Deposit Boost is a service that helps you establish and recover any valid tenancy charges above the 5-week cash deposit. We manage the process end-to-end — from assessing evidence, notifying the tenant, handling disputes, and pursuing payment.
If a tenant does not pay, we may, as a final step and at our discretion, offer to purchase the outstanding debt so you get paid sooner. This is not guaranteed and is only offered when our eligibility criteria are met.

The service costs a flat, non-refundable fee of 20% of one month’s rent, payable when you sign up.

No, flatfair Deposit Boost is not an insurance product. It’s a professional service that helps you recover end-of-tenancy charges, above the 5 week cash deposit, quickly and fairly. We handle everything from establishing what’s owed to communicating with the tenant and collecting payment. If payment isn’t received within a set timeframe, we may offer to purchase the outstanding debt—up to the value of 5 weeks’ rent—at our discretion. This provides earlier access to funds, but it’s not guaranteed and does not constitute insurance.

While debt purchase is discretionary, we typically offer to buy the debt where the charges meet our eligibility criteria and are submitted within the required timeframes. Our goal is to support landlords by resolving cases efficiently, and in most cases where the criteria are met, we’re able to offer a discretionary purchase—up to 5 weeks’ rent. We'll always confirm our decision promptly once we’ve reviewed the case, so you know where you stand.

The 5-week deposit cap often leaves landlords financially vulnerable. Deposit Boost is designed to provide additional protection for tenancy-related charges like damages and rent arrears while staying compliant with UK legislation.

RA is not appropriate for RLP cases where RLP will have been based on the deposit use. Speak to us for more information on this.

You can only use it after you have recovered the full amount of the tenant’s protected cash deposit through the official tenancy deposit scheme process. If any of the deposit is returned to the tenant, Deposit Boost cannot be used for that tenancy.

Any eligible charges in your tenancy agreement that are above the 5-week deposit — such as:
Damage beyond fair wear and tear.
Unpaid rent.
Cleaning costs.
Replacement of lost or damaged items.
Charges must be supported by evidence and meet our process requirements.

You must provide:
Proof you recovered the full deposit via the deposit scheme.

Written and photographic evidence of the charges (e.g., check-in/check-out reports).

Supporting documents like invoices or repair quotes.

No. The service is activated by you as the landlord. Tenants are informed a Boost plan has been purchased and then contacted if charges are claimed after their deposit is exhausted. Our aim is to support both you and the tenants to avoid charges in the first place.

If your tenant disputes a charge, we’ll manage the process in line with UK tenancy deposit legislation — exactly as a government-approved deposit protection scheme would. This includes using an independent adjudicator (or a supervised AI process) to review the evidence fairly and impartially. The outcome is binding for both parties.

If a tenant hasn’t paid within 10 days, we may, at our sole discretion, offer to purchase the unpaid debt (up to 5 weeks’ rent) so you receive funds faster. This step is only considered when the claim meets our eligibility criteria and should be seen as a final option.

Our core service — establishing and recovering charges above the deposit — is available for any tenant.
However, any offer to purchase debt is only made if the tenant has met our eligibility criteria (e.g., satisfactory references, tenancy conditions met). Where the tenant doesn’t meet these criteria, we’ll still pursue the charges on your behalf but will not offer to buy the debt.

Yes, but if you have insurance or a rent protection policy that covers the same charges, you must claim on those first. Deposit Boost can only be used for amounts not covered elsewhere.

Sign up online, pay the fee, and the service starts from your tenancy start date or the date we receive payment — whichever is later.

Yes. You can only use Deposit Boost once you’ve completed the tenancy-deposit scheme’s process and recovered 100% of the protected deposit. If any amount was returned to the tenant, the service isn’t available for that tenancy.

Yes. You must protect any cash deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days and provide the prescribed information to the tenant.

You can still use Deposit Boost. flatfair only considers eligible charges above the 5-week threshold, so we won’t pursue (or purchase) any amount up to 5 weeks’ rent—even if your cash deposit smaller.

Our support team is here to help. Call us on 0207 078 4883 or email support@flatfair.co.uk