Is Your London Deposit in a Tenancy Deposit Scheme?

If you rent a home in London on an assured tenancy, your landlord or letting agent must put your deposit in one of three government-approved schemes within 30 days of getting it: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. In the same 30 days, they must give you written information about where it is and how to get it back. You can check each scheme's website with your tenancy details. If your deposit was not protected, a county court can order your landlord to pay you between 1 and 3 times the deposit.

This guide covers England only. London is in England, so it applies to most private renters in London.

Checked on 27 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Your rights depend on your tenancy and your facts. Check GOV.UK, or contact Shelter or Citizens Advice, before you act on your own case.

How much a landlord can take as a deposit, and which fees are banned, is in our London deposits and tenant fees guide. This guide is about what happens to the deposit after you pay it.

The three approved schemes

GOV.UK lists three approved tenancy deposit protection (TDP) schemes. Shelter says your landlord can choose which one to use. Each scheme offers two types of protection.

Sources: DPS, MyDeposits, TDS and GOV.UK.

Custodial or insured: what it means for you

The law sets out both types of scheme.

• Custodial. The scheme holds the money until the end of the tenancy. DPS and MyDeposits both say custodial protection is free.
• Insured. The landlord or agent keeps the money and pays the scheme a fee. At the end, the landlord pays you back. Schedule 10 says that if you ask for your money and do not get it within 10 days, the scheme can direct the landlord to pay the disputed amount into the scheme. The scheme also keeps insurance in case a landlord does not do what it directs.

For you, the main difference is who holds the money. Either way, the deposit is protected and you can use the free dispute service.

The 30-day deadline and the prescribed information

The Housing Act 2004, section 213, sets two deadlines. Both run for 30 days from the date the landlord gets the deposit:

1. Protect it. The landlord must meet the scheme's first requirements.
2. Tell you. The landlord must give you, and anyone who paid on your behalf, the "prescribed information".

GOV.UK lists what the prescribed information must include:

• the address, the deposit amount and how it is protected;
• contact details for the scheme, its dispute service, the landlord or agent, and anyone else who paid;
• why the landlord might keep some or all of it and how to get it back; and
• what to do if you cannot contact the landlord at the end, or if you disagree.

Shelter says the landlord or agent must also sign a certificate that the information is correct.

GOV.UK also says the deposit must be protected even if someone else paid it, such as a parent or a rent deposit scheme. A holding deposit does not need protection until you become a tenant. For an assured tenancy, section 213(7) says the deposit must be money.

Lodgers are different

Shelter says lodger deposits do not need to be protected. If a live-in landlord does not return one, you might have to go to court. Our flatshare guide explains how to tell if you are a lodger.

How to check where your deposit is protected

1. Read your prescribed information. It should name the scheme.
2. Search the scheme. Use the DPS deposit check, the MyDeposits deposit checker or the TDS checker. Shelter says you usually need the postcode, your surname, the tenancy start date and the deposit amount.
3. Try other names. In a joint tenancy, Shelter says to search with another tenant's surname, or the lead tenant's.
4. Ask. If you still cannot find it, Shelter says to ask your landlord which scheme they used and under what name. GOV.UK says you can also contact the schemes directly.

If your deposit was not protected

GOV.UK says to write to your landlord first. Some landlords repay after a letter, to avoid legal costs.

If that does not work, you can apply to your local county court. GOV.UK says:

• you use Form N208, and you do not need a solicitor, but you should get legal advice first;
• the court fee is £387, which you can claim back from your landlord if you win, and you may get help with the fee on a low income or certain benefits; and
• the court can order the landlord to repay you, or to put the deposit in a scheme, within 14 days.

The court must also order the landlord to pay you an extra sum. Section 214(4) says it is not less than the deposit and not more than 3 times the deposit, paid within 14 days of the order. The court decides the amount, so the result is not certain.

Getting your deposit back at the end

1. Agree the deductions. Your landlord must return the deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you get back.
2. If you disagree, the money stays protected. GOV.UK says the deposit stays protected until the dispute is settled.
3. Use the free dispute service. Each scheme has a free dispute resolution service. GOV.UK says both you and the landlord have to agree to use it, and the decision is final. At DPS, an adjudicator reviews evidence from both sides. DPS estimates about 44 days from the start of a dispute to the decision.
4. Watch the deadline. GOV.UK says there may be a time limit to raise a dispute, so contact the scheme as soon as possible. Each scheme sets its own. For example, MyDeposits says an insured deposit must be disputed within three calendar months of moving out or of the deposit becoming unprotected, whichever is sooner. For a MyDeposits custodial deposit, it is within 90 days of the release being started.
5. If you cannot contact your landlord, GOV.UK says you can still raise a dispute, and the scheme will refund your deposit if the dispute service agrees.

Did the Renters' Rights Act change deposit protection?

