Brian had rented a comfortable two-bedroom house in Kildare for three years. When his lease ended, he arranged a checkout date with his landlord. Everything seemed straightforward — he'd kept the place well, done minor repairs himself, and left it clean. A few weeks later, his landlord wrote to say they were keeping a large chunk of his deposit. The reason? Damage to the property and cleaning costs, according to a professional exit report.
The problem was, Brian had never seen this report before. The landlord had ordered an inspection without asking him to be present, and only shared the findings after Brian asked why his deposit wasn't returned. When he finally got his hands on the document, he was shocked. The report listed damage he'd never caused — scuff marks on walls, minor carpet wear from normal living, and "extensive cleaning required." Brian felt trapped. The items listed seemed like normal wear and tear, but he had no way to challenge what he hadn't witnessed.
Brian contacted the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) to lodge a dispute. He explained that the landlord had conducted the inspection alone, without his presence, and that he should have been given a chance to see the report before deductions were made from his deposit. The RTB investigated and agreed. They found that the process was unfair — the landlord hadn't followed proper procedure by excluding the tenant and keeping the inspection report confidential until after the fact.
The RTB ruled in Brian's favour and ordered the full deposit to be returned. More importantly, they made clear that landlords must carry out exit inspections with the tenant present whenever possible, and must share inspection reports promptly. This wasn't about the damage itself — it was about fairness and giving the tenant a voice in the process.