There is some excellent advice here, and it looks very well informed. There are a few practical things to think about though.
First is the legal cost to you. Can you afford to take the legal route when comparing the potential costs to the deposit amount you could lose?
Do you believe the landlord will try to legally recover the 2 months rent? Is it worth it for him? Some do, some don’t.
Can you negotiate with the landlord? A settlement is far more desirable for all parties if it’s at all possible. As long as whatever you agree is put in writing, then that also reduces the stress in the situation.
A highly experienced property manager once told me that, if its essential to hang onto a deposit, the snag list for damage on exit isn’t hard to build. Once a property is empty, all the wall marks, carpet snags & the like,can be easily identified and monetized. it’s not necessarily ethical, but not against any law to do this. If he takes this approach, your deposit money and you will be tied up for months trying to sort this out. I’d advise against tempting your landlord to follow this path.
My personal opinion is that I’d much prefer a leaving tenant to suggest a negotiated exit strategy. I do have a zero tolerance policy in regard to unpaid amounts, but this is worked around by reasonable behaviour through negotiation. Any landlord that has a brain will be keen to have you leave the place in good order to simply put back on the market. It will decrease his void period, avoid the need to deal with the deposit holding people & avoid the need for spending time and money on legal solutions.
Let’s also bear in mind that everything in the current climate is taking much longer than usual. The legal process was slow before Covid. It’s now at a snail’s pace. Really, I’d find a way to not let this become a stressful situation. A few quid lost might well be worth it on both sides.