Deposit Protection for Landlords: The 30-Day Rule and Prescribed Information

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As of 2026, in England and Wales, if you take a tenancy deposit you must put it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it. Within the same 30 days you must also give the tenant, and anyone who paid on their behalf, the "prescribed information" about where it's held and how it'll be returned.

England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Rules for tenancy types changed on 1 May 2026, see the note below.

Which deposits have to be protected

Under section 213 of the Housing Act 2004, any tenancy deposit paid in connection with a qualifying tenancy must be dealt with under an authorised scheme from the moment you receive it. Deposits paid by someone else, like a parent or a rent deposit scheme, must be protected too.

You don't have to protect a holding deposit (money paid to hold a property before an agreement is signed). Once the person becomes a tenant, though, the holding deposit becomes a deposit and you must protect it. Valuable items such as a car or watch aren't protected by a scheme, but you also can't require a deposit made up of property other than money on a tenancy that falls under these rules.

A note on 1 May 2026. GOV.UK says assured periodic tenancies replaced assured shorthold tenancies on 1 May 2026, and the deposit protection requirement now refers to assured tenancies. The 30-day timings below are unchanged. We're not covering the wider changes to tenancies here. If you have questions about how they affect an existing tenancy or a deposit you took before that date, check GOV.UK or take advice.

The three schemes

In England and Wales you can use:

  • Deposit Protection Service
  • MyDeposits
  • Tenancy Deposit Scheme

All offer two options. In a custodial scheme, the scheme holds the money for free. In an insured scheme, you or your agent keep the money and pay the scheme to insure it.

The 30-day clock: two jobs, not one

Within 30 days of receiving the deposit you must:

  1. Protect it by meeting the scheme's initial requirements, and
  2. Give the prescribed information to the tenant and any person who paid it for them.

The day you receive the money is day one of the 30 days. Protecting it without sending the information, or the other way round, is not enough.

What the prescribed information includes

The order sets out what you must provide. It covers:

  • the scheme administrator's name, address, phone and email,
  • any leaflet the scheme supplied explaining how deposits work,
  • how the deposit is paid or repaid at the end of the tenancy,
  • what happens if the landlord or tenant can't be contacted,
  • what happens if you and the tenant dispute the amount, and the options for resolving it without going to court,
  • the deposit amount, the property address, and your contact details and the tenant's (and any other person who paid),
  • when you can keep all or part of the deposit under the tenancy terms, and
  • a signed certificate from you that the information is accurate, and that you gave the tenant the chance to sign to confirm it.

Most schemes provide a form or portal that produces this. Use it and send the result to the tenant in writing, and keep proof of when you sent it.

At the end of the tenancy

You must return the deposit within 10 days of both agreeing how much the tenant gets back. If you disagree, the money stays protected in the scheme until it's settled. If you're in an insured scheme, you or your agent have to pay the disputed amount to the scheme.

What it costs if you miss it

A tenant, or someone who paid on their behalf, can apply to the county court. If the court finds you didn't protect the deposit or give the prescribed information in time, it must order you to pay the tenant between the full amount of the deposit and three times the deposit. It will also order you to repay the deposit or pay it into a scheme. This applies even after the tenancy has ended.

Make it a paper trail, not an inbox search

A "deposit protected" email is easy to lose. Keep the scheme reference, the date you received the deposit, the date you protected it, and the prescribed information you sent, in one place per tenancy. Gaffy keeps those documents with the property and tenant. The deposit protection reminder page is the short version of the 30-day rule and how to set that date. It's free for the first month, with no card.

Start free for 1 month

Related guides

Deposit protection FAQs

How long do I have to protect a tenant's deposit?

30 days, starting on the day you receive it. Within the same 30 days you must give the tenant, and anyone who paid the deposit for them, the prescribed information about the scheme and how the deposit will be handled.

Which deposit schemes can landlords use in England and Wales?

Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Each offers a free custodial option, where the scheme holds the money, and an insured option, where you keep it and pay for insurance.

What is the penalty if I don't protect a deposit?

The court must order you to pay the tenant a sum between the amount of the deposit and three times the deposit, on top of repaying the deposit or paying it into a scheme. This can be claimed even after the tenancy ends.

Do I need to protect a holding deposit?

No, not while it's only a holding deposit. When the person becomes a tenant, it turns into a deposit and you must protect it, within 30 days of the point you receive it as a deposit.

Sources

All fetched and read on 9 Oct 2026.

General information, not legal advice. Last checked 9 October 2026.