read the scheme email → Upload.

Success bar: the adjudicator can pair each photo to a claim line. List each line, name files a stranger can sort, attach the four-piece pair, keep a dated comms log, drop extras — then stop. Verify the index opens next to the groups.

A workspace that keeps the lease, both inspection files, the photos and the invoices together can replace a camera-roll zip. IziRento is operations software for that file, not a deposit scheme.