Tools / When must I protect this deposit
Deposits · 30 days
When must I protect this deposit?
If you take a deposit, it has to go into a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and the tenant needs the scheme’s paperwork within the same 30 days.
How long do I have to protect a tenancy deposit?
A tenancy deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it.
The tenant can claim one to three times the deposit, and you can’t get the home back through the courts until it’s protected. Protecting it late, before the court hearing, now puts this right.
Housing Act 2004 ss.213–215 as amended by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025. Read it. Checked 22 September 2026.
The two things to do
- Protect the deposit in one of the three government-approved schemes: the Deposit Protection Service, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme or mydeposits.
- Give the tenant the paperwork the scheme gives you, which explains how their deposit is protected.
Miss either and the tenant can claim one to three times the deposit, and you can’t get a possession order until it’s put right.