Getting your deposit back when the tenancy ends

Identify the original deposit payment

Find the bank record, agreement clause and receipt. Identify the recipient: landlord, agent or intermediary. If ownership changed, retain transfer correspondence. A total on an old invoice can contain both deposit and other charges. Separate them before claiming repayment so the amount matches the actual security deposit rather than an unexplained combined figure.

Establish the tenancy’s end date

The repayment period relates to the end of the agreement. Moving out does not always establish that date. Retain confirmation of notice or mutual termination. If keys were returned earlier, clarify whether an earlier end was agreed too. Avoid allowing a final-rent dispute and deposit question to merge into one unsupported net balance.

Prepare inspections and key handover

Use the initial report and photographs to compare condition. Request a preliminary inspection and take departure photos. Read the final report before signing and record disputed findings immediately. Confirm how many keys were returned and to whom. The inspection guide distinguishes resolved and outstanding issues. An empty home without a receipt does not establish who took responsibility when.

Check the repayment periods

The Rijksoverheid explains deposit rules: generally repayment within 14 days after the tenancy ends. Where permitted deductions apply, the remainder must be returned within 30 days with written cost details. Check applicable law for older arrangements too. Record actual receipt; an announced transfer is not yet evidence that funds arrived.

Request evidence for any deduction

A landlord cannot assign every desired expense to the deposit. The statutory arrangement identifies particular categories, including unpaid rent and damage for which the tenant is responsible. Ask for the reason and calculation per item. A general cleaning or renovation label does not identify necessary work. Read deposit deductions to distinguish wear, existing faults and evidenced damage.

Send a repayment request that clarifies the issue

State address, agreement, end date, original deposit and part payments. Give the repayment account and request missing specifications. Include key evidence and retain sending and receipt records. The deposit-letter tool can organise a draft; check amounts and retain placeholders where information is unknown. Your request should make the outstanding balance directly reproducible.

Separate old charges from later accounts

A service charge account may follow after departure. That does not justify holding every provisional or unexplained figure indefinitely. Ask which existing claim is set off and how it was established. Keep separate deposit, final-rent and service schedules. Accepting repayment should not accidentally confirm unknown future accounts or waive unrelated claims.

Choose the next step if payment does not follow

Repeated reminders need an eventual decision about recovery. Gather the file and seek legal help about the claim and litigation costs. A municipal reporting point may address misconduct but does not automatically award money. Deposit disputes do not automatically belong to the Huurcommissie. The kantonrechter can decide payment claims.

Avoid creating fresh arrears

Skipping final rent because the landlord holds a deposit can create a separate debt. Set-off needs an appropriate legal basis or clear agreement. Put proposals in writing and obtain confirmation rather than assuming silence means acceptance. A new deposit for your next home can explain practical urgency, while remaining separate from the legal basis of recovery.

• Deposit payment and contractual clause
• Confirmed agreement end date
• Initial condition, inspections and departure photographs
• Key receipt
• Specification of each deduction
• Calculation of received and outstanding amounts