Deposit Disputes: How RTB Adjudication Actually Works

24 July 2026

Deposits are the number one dispute

Deposit retention is the largest single category of dispute at the Residential Tenancies Board, accounting for around one in three cases every year. Landlords deduct for cleaning, damage, unpaid rent, or vague "wear and tear," and tenants push back. Most of these disputes are avoidable with the right evidence, and the ones that reach adjudication overwhelmingly favour tenants when that evidence is in order.

This guide explains the process from the moment you hand in keys to the moment the RTB issues its determination.

Before you move out: build your evidence

The single biggest predictor of getting your deposit back is a good move-in inventory. If you did not take one when you moved in, take dated photos of every room now, focusing on any pre-existing damage.

Two weeks before you hand back the keys:

- Give proper written notice under Part 4. - Ask the landlord in writing whether they intend to inspect the property, and offer a date. - Read the lease for any specific end-of-tenancy obligations (professional cleaning is a common one; note that this must have been in the original lease to be enforceable). - Photograph the meter readings on move-out day. - Photograph every room, empty and clean, in daylight.

When the landlord withholds part or all of the deposit

You have a right to a written breakdown of any deductions. If the landlord simply refuses to return the deposit or fails to respond within a reasonable period (usually taken as 30 days), you can open an RTB dispute.

There is no strict statutory deadline for filing a deposit dispute, but do not delay: evidence gets harder to gather as time passes, and the RTB may look less favourably on stale claims.

Filing the dispute

Go to rtb.ie, open a Dispute Resolution application, and select Return of Deposit. You will need:

- The tenancy address and RTB registration number if you have it. - The exact amount withheld. - Your move-in and move-out inventories and photos. - Any written correspondence about the deductions. - Bank details showing the original deposit payment.

Mediation vs adjudication

For deposits, mediation is often quicker and cheaper (in terms of stress). A neutral RTB mediator will speak to both parties and try to broker a settlement. Around 70 percent of mediated deposit disputes reach agreement.

If mediation fails or you skip straight to adjudication, an adjudicator will hear both sides and issue a binding decision.

What actually wins at adjudication

Adjudicators apply a fairly consistent test:

- Was the deduction for something the tenant genuinely caused, beyond normal wear and tear? - Is there evidence of the condition at move-in and move-out? - Are the costs reasonable and proportionate?

Deductions that usually fail:

- Repainting that would have been needed regardless (a landlord's ongoing cost). - General cleaning of a property left in reasonably clean condition. - Replacement of carpets or appliances that were already worn or old at move-in. - Any deduction for damage that cannot be shown in dated photographs.

Deductions that usually succeed:

- Specific damage clearly visible in move-out photos but not move-in photos. - Unpaid rent, supported by bank records. - Reasonable cleaning costs where the property was genuinely dirty.

Timelines and outcomes

Expect roughly:

- 4 to 8 weeks from application to mediation appointment. - 8 to 16 weeks from application to adjudication hearing. - 2 to 6 weeks from hearing to written determination. - 7 days after the determination for the landlord to pay you back.

If the landlord fails to pay after a determination order, you can apply to the Circuit Court for enforcement. In practice, most landlords comply once the order arrives.

Prevention beats cure

Take photos when you move in. Take photos when you move out. Keep every written communication. If you do those three things, you will win almost any deposit dispute that reaches the RTB.

Read next: our guide on how to get your deposit back in Ireland, or use the deposit legality checker to see whether the deposit itself was legal in the first place.