Less than 1% of private tenancies in Northern Ireland ended in a dispute over the deposit in the 12 months to March 2018, new figures show.

Just 0.86% of all tenancies ended in a dispute over the tenancy deposit, according to new data released by TDS Northern Ireland.

Published annually, the latest TDS’ statistical briefings, shows that although the number of deposits protected has increased by over 10,000 in the last three years, the percentage of those ending in dispute continues to fall, indicating that parties are generally successful in reaching agreements over the deposit at the end of tenancies.

Once again, cleaning was identified as the most common contributing factor to tenancy deposit disputes and was cited in 45% of all disputes adjudicated by TDS Northern Ireland in 2017/18. This was followed by damage (35%) to the property.

The report also revealed that the amount of time it takes to resolve a tenancy deposit dispute has been cut drastically, falling from an average of 11.7 days in the TDS NI Insured schemed in 2016-17 to 4.4 days this year.

TDS Northern Ireland has also experienced growth of 13.85%, and the total value of the deposits protected rose by almost £3m from 2017 to 2018.

Eamonn Hunt, chief operating officer at TDS Northern Ireland, commented: “Despite continued growth, it’s clear that TDS NI is becoming more and more adept at dealing with deposit disputes, which is testament to the hard work and expertise of the staff.

“Our annual statistical briefings aim to shine a light on the PRS in Northern Ireland, a growing sector, and allow tenants, landlords, letting agents and members of the public to discover more about it.

“Highlighting statistics such as the number of deposit disputes is important for instilling confidence in users of the PRS, while showing the most common reasons for disputes shows individuals what to look out for in their own properties.

“We think this is an important resource for the PRS in Northern Ireland.”