A landlord’s repair list does not by itself explain why a tenant owes the amount deducted from a security deposit. The useful questions are what the signed agreement required, what happened to the home and what loss followed. Tenants also need evidence for their own account, including any claim of fair wear and tear.
What a recent deposit decision explains
In JJK v JJL [2026] SGSCT 28, the State Courts’ Small Claims Tribunals considered a S$6,000 deposit under a two-year residential tenancy. Tribunal Magistrate Leon Abraham Tan issued grounds on 19 October 2026. At paragraphs 15 to 19, the tribunal explained why, on that agreement, the landlord had to establish an entitlement to retain the deposit once payment and non-return were shown.
The framework required the landlord to identify the relevant clause, explain the tenant’s obligation, prove its breach and establish the resulting loss. Paragraph 19 also explains the sequence where fair wear and tear is raised: the tenant needs supporting facts for that answer, but it does not remove the landlord’s initial burden.
This was a first-instance decision on a particular agreement and evidence, not a ruling that every deduction is invalid. A later appeal outcome has not been established as at 27 October 2026. The contractual refund terms discussed in the case are not a universal statutory refund deadline.
Read the deposit and repair clauses together
Start with the actual signed tenancy agreement, including amendments, schedules and any later written agreement. Identify the deposit amount, permitted deductions, refund trigger and payment date. Read the repair, maintenance, handback and notice provisions alongside it.
A clause about routine servicing may answer a different question from one about replacing a failed appliance. Do not assume that a minor-repair contribution makes the tenant responsible for every breakdown, or that the landlord must accept every invoice submitted by the tenant. Match the event to the agreed allocation before discussing the amount.
If a refund date depends on completion of works or another condition, get advice on the wording and facts rather than insert a standard number of days from an online guide. Our landlord access guide deals separately with entry and arranging repairs during the tenancy.
Put each disputed item into a usable evidence file
For each deduction, keep the relevant contract wording, the condition at move-in, the condition at handover and the explanation of the cost. Dated photographs, the inventory, service records, defect messages and responses can make that comparison clearer than a general statement that the home was perfect or poorly maintained.
A quotation helps explain a proposed cost. It does not on its own resolve who caused the problem or which contract term makes that person responsible. Where age, condition or previous damage matters, record it specifically. If an item was already defective, retain the earlier report and any reply.
At handover, distinguish agreement about an observed condition from agreement to pay a particular amount. Record what each side accepts and disputes. Keep copies of the signed record and photographs, and avoid signing an inaccurate statement merely to finish the inspection.
Separate the condition dispute from the price dispute
For every deduction, answer two questions separately: does the agreement and evidence establish responsibility, and what supports the amount claimed? Agreement that an item is damaged does not necessarily mean agreement to the proposed replacement bill. Equally, a dispute over price does not establish that no responsibility exists.
Put the move-in record beside the handover record for the same item. Identify the room and object consistently, preserve the original photographs and keep the relevant messages in date order. A close-up without the location or date may be less useful than a sequence that shows the condition and what was reported.
Where a quote covers several jobs, ask for the disputed item to be identified separately. Record whether the proposed work is a repair or replacement and why it is said to be necessary. Preserve information about the item’s existing age and condition. This does not create a universal depreciation formula or prove that either party must pay for a new item.
A response can narrow the dispute without conceding everything
Hypothetical example: a landlord proposes S$450 for cleaning and S$1,200 for an appliance. The tenant accepts S$150 of cleaning, disputes the other S$300 and disputes the appliance deduction. The proposed deductions total S$1,650; the accepted amount is S$150; S$1,500 remains disputed. Keep the reasons and evidence beside each amount rather than describe the whole list as accepted or rejected.
A useful written response identifies the clause relied on, what is accepted, what is disputed and the documents requested. Avoid converting a settlement discussion into a confident statement that the tribunal must award a particular sum. If a payment is offered, record whether it is an undisputed partial refund or an agreed final settlement before deciding how to respond.
Landlords benefit from the same discipline. An itemised account makes it easier to explain a justified deduction and release an undisputed balance. Tenants can then focus on the actual disagreement while keeping money available for their next move.
Reconcile the balance before escalating
Illustration only: a S$6,000 deposit less an agreed S$180 key deduction leaves S$5,820. If a further S$900 repainting deduction is disputed, the landlord’s proposed balance would be S$4,920. If that S$4,920 has been paid, the remaining disagreement is S$900, rather than another claim for the full deposit.
Those figures do not value a repair or predict an award. Put the deposit paid, payments returned, accepted deductions and disputed amounts in one statement. If accepting a partial payment, make clear whether it is a partial payment or an agreed final settlement.
Check whether the Small Claims Tribunals can hear the claim
The Schedule, paragraph 1(c), of the Small Claims Tribunals Act 1984 covers claims relating to residential lease contracts not exceeding two years. This is separate from the filing time limit. A longer lease does not qualify under that category just because the disputed deposit is small.
Section 5 also governs jurisdiction, including service in Singapore, time and value limits. The Singapore Courts eligibility guide states the ordinary S$20,000 limit, or S$30,000 with both parties’ signed memorandum of consent, and filing within two years after the cause of action accrues. For a deposit, identify when the contractual obligation was breached rather than automatically start counting from move-in.
Use the official pre-filing assessment and filing and service instructions. An assessment is not a decision that the claim will succeed. Lawyers cannot represent parties in SCT proceedings, though advice outside those proceedings can help clarify the agreement and the available route.
Protect the next move as well as the disputed money
Keep enough cash for the next home’s commitments without assuming the old deposit will arrive first. Landlords should likewise plan for maintenance and the next tenancy without treating the outgoing deposit as an automatic replacement fund. The rental market guide explains how a gap between tenancies can affect cash flow.
Correction retained, 24 October 2026: earlier references on this page to a Residential Tenancies Act 2022, a Rental Disputes Resolution Centre and universal deposit or entry rules were withdrawn. They should not be used. The current guide concerns ordinary residential deposit disputes; urgent possession issues require separate advice.
Singapore River at Robertson Quay, photographed 14 August 2022. Photo: Wzhkevin, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for web. Neighbourhood context, not a valuation. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_River_at_Robertson_Quay_-_2022-08-14.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/.
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