A compiled reference of 24 verified statistics on tenant damage and move-out condition, spanning what damage costs landlords, what share of security deposits gets deducted and why, how deposit disputes are adjudicated, and how much condition documentation changes the outcome. Every figure is drawn from a named public source, including the English Private Landlord Survey, Zillow's Consumer Housing Trends Report, deposit protection scheme adjudication data, and landlord insurer claims guidance, and independently checked against the original before publishing.
Key statistics
6 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Damage is the single most common reason deposits get withheld, on both sides of the Atlantic, yet fewer than a third of landlords itemize what they charged for. The one variable that measurably moves outcomes in every dataset is the same: documented condition evidence from move-in to move-out.
Tenant damage claims have ranged from $5,000 to $30,000.
63% of landlords who withheld a deposit cited property damage.
Only 40% of recent movers got their entire deposit back.
Full move-in documentation lifts full deposit returns from 41% to 50%.
Damage appeared in 49% of UK deposit dispute claims in 2024/25.
Only 29% of landlords provide an itemized cost list at move-out.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in August 2026 from named public sources and verified against the original before publishing.
- Compiled from primary sources
Government housing surveys, deposit protection scheme adjudication data, landlord insurer claims guidance, nationally representative renter surveys, and 50-state legal compilations.
- Only explicitly stated figures
We include only numbers a named source states directly, and attribute each inline at the point it appears. Figures we could not confirm at the original source were cut, not paraphrased.
- Disagreements shown, not averaged
US and UK datasets measure different populations, so we label each figure's country and year rather than blending them into a false single number.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
A scope note: these figures mix self-reported surveys, adjudication caseloads, and insurer claims experience, each measuring its own population. Long-term rental data dominates because that is where public reporting exists; short-term rental damage has its own dataset in our Airbnb damage claim statistics reference. Individual figures vary and should be confirmed against the named source.
Tenant damage and move-out condition, by the numbers
All 24 figures, grouped by theme. Each comes from a named public source and was independently verified before publishing.
What tenant damage costs
There is no national registry of tenant damage, so the honest picture comes from insurer claims experience and turn-cost data. According to NREIG's landlord insurance claims guidance (nreig.com), damage amounts in its claims data have ranged anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000, and can reach the full value of the property. At the routine end, TransUnion SmartMove's eviction cost analysis (mysmartmove.com) puts average property turnover costs at $1,750 and average total eviction-related expenses at $3,500, with the process typically taking three to four weeks. On the operator side, Buildium's 2026 property management industry trends research (buildium.com) reports that expenses rose for 93% of property management companies over the past year, and 75% saw an increase in rental application fraud.
Statistic 1
Tenant damage claim amounts have ranged from $5,000 to $30,000 in insurer claims data, and can run as high as the property's value.
NREIG claims guidance (US)
Statistic 2
Property turnover costs average $1,750 per turn.
TransUnion SmartMove (US)
Statistic 3
Total eviction-related expenses average $3,500, and the process typically takes 3 to 4 weeks.
TransUnion survey data, via SmartMove (US)
Statistic 4
84% of landlords say payment problems are their number one concern about new tenants.
SmartMove user survey, 2014 (US)
Statistic 5
Operating expenses increased for 93% of property management companies over the past year.
Buildium industry trends research, 2026 (US)
Statistic 6
75% of property management companies report an increase in rental application fraud over the past year.
Buildium industry trends research, 2026 (US)
Statistic 7
40% of renters unsure about renewing would stay another year if their manager invested more in maintaining the property.
Buildium industry trends research, 2026 (US)
What this means: the tail risk is what makes damage expensive. A routine turn costs four figures; an undocumented damage event costs five. Property condition is also retention economics: visible maintenance investment is the single change most likely to keep an uncertain renter in place.
Deposits and deductions
The deposit paper trail is where tenant damage becomes measurable. According to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's English Private Landlord Survey 2024 (gov.uk), which surveyed more than 9,000 landlords, 97% took a deposit on their most recent letting, and among landlords who withheld some or all of it, 63% cited damage to the property or contents, ahead of cleaning at 59% and unpaid rent at 31%. The US renter side matches. According to Zillow's Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024 (zillow.com), drawn from surveys of more than 36,000 renters, 87% of recent renters paid a deposit, the typical deposit was $750, and only 40% of recent movers got the entire deposit back. Renter expectations have adjusted accordingly: in Roost's 2023 security deposit survey research (joinroost.com), 59% of renters said they do not expect a full refund.
