Return of deposit from joyless leaseholder

[HMC]

Hello,
I am sharing a house with a person who has signed the rental lease. I paid a month's rent and a month's deposit (E525) in cash upfront. I signed nothing as I was looking for somewhere to buy on my return to Ireland. I have now bought a house and gave my month's notice in writing last weekend. She says in her reply to my letter "your deposit will be refunded in full on condition the house AND ITS SURROUNDINGS (my emphasis) are as you found them when you moved in." The house has no garden, but has a side entrance where every bit of rubbish from the road blows in under the gate.
When relations were civil between us, she told me that she hadn't received a contract from the agents and I'm curious to know whether such a clause is correct in terms of a deposit. I thought a deposit was to pay for DAMAGE to a property, not wear and tear and certainly not to clean up a side entrance before departure! Wish I was moving out tomorrow.
Any guidance/advice would be gratefully received.
HMC

 

[ClubMan]

I don't understand - has she actually refused to return the deposit or are you preparing for her doing so?

The PRTB should be able to deal with disputes in this area.

 

[Bronte]

I assume you are leaving the house clean and tidy and in the state you received it. Therefore you would surely leave the surrounds of the house in a similar state. If you left the house in a mess that required the landlord to pay someone to clean it would you also consider this wear and tear and that she would not be justified in deducting the cost of a cleaner from your deposit? It seems a simple enough request - leave the place as you found it. So if the side of the house was tidy when you went to live there........