Notice, deposit, deductions
On a rolling month-to-month tenancy the notice is usually 30 days — 60 or 90 in some states — while a fixed-term or assured-shorthold lease typically carries one to two months, and the clause in your signed lease beats the default. The deposit is normally one to two months' rent, capped at five weeks where a statutory cap applies, and what comes back depends on the condition file made on day one.
| Item | Typical figure |
|---|---|
| Deposit size | 1-2 months' rent |
| Statutory deposit cap | 5 weeks' rent (≈1.16 months) |
| Return of above-cap money | 20-30 days |
| Notice, rolling month-to-month | 30 days |
| Notice, fixed-term / shorthold | 1-2 months |
| Deposit protection deadline | 30 days |
| Itemised deductions | Within 30 days |
| Dispute window | Up to 3 years |
It follows from the lease type: 30 days on most rolling tenancies, one to two months on most fixed-term ones — and the signed clause beats the default.
On a rolling month-to-month tenancy — the arrangement many fixed terms lapse into — the common notice period is 30 days. That holds across many US states, but not all of them: some set the bar at 60 days and a few at 90, so the state the flat stands in matters as much as the lease you signed.
On a fixed-term or assured-shorthold tenancy the pattern elsewhere is one to two months' notice, usually tied to the end of the term. The single rule that travels across all jurisdictions is this: the clause in the signed lease beats the statutory default, so read the notice clause before you count days.
Give notice in writing and keep a dated copy. A notice that cannot be proven was sent is the cheapest argument a landlord ever wins, because the dispute that follows is about an extra month of rent, not about scuff marks.
Every point above is a deadline with a paper trail attached — keep each one.
One to two months' rent is the usual sum, and where a statutory cap applies the ceiling is five weeks' rent — about 1.16 months.
Where a cap applies, money held above it is not a bonus for the landlord: anything over the ceiling must be returned within 20 to 30 days of the tenancy ending. If your deposit was set above five weeks in a capped market, that excess is already owed back to you on a clock.
Within 30 days of the money being paid, the deposit must normally be placed in a tenancy- or deposit-protection scheme, and you should receive a certificate. That certificate can be checked against the scheme's register; if it never arrived, ask for it in writing before you give notice, not after.
At the end, deductions must be itemised in writing within 30 days. Ask for three things: the itemised list, an invoice for each charge, and the check-out report. A single round figure with no paperwork is not an itemisation.
A dated check-in file — 40 to 80 photographs and a room-by-room inventory signed by both parties — is what separates a payable deduction from a contestable one.
In a furnished flat the inventory also lists the furniture and its condition, because the sofa's state on day one is what its state on the last day gets compared against. Photograph what already looks worn, not just what looks new: existing scuffs, the carpet pile in each room, appliance fronts, inside cupboards.
Anchor the file in numbers while you are at it. Take the utility meter reading on move-in day itself and submit it to the supplier within 7 days in the UK, or within the current billing cycle elsewhere.
The file matters because of what happens without it: a deduction with no dated check-in behind it is contested far more often, and when the argument reaches a dispute service the tenant carries the burden of proof. Day one is the only day that proof can be made.
| Item | Typical figure | Where and when it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit size | 1-2 months' rent | Standard range where no statutory cap applies |
| Statutory deposit cap | 5 weeks' rent (≈1.16 months) | Where a cap applies; the best-known example is the UK |
| Return of above-cap money | 20-30 days | After the tenancy ends, where a cap applies |
| Notice, rolling month-to-month | 30 days | Many US states; 60 or 90 days in some |
| Notice, fixed-term / shorthold | 1-2 months | Common elsewhere; the lease clause overrides |
| Deposit protection deadline | 30 days | From payment; certificate checkable on the register |
| Itemised deductions | Within 30 days | Written list, invoice per charge, check-out report |
| Dispute window | Up to 3 years | From the tenancy ending, at most schemes |
The figures reflect widely published tenancy rules and standard industry practice; where a rule varies by jurisdiction, the variation is stated next to the figure.