Statistic 8
97% of landlords took a deposit for their most recent letting.
English Private Landlord Survey, 2024 (UK)
Statistic 9
59% of landlords returned the last deposit in full, 22% returned it in part, and 15% returned none of it.
English Private Landlord Survey, 2024 (UK)
Statistic 10
Among landlords who withheld deposit money: 63% cited damage to the property or contents, 59% cited cleaning costs, 31% cited unpaid rent.
English Private Landlord Survey, 2024 (UK)
Statistic 11
87% of recent US renters paid a security deposit; the typical deposit in 2024 was $750.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
Statistic 12
The median deposit for single-family renters who paid one was $1,000, versus $530 in large multifamily buildings.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
Statistic 13
40% of recent movers got their entire deposit back; 24% got none of it back.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
Statistic 14
41% of recent movers had at least one move-out disagreement; 19% disagreed specifically about repair, damage, or maintenance.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
Statistic 15
59% of renters do not expect to get a full deposit refund.
Roost renter survey, 2023 (US)
Statistic 16
40% of renters challenge move-out damage charges, yet only 29% of landlords provide a cost list of items and conditions, and 51% of renters say refund terms were poorly communicated.
Roost renter survey, 2023 (US)
What this means: damage tops every deduction list, but the friction is transparency, not the deduction itself. Four in ten renters now contest damage charges, and the landlords who lose those arguments are overwhelmingly the ones without an itemized, evidenced account of condition.
How deposit disputes get decided
The UK's government-backed deposit protection schemes publish the only large-scale public record of how condition disputes actually resolve. According to Tenancy Deposit Scheme adjudication data for 2024/25, published with the National Residential Landlords Association (nrla.org.uk), just 1% of deposits, 46,950 cases, required formal adjudication out of 4.7 million protected deposits averaging £1,175. Within those disputes, cleaning appeared in 54% of claims and damage in 49%. The Deposit Protection Service's dispute cause analysis (depositprotection.com) puts property damage at 27.30% of dispute causes over its last 12 months, narrowly ahead of cleaning at 26.64%, with fewer than 3% of its protected deposits falling into dispute at all. In Scotland, SafeDeposits Scotland data published on the Citylets blog (citylets.co.uk) shows damage claims in 41% of disputes in the first half of 2023, with the average damage claim at £298.
Statistic 17
Just 1% of protected deposits (46,950 cases) required formal adjudication in the year to March 2025, out of 4.7 million deposits averaging £1,175.
Tenancy Deposit Scheme data, via NRLA, 2025 (UK)
Statistic 18
In 2024/25 dispute claims: cleaning appeared in 54%, damage in 49%, redecoration in 31%, and rent arrears in 10%.
Tenancy Deposit Scheme data, via NRLA, 2025 (UK)
Statistic 19
Property damage caused 27.30% of deposit disputes and cleaning 26.64% over the last 12 months; under 3% of protected deposits fell into dispute.
The Deposit Protection Service (UK)
Statistic 20
41% of Scottish deposit disputes in H1 2023 involved a damage claim, with the average damage claim at £298, higher than cleaning, gardening, or redecoration averages.
SafeDeposits Scotland data, via Citylets, 2023 (UK)
What this means: formal disputes are rare, but when they happen, cleaning and damage are the argument nearly every time. Both are condition questions, and adjudicators decide them on evidence: the side holding dated condition records at check-in and check-out is the side the split favors.
Documentation changes the outcome
The clearest published measurement of documentation's effect comes from Zillow's 2024 renter data: renters who photographed their previous rental's move-in condition were more likely to get at least some deposit back, 76% versus 70% for those who did not. Renters who documented with photos, video, and a condition checklist and told their landlord got the entire deposit back 50% of the time, against 41% for renters who did none of it, and only 20% of the fully documented group got nothing back versus 37% of the undocumented group. The legal system assumes documentation too. According to iPropertyManagement's 50-state security deposit law compilation (ipropertymanagement.com), most states require deposits back within a set timeframe, typically 14 to 30 days, and missing the deadline often carries a potential penalty of two to three times the deposit, which makes a defensible, dated condition record the difference between a routine deduction and a statutory penalty. Our own statute-by-statute version of that table, spot-verified against the legislature text of 17 states, is published in RapidEye's security deposit statistics study.
