How to Get Your Deposit Back (A Renter’s Move-Out Repair Checklist)

The first time we moved out of a rental, I lost part of my deposit over things I could have fixed in an afternoon with about twelve euros of supplies.

Nail holes I never filled. A ring on the kitchen worktop. A smell of damp in the wardrobe I’d stopped noticing because I lived with it. The landlord walked through with a clipboard, and I stood there watching money disappear over stuff I simply hadn’t thought about.

So the second time, and every time since, I did it properly. I’ve now moved enough that I have a routine, and I get the full deposit back. This is that routine, written out. It’s the post I wish someone had handed me before that first walk-through.

A quick reassurance before the list. Most of what costs people their deposit is small, cosmetic, and completely fixable by you, for very little money, in a weekend. You do not need a handyman for the majority of it. You need a free afternoon and a short shopping list.

Start by reading your own contract first