Deposit protection and prescribed information

Legal requirement

In England, you must protect a tenant's deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and give the tenant the prescribed information within the same period. This still applies after 1 May 2026, when private tenancies became assured periodic tenancies. In Wales, the same 30-day duty applies to deposits taken under occupation contracts.

Approved schemes

Tendmere supports all three government-approved schemes:

• Deposit Protection Service (DPS) — custodial or insured
• MyDeposits — custodial or insured
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) — custodial or insured

With a custodial scheme, the scheme holds the deposit for free. All three schemes offer a custodial option.

Tracking in Tendmere

When adding a tenant, record the deposit amount, protection scheme, and protection date. Tendmere checks that the deposit was protected within 30 days and flags if it wasn't.

Prescribed information

Tendmere reminds you to serve the prescribed information (scheme details, landlord contact, dispute process) to the tenant. Mark it as served with the date for your records.

Penalties

If you fail to protect a deposit or give the prescribed information on time, a court can order you to pay the tenant between 1 and 3 times the deposit. It can also undermine later possession action.