For Tenants

If you are a tenant and you would like to find out more about your responsibilities and rights when it comes to your deposit then we can help.

If you are renting private accommodation then your landlord must put your deposit in a government backed tenancy deposit scheme.

In England and Wales there is a very clearly defined mechanism to ensure your tenancy deposit is protected and not open to inappropriate use. Your landlord is legally obligated to hold your deposit in one of three government backed schemes specifically the Deposit Protection Services (DPS), MyDeposit and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Legislation currently dictates that landlords have to put your deposit in one of the three schemes, for the duration of your tenancy, within 30 days of receiving it.

The role of the tenancy protections schemes is to ensure that you get your deposit back if:

  1. You meet the terms of your tenancy agreement
  2.  You don’t damage the property
  3.  You pay your rent and bills

At the end of your tenancy your landlord must return your deposit within 10 days of agreeing any deductions (due to any property damage). If you are in dispute with your landlord over the final amount then your deposit will remain in the scheme until a mutually agreeable amount can be finalised.

If your landlord has not registered your deposit with one of the three schemes then they are in direct violation of the law. Our role is to help you check your deposit has been correctly protected.

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What landlords need to know about tenant deposits

The Deposit Protection Process

1

Find a property

2

Agree contract terms

3

Pay deposit to Landlord/Agent

Obtain a receipt and ensure that the deposit amount paid is correctly reflected in the contract.

4

Landlord/Agent protects deposit in a government backed scheme

The tenant(s) to be provided with a copy of the protection certificate, Prescribed information about the scheme and “how to rent booklet”.

5

Tenancy ended, deposit return request made from scheme

In some cases the scheme can assist with arbitration between the tenant and the landlord/agent.

6

The Deposit is then returned to tenants

In some cases only part of the deposit is returned following agreement/arbitration.

What Are My Responsibilities?

  • Keeping copies of all contracts and receipts
  • Making a record of the condition of the property when moving in
  • Understanding how the protection scheme works

How Do I Check If The Deposit Was Protected?

Use Deposit Check UK’s online deposit protection search to check the UK’s three deposit protection schemes which include the DPS, the TDS and My Deposits.

Check Now