In England and Wales a deposit can be registered with multiple services.
Deposit Protection Service
Call 0300 037 1000 for an insured deposit where the landlord or agent holds the deposit.
Or 0300 037 1001 for a custodial deposit where the tenancy deposit scheme holds the deposit.
Find out more on the deposit protection website.
MyDeposits
Call 0844 980 0290
Tenancy Deposit Scheme
Find out more on the Tenancy Deposit Scheme website.
Deposits held by Capita
If the deposit was held by Capita, call MyDeposits on 0844 980 0290.
The landlord can accept valuable items, such as a car or watch, as a deposit instead of money, but they will not be protected by a scheme.
The landlord or letting agent must put your deposit in the scheme within 30 days of getting it.
Information the landlord must give the tenant
Once the landlord has received the deposit, they have 30 days to tell the tenant:
- the address of the rented property
- how much deposit was paid
- how much deposit is protected
- the name and contact details of the tenancy deposit protection scheme and its dispute resolution service
- their, or the letting agency's, name and contact details
- the name and contact details of any third party that has paid the deposit
- why they would keep some or all of the deposit
- how to apply to get the deposit back
- what to do if the tenant cannot get hold of the landlord at the end of the tenancy
At the end of the tenancy
The landlord must return the deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much the tenant will get back.
If you are in a dispute, your deposit will be protected in the protection scheme until the issue is sorted out.
Getting the deposit back
The deposit protection scheme makes sure the deposit is returned if the tenant:
- meets the terms of your tenancy agreement
- does not damage the property
- pays rent and bills
Tenants can apply to their local county court if they think their landlord has not used a deposit protection scheme when they should have. You can find a court or tribunal on the Government website.
Tenants can get legal advice before applying to court. You can find advice on finding a legal adviser on the Government website.
If the court finds the landlord has not protected the deposit, it can order the person holding the deposit to either:
- repay it
- pay it into a custodial protection scheme's bank account within 14 days
The court may also order the landlord to pay up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of making the order.
The court may decide that the tenant will not have to leave the property when the tenancy ends if the landlord has not used a protection scheme when they should have.
Holding deposits
A landlord does not have to protect a holding deposit. This is money the tenant pays to hold a property before an agreement is signed. Once they become a tenant, the holding deposit becomes a deposit, which the landlord must protect.
Deposits made by a third party
The landlord must use a deposit protection scheme even if the tenant's deposit is paid by someone else, such as a rent deposit scheme or from parents.
You can find more information on tenancy deposit protection on the Government website.