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Deposit deadline
Check the 30-day deadline for protecting a tenancy deposit and serving prescribed information. Flags late or missing protection which can cost up to 3× the deposit in penalties.
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30-day deposit protection clock — Housing Act 2004 and GOV.UK guidance.Runs in your browserA guide, not legal or tax advice
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Deposit
Actions taken (leave blank if not yet done)
Still within 30-day window: act now.
Timeline
- Deposit received
- Thu, 15 Oct 2026
- Protection scheme registration
- Not yet logged
- Prescribed information served
- Not yet logged
- Statutory 30-day deadline
- Fri, 13 Nov 2026
- The 30 days begin with the day the deposit is received, which counts as day 1: received on 1 September, the last day is 30 September. They run from receipt, not from the start of the tenancy.
- Approved schemes: Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits, Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).
- Prescribed information must include scheme details, deposit amount, dispute process and a signed tenant confirmation.
- Guidance only, not legal advice. Always consult a solicitor for disputes.
Next: Record the deposit on the tenancy and get reminders 14, 7 and 1 days before protection is due.
Get startedBackground
Tenancy deposit protection: the 30-day rule
Sections 213 to 215 of the Housing Act 2004 require a deposit taken for an assured tenancy in England to be protected in a government-approved scheme (the Deposit Protection Service, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme or mydeposits) within 30 days beginning with the day it is received. The day of receipt is day one, so the last day is the 29th day after it: a deposit received on 1 March must be protected by 30 March, and one received on 5 March by 3 April. The clock runs from receipt, not from the day the tenancy starts.
Within the same 30 days the landlord must give the tenant the prescribed information: which scheme protects the deposit, how it is returned and how disputes are resolved, among other details. The content is set by the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007, and it must be given in the prescribed form or one substantially to the same effect. The schemes publish templates, and using one is the simplest way to include everything.
Miss either and the court must order the landlord to pay the tenant between one and three times the deposit (section 214(4)). Where in that range depends on the facts: in Okadigbo v Chan [2014] EWHC 4729 (QB) the High Court upheld one times the deposit for landlords who were inexperienced, had relied on agents, admitted the breach and put it right.
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps the deposit at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks’ rent at £50,000 or more. A holding deposit is separate and capped at one week’s rent. The deadline for agreeing the tenancy is the 15th day beginning with the day the holding deposit is received, unless a different date is agreed in writing, and where it has to be repaid it must be repaid within 7 days.
A renewal does not restart the clock where nothing else changes. Under section 215B, if the landlord, the tenant and the property are the same and the deposit stays in the same scheme, the protection and prescribed information given for the earlier tenancy count for the new one.
Possession is the other consequence. Since 1 May 2026 a court cannot make a possession order on most grounds while the deposit is not in a scheme or the prescribed information has not been given. Doing both, even late, lifts that bar, and so does returning the deposit; the one to three times penalty remains either way. Grounds 7A and 14 are not affected.
Step by step
How to work out the deposit protection and prescribed information deadline
Enter the day the deposit was received to see the last day for protecting it and giving the prescribed information.
- 1
Enter the day the deposit was received
The day you or your agent received it, not the day the tenancy starts. That day counts as day one.
- 2
Read the last day
30 days beginning with the day of receipt, in calendar days, weekends and bank holidays included. The last day is the 29th day after receipt, and it does not move if it falls on a weekend.
- 3
Check the deposit is within the cap
Five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 (monthly rent × 12 ÷ 52 × 5), six weeks’ rent at £50,000 or more. A holding deposit is capped at one week’s rent.
- 4
Give the prescribed information
Within the same 30 days, in the prescribed form or one substantially to the same effect. A scheme template is the simplest way. Keep dated proof that the tenant received it.
- 5
On a renewal, check what changed
With the same landlord, tenant and property, and the deposit still in the same scheme, nothing needs doing again (section 215B). If any of those change, protect the deposit and give the prescribed information again.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
When does the 30-day deposit protection clock start?
On the day you or your agent receive the deposit, and that day counts. A deposit received on 5 March must be protected, and the prescribed information given, by 3 April, whenever the tenancy begins.
Which scheme should I use: DPS, TDS or mydeposits?
All three government-approved schemes satisfy section 213. Schemes offer custodial protection, where the scheme holds the money, or insured protection, where you hold it and pay for the cover. Check each scheme’s current options and fees.
What counts as Prescribed Information?
The information set by the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007, including the scheme and its contact details, the deposit amount, the property address, and how the deposit is returned and disputes resolved. It must be in the prescribed form or one substantially to the same effect; a scheme template is the simplest way to include everything.
Do I have to re-protect on a periodic continuation?
Not where the landlord, the tenant and the property are the same and the deposit stays in the same scheme. Section 215B of the Housing Act 2004 treats the earlier protection and prescribed information as given for the new tenancy.
Can I cure a late deposit protection?
Protecting the deposit and giving the prescribed information, even late, lifts the bar on a possession order. It does not remove the tenant’s right to claim one to three times the deposit.
What is the deposit cap under the Tenant Fees Act 2019?
Five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 (monthly rent × 12 ÷ 52 × 5), six weeks’ rent at £50,000 or more. The cap applies to the tenancy deposit; a holding deposit has its own cap of one week’s rent.
Does the 30-day rule apply to a holding deposit?
No. A holding deposit, capped at one week’s rent, reserves the property. The Tenant Fees Act sets its own deadlines: the tenancy should be agreed by the 15th day beginning with the day it was received, unless a different date is agreed in writing, and where it has to be repaid that is within 7 days. Any part kept as the tenancy deposit has to be protected like the rest.
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