Tenancy Deposit Repayment: Propose the Line, Start the Clock, Release the Money

Keys came back Friday. The cleaner has not invoiced. The whole deposit is still sitting because nobody has a written yes or no on each line. It is not a ten-day wait from move-out. Write each deduction as one line with a figure and a pointer to the check-out file, ask for a written yes or no, then diary the ten-day clock from that agreement and release the undisputed money.

Saturday. June’s one let in Bristol. Keys back on the 3rd. Deposit £1,350, custodial DPS — the scheme already holds the cash. She WhatsApps “I’ll keep it until the cleaner invoices me.” On the 18th the tenant asks where the money is and cites “10 days from move-out”. Nothing was proposed in writing. Three numbered lines plus a written yes or no would have started the clock the day they said yes to two of them.

That 10-day rule is the most consistently misunderstood clock in the private rented sector. It does not start when keys come back. It starts when both sides agree how much will be returned. Silence is not agreement. Holding the whole pot for one oven line is the problem — and a risk — this file kills.

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

How do you write each deduction so they can answer it?

Write each claim as one numbered line: what it is, the £ figure, and a pointer to the file you already have. The tenant should be able to say yes, no, or a counter-figure against that row. Do not send a camera roll. Do not run a wear-versus-damage lecture on this page.

Do write the line the same day as the check-out report — the room-by-room end file. For example: (1) oven grease — £85 — check-out photo 14 + cleaner quote; (2) rent 24–31 August — £120 — rent schedule week 12; (3) balance £1,145 — to you. Nothing to claim: full deposit £X — to you. A quote is enough; do not wait for the invoice. Typical mistake: one WhatsApp lump with no figure. Wear versus damage lives on the fair wear file — not here.

What to send so you get a written yes or no?

Send the itemised page and ask them to reply yes, no, or a counter-figure against each line. Agreement has to be explicit, usually an email. A phone “yeah, that’s fine” is not the file. Talk to them before you click repay on the scheme screen.

Do write the ask in one sentence: “Reply yes / no / counter-figure against line 1, 2, 3.” mydeposits (checked 13 September 2026): agreement must be explicit; silence does not count. Do file that sent email next to the unique reference. DPS: discuss the split before the online process. In practice a read-receipt is not a yes.

When to start the 10-day clock — agreement or move-out?

The statutory clock starts the day both of you agree how much will come back, not the day the keys land on the table. Diary that agreement date on the tenancy. “10 days from move-out” is the forum myth. Sending the proposal is not the start date either.

Do paste the agreement date the day they say yes. GOV.UK (checked 13 September 2026): return the deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much they will get back. The tenant-facing GOV.UK overview uses the same line. mydeposits: 10 calendar days; move out on the 1st, agree on the 20th, pay by the 30th. Propose promptly after check-out as good practice — that is not the Housing Act clock.

Why does the undisputed slice go back while one line stays open?

If two lines are agreed and one oven line is still open, the agreed money goes back now. Only the disputed slice stays protected. Holding the whole £1,350 as leverage for one quote is the pressure this file kills.

Do start the release on the agreed lines the same day you have the written yes. NRLA + TDS (2 February 2026, DO 9): if part is disputed, release the undisputed amount promptly. Shelter England (9 May 2024): getting part back does not mean the tenant accepts the open line. The later file, only if a line is referred, is the deposit dispute evidence pack.

Which instruction actually releases the money — yours or the scheme’s?

Who pays the tenant depends on the model you already wrote on the tenancy. Custodial means the scheme holds the cash and pays after a joint instruction — both sides tell the scheme the same split. Insured means you still hold the cash: you pay the agreed sum, and only a disputed slice goes into the scheme.

Do open the scheme reference file and type that unique reference into the repayment screen. Do not re-shop schemes. Housing Act 2004 Sch.10 notes (para.669): custodial joint notification — scheme pays within 10 days of receiving it. DPS cite 7 working days after a matching instruction — their process, not a second statute. Insured: you pay inside the 10 days; a still-open slice goes into the scheme (para.671). Joint tenancy: one nominated tenant instructs. This card is England.

Should you sit on the cash if the tenant goes silent?

No. Silence is not a yes, so the GOV.UK 10-day clock has not started. Still send the itemised proposal. Then start the scheme repayment request so their uncontactable path can run. Do not treat a quiet inbox as consent, and do not hold the undisputed cash while you wait.

Do start the scheme’s silent-party process and read their email. DPS try the details on file, then a statutory declaration — a sworn-statement path when the other party does not reply — or a single-claim. Do not publish scheme day-counts as an IziRento rule. Success bar: three numbered lines, a written yes or no, the clock dated from agreement not keys-in, the undisputed sum released or instructed. Verify that checklist, then stop. Workflow: Propose the line → written yes/no → diary the agreement date → release the undisputed → scheme instruction. An IziRento workspace can hold that file on the same lease.