The basic rules did not change: the same three schemes, the same 30-day deadlines and the same 1 to 3 times penalty. The official sources show these changes:

• Who is covered. From 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed sections 212, 213 and 214 to refer to assured tenancies, not only assured shorthold tenancies. GOV.UK says assured periodic tenancies replaced assured shorthold tenancies on that date.
• Eviction. Shelter says a private landlord cannot give a Section 21 notice from 1 May 2026. The new section 215 says a court can make a possession order on an assured tenancy only if the deposit is protected and the prescribed information was given. This does not apply if the deposit was returned in full or with agreed deductions, or for possession on Ground 7A or Ground 14. The government's guide to the Act says landlords can always fix non-compliance, and the restriction does not apply to antisocial behaviour grounds.

Our Renters' Rights Act guide covers the other changes from 1 May 2026.

Search for your next London flat

Before you pay a deposit, check who the landlord or agent is with our landlord and licence checks. RentReboot can email you new London flats that match your budget and neighbourhoods. Set up London flat alerts.

Tenancy deposit protection FAQs

What is the tenancy deposit scheme?

It is the system that keeps your deposit safe while you rent. Your landlord must use one of three approved schemes. "Tenancy Deposit Scheme" (TDS) is also the name of one of them.

Is TDS a government scheme?

TDS is one of the three schemes that GOV.UK lists as government-approved. It offers custodial and insured protection.

How long does my landlord have to protect my deposit?

Thirty days from getting it. In the same 30 days, they must give you the prescribed information about the scheme and how to get your deposit back.

What can I get if my deposit was not protected?

A county court can order the landlord to repay the deposit or protect it. It must also order the landlord to pay you between 1 and 3 times the deposit. Get advice before you start a claim.

Does a lodger's deposit need to be protected?

No. Shelter says lodger deposits do not need to be protected in a scheme.

How long does my landlord have to return my deposit?

Ten days from when you both agree how much you get back. If you disagree, the deposit stays protected and you can use the scheme's free dispute service.

More London renter guides

• How Much Deposit Can a London Landlord Ask For?: holding and tenancy deposit caps and banned fees.
• What Changed for London Renters on 1 May 2026?: bidding, rent in advance, Section 21 and periodic tenancies.
• Lodger or Tenant? Renting a Room in a London Flatshare: your status decides whether your deposit must be protected.
• How to Check a London Landlord, Letting Agent and Property Licence
• New flats to rent in London by neighbourhood

Sources

Checked on 27 October 2026. The law and official guidance can change. Recheck these sources before you rely on them.

1. GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection: the three approved schemes, the 30-day deadline, the 10-day return, holding deposits, deposits paid by someone else, assured periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026.
2. GOV.UK: Information landlords must give tenants: the prescribed information and its 30-day deadline.
3. GOV.UK: If your landlord does not protect your deposit: contacting the schemes, county court, Form N208, the £387 fee, help with fees, orders within 14 days, up to 3 times the deposit.
4. GOV.UK: Disputes and problems: free dispute resolution, agreement to use it, final decision, time limits, landlord you cannot contact, writing to your landlord first, Capita deposits.
5. legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 2004, section 212: custodial and insurance schemes, Renters' Rights Act 2025 amendments.
6. legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 2004, section 213: the two 30-day requirements, the prescribed information, deposits must be money for assured tenancies.
7. legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 2004, section 214: court orders and the sum of 1 to 3 times the deposit.
8. legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 2004, section 215: limits on possession orders where a deposit is not protected, as substituted by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
9. legislation.gov.uk: Housing Act 2004, Schedule 10: how custodial and insurance schemes work, the 10-day rule for insured deposits.
10. GOV.UK: Guide to the Renters' Rights Act: possession blocked where a deposit is not protected, fixing non-compliance, antisocial behaviour exception.
11. Deposit Protection Service: free custodial protection and insured protection.
12. DPS: Is my deposit protected?: the deposit check tool.
13. DPS: Tenant dispute resolution process: free service and adjudicator.
14. DPS: How long does dispute resolution take?: about 44 days to a decision.
15. MyDeposits: insured and custodial protection.
16. MyDeposits: Tenant tools: the deposit checker.
17. MyDeposits: Raise a dispute: three calendar months for insured deposits, 90 days for custodial deposits, free service.
18. TDS: Is my deposit protected?: the TDS checker and the details it needs.
19. Shelter England: Check your tenancy deposit is protected: the landlord chooses the scheme, details needed to search, joint tenants, asking your landlord.
20. Shelter England: Tenancy deposit protection rules: signed certificate, assured tenancies from 1 May 2026, lodgers.
21. Shelter England: If your landlord does not protect your deposit: no Section 21 notices from 1 May 2026, compensation of up to 3 times the deposit.
22. Shelter England: Return of a lodger's deposit: lodger deposits do not need protection.