What evidence wins a security deposit dispute?

Signed, dated condition reports carry the most weight, followed by time-stamped photos with a clear chain of custody, written communications, and receipts. The side that can show the unit's condition at move-in versus move-out almost always wins.

What evidence should a letting agent keep for a deposit deduction?

A signed check-in inventory, a check-out report in the same format, comparable photo pairs, invoices for claimed costs, and proof the deposit was protected and prescribed information served. Adjudicators treat the deposit as the tenant's money, so the landlord's side must prove the loss.

Do photos need timestamps to count as deposit evidence?

Photos without reliable timestamps can still be used, but they are easy to challenge because EXIF data is editable. Photos with a verifiable capture time, location, and an integrity seal are far harder to dispute.

Deposit Dispute Evidence Checklist — for Tenants, Landlords & Agents

The checklist gets you organized. The photos still have to survive scrutiny.

Camera-roll photos can be challenged — timestamps and metadata are editable. Tenant Trace seals every photo with a cryptographic fingerprint at the moment of capture and produces a locked, verifiable PDF report. No account, no analytics.

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Deposit dispute evidence checklist

Move-in day

During the tenancy

Move-out day

If it becomes a dispute

Check-in

During the tenancy

Check-out

If it goes to adjudication

The checklist gets you organized. The photos still have to survive scrutiny.