Rental deposits disappear and there is no practical way to fight it

At the end of a tenancy the landlord deducts "cleaning" and "damage" from the deposit with no itemised evidence. The amounts are small enough that taking it to a tribunal costs more in time than the money is worth, so almost everyone gives up.

The asymmetry is the whole problem: the landlord holds the money and the tenant carries the burden of proof, usually with a few blurry phone photos taken on move-in day.