Resolving issues with your tenant 

This guide explains what steps a landlord can take to resolve an issue with their tenant.

The Renters’ Rights Act will change laws about renting and this guidance has been published to help private rented sector landlords and letting agents prepare. The new rules will apply on or from 1 May 2026. For information on the current law, refer to the existing guidance on settling disputes.

You will often be able to sort out disputes with your tenant without going to court:   

  1. Speak to your tenant about your concerns

  2. If this does not work, write a formal letter explaining the problem   

  3. Use a mediation service, which is usually cheaper and quicker than going to court

  4. As a last resort, seek independent legal advice to take your tenant to court   

There are different rules for settling disputes in Scotland and mediation services guidance for Northern Ireland.  

If a tenant damages your property    

If you take a deposit from your tenant, you should protect the deposit with a government approved Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) scheme.   

If your tenant damages the property you may keep some or all of the tenancy deposit to cover the cost of repair.   

Talk to your tenant about how much you are planning to keep. If you and your tenant agree on how much money should be taken from the tenancy deposit, you may take this from the deposit at the end of the tenancy.  

If you and your tenant cannot agree  

If you and your tenant cannot agree on how much money should be taken from the tenancy deposit to cover damages, you will be able to access free Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offered by your Tenancy Deposit Scheme.  

If you and your tenant agree to using the ADR service, the case will be handled by an independent, impartial, and qualified adjudicator. Using the ADR service can be faster and cheaper than going to court.  

If you want to keep all or part of the deposit, you will need to provide evidence of the damage. Your tenant can contest this. You may be offered mediation to help you come to an agreement.  

A decision will be made based on the evidence provided.  

If the cost of repair to your property exceeds the tenancy deposit, you will need to go to court to recover the extra cost from your tenant.   

If you have not asked your tenant for a deposit, you may need to go to court to recover the costs.   

Resolving disputes in court   

If you are owed money, you can make a court claim. You will not be able to use this process to evict your tenants. 

If the claim is for less than £10,000, you’ll need to attend mediation.

If the claim is for more than £10,000, the court may offer you mediation.

If you and your tenant cannot resolve the dispute through mediation, you will have to attend a hearing.  

If you want your tenant to leave   

If you cannot resolve your dispute in any other way, and you want a tenant to leave your property, you will be able to choose to end a tenancy. You will need to follow specific rules to avoid harassing or illegally evicting your tenant.  

Advice for disputes  

You may be able to get free and confidential legal advice. Check if you can get legal aid if you’re in England or Wales.

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