WATCHDOG · 5 MIN READ
Deposit disputes: what the RTB decided, and what the hearings now show
One in five disputes the Residential Tenancies Board hears is about a deposit. Since 14 September 2026 those hearings are public and the reports are published. Here is what the published decisions say wins, and what loses.
IN SHORT
- Deposit retention was the reason for 19% of the RTB's 9,564 dispute applications in 2024, about 1,800 cases, up 65% on 2021. In the third quarter of 2025 it was 18% of 2,729.
- The published tribunal report TR0225-008497 (April 2025) disallowed a €388 cleaning deduction because the tenants had dated photographs from the day they left: 'A tenant is not obliged to return a dwelling in exactly the same condition in which it was received.'
- Photographs decide these cases in both directions. In a Loughrea case reported in October 2024, the landlord's photographs of fouled floors won her €1,855 in cleaning costs. The onus of proof is on the landlord; the evidence is on whoever took the pictures.
The numbers
The RTB's 2024 annual report records 9,564 dispute applications, 55% of them from tenants. Deposit retention was the stated reason in 19%, the second-largest category after rent arrears. That is roughly 1,800 deposit cases in a year; TheJournal, reviewing RTB figures in September 2025, put it at over 1,800, up 65% on 2021. The latest quarterly figure, Q3 2025, shows 2,729 applications, 18% about deposits.
The RTB published a win rate once, for 2021: tenants got all or part of the deposit back in 94% of disputed cases. It has not published one since. Threshold, the housing charity, was taking about three deposit queries a day in 2025.
The statutory deposit protection scheme, legislated in 2015, has never been commenced. Citizens Information states plainly that "these provisions are not yet in effect". Until it is, the deposit sits with the landlord, and the RTB is the only route back.
What the published decisions say
The cleaning deduction that failed. Tribunal report TR0225-008497, determined 8 April 2025. The landlords had deducted €388 for cleaning, €316 for electricity and one day's rent from a €900 deposit. The tenants produced photographs taken on the day they vacated. The tribunal found the photographs showed the dwelling in good condition and disallowed the cleaning deduction in full. Its words: "A tenant is not obliged to return a dwelling in exactly the same condition in which it was received." On the landlords' decision to hire a cleaner anyway: "that is their prerogative, but it does not mean that the appellant tenants are responsible for the cost." Only the day's rent, €26.30, was allowed. The order, which also covered an invalid termination, was for €8,743.70 to the tenants within 28 days.
The cleaning deduction that succeeded. In a case from Loughrea, Co. Galway, reported by the Irish Times on 2 October 2024, a landlord told the tribunal she had been forced to sell the house after the tenants' dogs defecated on the floors. She submitted photographs. The tribunal allowed €1,855 in cleaning costs on top of €3,088 in arrears; she kept the €1,200 deposit and the tenants were ordered to pay the balance.
The two cases turn on the same thing. The law puts the onus of proof on the landlord, but whoever holds dated photographs holds the case.
What the law lets a landlord keep
Section 12 of the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 requires the landlord to "return or repay promptly" the deposit, and allows retention only for rent arrears, or for the reasonable cost of restoring the dwelling after deterioration beyond normal wear and tear; where the cost is less than the deposit, "there shall only be required to be returned... the difference." Section 16 defines normal wear and tear by the time elapsed and the occupation the landlord should have expected. RTB guidance adds unpaid utility bills in the landlord's name and insufficient notice, and says upgrade costs can never be charged to a tenant.
There is no statutory deadline for returning a deposit. Threshold's recommendation is 14 days.
How a dispute runs, and what changed in September
- Apply online to the RTB. There is no time limit on a deposit dispute, unlike rent and termination disputes.
- Mediation is free and takes about seven weeks on average, if both sides agree to it.
- Adjudication costs €30, is usually held online in one to two hours, and took an average of 20 weeks in 2025. Evidence must be lodged at least five working days before the hearing.
- Either side can appeal to a three-person tribunal within 10 working days (€85 to appeal an adjudication); tribunals averaged 15 weeks in 2024.
- The Determination Order is binding and enforced through the District Court.
Since 14 September 2026, adjudication hearings are public and the hearing report and order are published, as tribunal reports already were. The RTB's orders database at rtb.ie is searchable by party name, dispute type and case number. For a landlord or tenant going in, that means the case law is now readable before the hearing; for a prospective tenant, it means a landlord's record is too.
“A tenant is not obliged to return a dwelling in exactly the same condition in which it was received.”
RTB Tribunal, report TR0225-008497, 8 April 2025
19%
of 9,564 RTB disputes in 2024 were about deposit retention
94%
of disputed deposits returned in full or part, 2021 (the only published rate)
€30
to apply for adjudication; average 20 weeks in 2025
By the numbers — figures from the sources listed at the end of this piece.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
End-of-tenancy cleaners near you, with their score and rate — no account needed to look.Questions this piece gets asked
How long does the landlord have to return my deposit?
The Act says 'promptly' and sets no number of days. Threshold recommends 14 days. After that, request it in writing, ask for documents supporting any deduction, then apply to the RTB.
Can the landlord keep the deposit for cleaning?
Only the reasonable cost of cleaning beyond normal wear and tear, and only if they can prove the condition. The April 2025 tribunal disallowed a cleaning charge where the tenants' photos showed the home in good condition.
I rent a room from the owner. Can I go to the RTB?
No. Licensees are outside the RTB; the route is the Small Claims Court, where the fee is €25.
Sources
- RTB Annual Report 2024
- RTB Director's Quarterly Update, Q4 2025 edition (Q3 2025 data)
- TheJournal.ie, renters' deposit scheme, Sep 2025
- RTB Tribunal Report TR0225-008497, 8 Apr 2025
- Irish Times, 'Broken' landlord tells RTB she had to sell house, 2 Oct 2024
- Residential Tenancies Act 2004, s.12
- Residential Tenancies Act 2004, s.16
- RTB, What is wear and tear?
- RTB, Guide to adjudication
- RTB, Adjudication and tribunal orders
- Citizens Information, Resolving disputes between landlords and tenants
- Citizens Information, Landlords' rights and obligations (deposit scheme not commenced)
- Threshold, Getting your deposit back
FOLLOW WATCHDOG
One email a month — the watchdog piece, the day it goes out. One tap to stop.
Comments 3
TopNewest
- REAoife M.Customer · Dublin 8EDITOR'S PICK2 h ago
The register link is the useful bit. Looked up the lad who quoted us for the board last month — not on it. Saved us a job.
- PRMarta R.Provider · Electrician · Crumlin1 h ago
Every one of these cases is a board or a shower. Ask for the certificate before the balance, every time. A registered contractor will not blink.
- RECiara D.Customer · Cork40 min ago
The thirty-day rule should be on a sticker on every front door.
Signed-in Locufy customers and providers only. Comments close 30 days after publication. Report anything that names a person unfairly — we act on every report.
NEXT IN WATCHDOGUnregistered electrician convicted in Sligo: €24,409 for a job that left a family with live sockets6 min read
More in Watchdog
All watchdog →
MOST READ THIS MONTH
FOLLOW A SECTION
Pick your sections. The month's piece arrives the day it goes out.
Nothing is pre-ticked. Choose one section or all 20; you get at most one email per section per month.
One email per section per month, the day the piece goes out. Stop in one tap. Privacy.