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How to Check Your Tenancy Deposit Is Protected

In England and Wales, your landlord must protect your deposit with one of three schemes (the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme) within 30 days of getting it. You can check by searching each scheme’s website with your postcode, surname, tenancy start date and deposit amount.

The rules in England and Wales

In England, GOV.UK says your landlord must protect your deposit if you rent on an assured periodic tenancy. These replaced assured shorthold tenancies on 1 May 2026. In Wales, the rule applies if you have an occupation contract, according to gov.wales.

Both nations use the same three schemes. GOV.UK says your landlord or letting agent “must put your deposit in the scheme within 30 days of getting it”. The deposit must still be protected if someone else paid it for you, such as your parents.

A holding deposit does not need protecting. Once you become a tenant and it turns into your deposit, it must be protected.

What your landlord must tell you

In England, GOV.UK says your landlord has 30 days from getting your deposit to tell you:

  • the address of the rented property
  • how much deposit you paid and how it is protected
  • the name and contact details of the scheme and its dispute resolution service
  • their (or the letting agent’s) name and contact details
  • the name and contact details of anyone else who paid the deposit
  • why they might keep some or all of it
  • how to apply to get it back
  • what to do if you cannot reach the landlord at the end, or if there is a dispute

This is often called the prescribed information. In Wales, gov.wales says the landlord has up to 30 days to provide information about the protection, including the scheme’s name. Your occupation contract should also mention deposit protection.

How to search the three schemes

Shelter England says you need four details to search: postcode, surname, tenancy start date and deposit amount. Your tenancy agreement or written statement should have them. Search all three schemes, because your deposit will only be in one.

Scheme How to check Phone
Deposit Protection Service (DPS) Deposit checker on the DPS tenant pages 0330 303 0030
mydeposits Deposit checker on the mydeposits tenant page 0333 321 9401
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) Search on the TDS website, or call 0300 037 1000 (insured), 0300 037 1001 (custodial)

Shelter notes that 0300 and 0333 numbers are not free but are included in mobile and landline call bundles.

If the search finds nothing

  • Joint tenants: try another tenant’s surname, or the lead tenant’s, says Shelter.
  • Renewed contract: Citizens Advice Wales suggests trying different start dates if your contract has been renewed.
  • Ask your landlord whether they protected it, with which scheme and under what name.
  • Call each scheme. Citizens Advice Wales suggests speaking to each one if you still cannot find it.

What to do if your deposit is not protected

GOV.UK says it can be quicker and cheaper to write to your landlord first. If that does not work, you can apply to your local county court in England. If the court finds your deposit was not protected, it can order your landlord to:

  • repay it to you, or pay it into a scheme’s bank account, within 14 days
  • pay you up to 3 times the deposit

GOV.UK lists the court fee as £387 on Form N208. You can claim this back from your landlord if you win, and you may get help with the fee on a low income or certain benefits. GOV.UK advises getting legal advice first, but you do not need a solicitor.

In Wales, Citizens Advice says you could get back 1 to 3 times the amount you paid through the court. It also says a landlord cannot use a no-fault notice to evict you while the deposit is not properly protected or you have not had the prescribed information.

Worked example (fictional)

Sam, in England, pays a £1,200 deposit on 2 March. The landlord has 30 days, so the deposit should be in a scheme by 1 April. Sam searches all three schemes in May and finds nothing.

  • Most the court could order in compensation: 3 × £1,200 = £3,600
  • The court can also order the £1,200 itself to be repaid or protected.

“Up to” matters. The court decides the amount, and £3,600 is the maximum, not a guaranteed payout.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland: mygov.scot says your landlord must protect your deposit within 30 working days of the tenancy starting, with one of three schemes: Letting Protection Service Scotland, mydeposits Scotland or SafeDeposits Scotland. Each has an online deposit checker. If your deposit was not protected, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), which can award up to 3 times the deposit.

Northern Ireland: nidirect says your landlord must protect your deposit within 28 days of receiving it, and give you written information within 35 days. The two scheme administrators are Tenancy Deposit Scheme Northern Ireland and My Deposits Northern Ireland. If your landlord does not protect it, nidirect says you can contact the Environmental Health Office at your local council.

Check your deposit amount

Use the tenancy deposit calculator to see whether the deposit you were asked for fits England’s legal cap. When you move out, our guide to when you get your deposit back explains the timescales and what to do in a dispute.

Related: What counts as fair wear and tear? · Tenancy deposit rules in Scotland · Tenancy deposit rules in Wales

Sources

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Report a possible error.