Your rights
How does deposit protection work in England?
Your deposit must be placed in a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of the landlord receiving it, and within that same 30 days you must be given the scheme's prescribed information in writing. In England there are three approved schemes: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Protection is free to you, and at the end of the tenancy the scheme gives you a free way to settle any disagreement about what is returned.
Below is how the schemes work, how much a landlord can take, how you get your money back when you move out, and what your options are if the deposit was never protected. This guide covers England; the rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What is a tenancy deposit protection scheme?
A tenancy deposit protection scheme is a government-approved arrangement that holds or insures your deposit for the length of the tenancy, so it cannot simply be spent and cannot be kept at the end without a proper reason. The schemes were introduced by the Housing Act 2004 and continue to apply after the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed the structure of tenancies on 1 May 2026. Every assured tenancy in England is now periodic, but the deposit rules carry on as before. If you would like the background on how tenancies themselves changed, our guide on periodic tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act covers that separately.
There are two ways a scheme can hold a deposit. In a custodial scheme, you or the landlord pay the money to the scheme, which keeps it for free until the end of the tenancy. In an insured scheme, the landlord or letting agent keeps the money but pays the scheme a fee to insure it, so you are still covered if it is not returned. Either way, the protection is the same from your point of view, and it costs you nothing.
How long does a landlord have to protect my deposit?
Thirty days, counted from the day the deposit is received. Within that window the landlord, or the agent acting for them, must both place the deposit in one of the approved schemes and give you the prescribed information. The clock runs from when the money changes hands, not from the day you move in, so if you paid the deposit two weeks before the tenancy began, the 30 days started then.
What is the prescribed information, and why does it matter?
The prescribed information is a written set of details the scheme and the landlord must give you: which scheme holds the deposit, how to get it back at the end, what happens if either side cannot be reached, and how disputes are resolved without going to court. It matters because it is your record. Keep it somewhere safe, because it tells you exactly where your money is and how to reclaim it. If you never received it, that is worth raising, since the information is part of what a landlord is legally required to provide.
How much deposit can a landlord take?
The amount is capped by the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Where the total annual rent is under £50,000, the tenancy deposit is limited to five weeks' rent; at £50,000 a year or above, the limit is six weeks' rent. A holding deposit, which reserves a property while things are arranged, is separately capped at one week's rent. A request above these caps is generally a prohibited payment, so it is worth questioning before you send anything. For the wider picture of what a landlord can and cannot charge, our guide on whether a landlord can charge you for referencing sets out the permitted list in full.
How do I get my deposit back when I move out?
At the end of the tenancy, you and the landlord agree how much of the deposit is returned. If you both agree, the scheme releases the money, usually within about ten days. If you do not agree, for example over cleaning or a mark on a wall, each approved scheme runs a free dispute resolution service, sometimes called alternative dispute resolution. An independent adjudicator looks at the evidence from both sides and decides how the deposit is split. Using it costs nothing, and the disputed amount stays protected until the decision is made. Good photographs at the start and end of the tenancy, and the inventory you were given, are the evidence that tends to matter most.
What if my deposit was never protected?
Start by asking the landlord, in writing, to protect the deposit and send you the prescribed information, keeping a copy of what you send. If that does not resolve it, you can apply to the county court. The court can order the deposit to be protected or returned to you, and can award you between one and three times the deposit amount as compensation, on top of the deposit itself. Since 1 May 2026, an unprotected deposit or missing prescribed information also limits the possession grounds a landlord is able to rely on under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, which strengthens your position further. Shelter and Citizens Advice both offer free guidance, and you can check the current rules on the GOV.UK tenancy deposit protection pages.
Common questions
How long does a landlord have to protect my deposit in England?
Within 30 days of receiving your deposit, a landlord in England must place it in one of the three government-approved tenancy deposit protection schemes and give you the scheme's prescribed information in writing. The 30-day clock runs from when the money is received, not from when the tenancy starts. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check the current position on GOV.UK for where you are renting.
Which deposit protection schemes are approved in England?
There are three government-approved schemes in England: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Each offers a custodial option, where the scheme holds the money for free, and an insured option, where the landlord or agent holds it and pays the scheme to insure it. Whichever is used, your money is covered and the scheme provides a free dispute resolution service at the end of the tenancy. Your prescribed information tells you which scheme holds your deposit.
How much deposit can a landlord take in England?
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, a tenancy deposit is capped at five weeks' rent where the total annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more. A separate holding deposit, used to reserve a property, is capped at one week's rent. Anything above these caps is generally a prohibited payment, so a larger request is worth questioning before you pay.
What can I do if my deposit was not protected?
Ask the landlord in writing to protect it and send the prescribed information. If that does not resolve it, you can apply to the county court, which can order the deposit to be protected or returned and award you between one and three times the deposit amount as compensation. Since 1 May 2026, an unprotected deposit or missing prescribed information also limits the possession grounds a landlord can rely on under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Shelter and Citizens Advice offer free guidance, and you should check the current GOV.UK position for your own situation.
Keep your deposit paperwork where you can find it
The prescribed information, your inventory and your start-of-tenancy photographs are the papers you will want again at the very end of the tenancy, often years later, and they are the easiest to misplace. Keeping them together, alongside the rest of your renting details, means they are ready when you need them rather than scattered across old emails. VEYLO X is a neutral platform where renters can gather their renting information in one place, including a note of which scheme holds the deposit and its reference, and keep it current. Setting up a renter profile is free for renters.
To be clear about what it does not do: VEYLO X does not hold your deposit, does not protect it, and takes no part in any dispute about it. The approved scheme does all of that, and your money stays with the scheme or the landlord exactly as the rules require. The profile simply keeps your own records in order and leaves what you share, and with whom, as your decision.
Sources
The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts. How we write these guides.