Statistic 21
Renters who took move-in photos: 76% got at least some deposit back, versus 70% of renters who did not.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
Statistic 22
Full documentation (photos, video, checklist, and notifying the landlord) returned the entire deposit 50% of the time versus 41% with none; only 20% of documented renters got nothing back versus 37% undocumented.
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report, 2024 (US)
The documentation effect
Deposit outcomes by how thoroughly move-in condition was documented, recent US movers, 2024
Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024. "Fully documented" means photos, video, a condition checklist, and notifying the landlord.
Statistic 23
Most states set a statutory deposit-return deadline of typically 14 to 30 days; deadlines range from 10 days (Montana, no deductions) to 60 days, and Tennessee sets none.
iPropertyManagement 50-state law compilation, 2026 (US)
Statistic 24
Failing to follow deposit-return laws, even by accident, often carries a potential penalty of two to three times the deposit.
iPropertyManagement 50-state law compilation, 2026 (US)
Where the public data ends: no public dataset tracks what share of landlords or property managers actually complete a documented, photo-backed move-in and move-out inspection. The renter-side Zillow figures above are the closest published proxy. It is a measurable gap in an industry where, as the UK adjudication data shows, condition evidence decides the dispute.
What this means: documentation is the one lever in this entire dataset that any operator controls completely. It moves full-return rates by 9 points, cuts total-loss rates nearly in half, and it is exactly what adjudicators and state statutes ask for. For operators already photographing every turnover, the remaining problem is reviewing what was captured, which is the problem automated damage detection exists to solve.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
How much does tenant damage cost landlords?
Tenant damage claims have ranged from $5,000 to $30,000 based on claims data from landlord insurer NREIG, and can reach the full value of the property. For routine turns, TransUnion SmartMove puts average property turnover costs at $1,750, and average total eviction-related expenses at $3,500.
What share of security deposit deductions are for damage?
Damage is the most common reason. In the English Private Landlord Survey 2024, 63% of landlords who withheld some or all of a deposit cited damage to the property or contents, 59% cited cleaning costs, and 31% cited unpaid rent. In Tenancy Deposit Scheme adjudication data for 2024/25, damage appeared in 49% of dispute claims and cleaning in 54%.
How many renters get their full security deposit back?
40% of recent US movers reported getting their entire deposit back, while 24% got nothing back, per Zillow's Consumer Housing Trends Report 2024. Expectations match: a 2023 Roost survey found 59% of renters do not expect a full refund.
Do move-in photos actually help with deposits?
Yes. Zillow's 2024 renter survey found renters who photographed move-in condition were more likely to get at least some of their deposit back (76% versus 70%). Renters who documented with photos, video, and a condition checklist and told their landlord got the entire deposit back 50% of the time, versus 41% for renters who did none of it, and only 20% of fully documented renters got nothing back versus 37% of undocumented renters.
Data sources
Sources are named at the publisher level with their root domain, rather than linked or titled; every figure is verifiable at the named source. Each figure on this page was checked against the original before publishing.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentNational private landlord survey main report, 2024gov.uk
ZillowConsumer housing trends renter research, 2024zillow.com
Tenancy Deposit Scheme, via NRLAAdjudication team data for 2024/25nrla.org.uk
The Deposit Protection ServiceDeposit dispute cause analysisdepositprotection.com
SafeDeposits Scotland, via CityletsDamage dispute data, H1 2023citylets.co.uk
RoostRenter security deposit survey research, 2023joinroost.com
NREIGLandlord insurance claims guidancenreig.com
TransUnion SmartMoveEviction cost and landlord survey datamysmartmove.com
BuildiumProperty management industry trends research, 2026buildium.com
iPropertyManagement50-state security deposit law compilation, 2026ipropertymanagement.com