They registered us as tenants with the DPS about 3 and a half months after our tenancy started, but they never got round to registered and protecting our deposit. My landlord has not protected my deposit Have agreed to end the contract, I need to pay 1 weeks rent but she said she would deduct that from my deposit and transfer the outstanding amount I asked if she had protected it after moving in and she said she hasn't but will try to do it Never recieved anh confirmation that she has protected it JA: What steps have you taken so far? If you did not protect the deposit you may be liable for sanctions but you can counter claim for the damages or file them first. If your landlord does not comply with the rules, you can make an application to the county court to order that: Contact MyDeposits if your deposit was held by Capita. Tenancy Deposit Protection Claims: Claiming compensation if a deposit is not protected. If your landlord fails to protect your deposit, they cannot use a Section 21 notice to evict you, and you can apply to the county court to award a penalty for non-protection. Landlords have an obligation to pay deposits received from tenants into a government deposit protection scheme and if they fail to do so within 30 days, you could be eligible to claim. General Finance. There is a choice of 3 government-backed schemes to use for deposit protection: Deposit Protection Service (DPS) The court may decide that you won’t have to leave the property when the tenancy ends if your landlord hasn’t used a TDP scheme when they should have. For example, your landlord or agent might: agree to carry out repairs that have been left outstanding, consider allowing you to leave a fixed term tenancy agreement early, reconsider deductions from your deposit that you feel are unreasonable. We use cookies to collect information about how you use GOV.UK. You can claim this back from your landlord if you win your case. If a deposit was received between 6th April 2007 and 5th April 2012 landlords were required to protect the deposit within 14 days of receipt. Find out more, View our coronavirus (COVID-19) housing advice. Your landlord can’t use the section 21 eviction process if either your deposit: is unprotected. The agency have told me they don't actually manage the property just find tenants, and the rest of the process is up to the landlord. If your landlord hasn’t protected your deposit and provided the required information within 30 days, they can be taken to the county court and it can be more difficult for them to end your tenancy. I doubt that my landlord hasn’t protected my deposit, how can I check if my deposit is protected? I've checked with all 3 schemes, and it would appear the landlord hasn't protected the deposit. If your deposit has not been protected you can contact your landlord and ask them to do so immediately You can contact your local county court and start proceedings against your landlord If it is found that your landlord has not protected your deposit they will be ordered to either repay it to you, or to pay it into a custodial scheme within 14 days It can be quicker and cheaper to write to your landlord, rather than going to court. What to do if your landlord hasn’t secured the deposit? If the court then finds that your landlord hasn’t held your deposit in an appropriate scheme then it can order the person holding it to either repay it to you or pay it into a tenancy deposit scheme within 14 days to ensure you’re protected. This is because your landlord may be able to give you a valid section 21 notice once the court has looked at your compensation claim. 4th Feb 2017. thinkmoney. If you take your landlord to court before your tenancy ends, the court might order them to protect your deposit and give you the prescribed information. ... And that’s not all – you can claim compensation of one to three times your deposit if your landlord didn’t protect it in a TDP. Basically I started renting my current place on 27th February, I paid one months rent and a deposit, signed a contract. Find out about call charges. The basis for this requirement is to stop Landlords utilising a Tenants deposit monies as income elsewhere and to make it easier to obtain the return of your deposit when a Tenancy comes to an end. Your deposit must be protected by law, so you could take your landlord to court if you can prove they didn’t pay your deposit into a scheme. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, leave a fixed term tenancy agreement early. Our landlord lives outside of the EU (apparently) although the person we thought was our landlord who now 'manages' it lives in London. My deposit hasn’t been paid into a protection scheme Your landlord must return your deposit, minus any damage costs. Check if your landlord needs to pay your deposit into a tenancy deposit scheme and when it needs to be protected by and find out what to do if it isn’t protected. deposit isn't protected properly; landlord hasn't given you the prescribed information in the correct way; This means you're better off waiting until you're ready to end your tenancy before you take your landlord to court. You can apply for money off your court fee if you claim certain benefits or have a low income. The changes were meant to correct the errors in the original drafting and give the Housing Act 2004 real teeth. For example, the court might award less compensation if the: landlord protected the deposit as soon as they realised their mistake, deposit was protected on time and it was only the written information that was late. To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. By sharing your story, you're helping spread the message of what we do so that we can help even more people. Our Tenancy Deposit Claims Solicitors are experts at claiming compensation for tenants who have faced issues with their landlord about deposit protection schemes and getting their deposit … There are 3 deposit protection scheme providers. If you paid your deposit before 6 April 2012, different deadlines applied for protection. But it may be too late to claim even if the rules were broken. My tenancy deposit wasn't protected - how to claim. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Just coming to the end of a tenancy and we've realised the landlord/estate agent hasn't protected our deposit. If a tenant does not give you a deposit there is no need to protect a deposit that does not exist. My landlord hasn’t protected my deposit! Get legal advice before applying to court. We have a team of experienced lawyers enforcing tenant’s rights against landlords, ensuring we obtain compensation for YOU when your deposit hasn’t been protected correctly. County court penalties. Despite a number of requests to the landlord via a mixture of email, phone calls and texts for the deposit protection scheme used, I have had no response and no further information sent to me. © 2021 Shelter, the National Campaign for Homeless People Limited You should only consider claiming while you're still a tenant if: you understand the risk of section 21 eviction. You can ask for between 1 and 3 times the deposit amount. My Landlord hasn’t protected my deposit(he’s also tried to serve me notice via text message of one month as well). It's best to wait until your tenancy ends before starting legal action. A solicitor might take the case on under a conditional fee agreement - often described as 'no win no fee'. If you mean you did not give it back then you would make a claim with the deposit protection company you gave it to. If you think your landlord has not protected your deposit, you can ask a Tenancy Deposit Scheme Deposit Protection Service The 30 days runs from when you paid your deposit, even if you signed your tenancy in advance and it didn't start until a later date. You may be able to negotiate with your landlord if you're considering claiming compensation. 88 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HU You may have a deposit protection scheme dispute if your landlord has failed to register the deposit and/or provide the required information within 30 days of the deposit being made and you will be entitled to receive compensation from your landlord. If your landlord has failed to comply with the tenancy legislation, you could take steps to seek compensation, between 1 to 3 times the deposit amount. If your landlord or agent hasn’t protected your deposit correctly, it's harder for them to evict you and you can claim compensation. Make sure you understand any fees or costs you'll have to pay before you sign any agreement. What to do about an unprotected tenancy deposit. Protection from eviction. My tenancy deposit wasn't protected - how to claim. All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Private renting for tenants: tenancy agreements, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases, If your landlord doesn't protect your deposit. Telephone: 0330 303 0030. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Should a tenant find out that a landlord hasn’t protected their deposit, he or she may lodge a complaint with their local court. You can claim compensation from your landlord or agent if they failed to: protect your deposit within 30 days of you paying it, give you written information about the scheme within 30 days, keep the deposit protected during your tenancy. My Landlord didn’t protect my deposit within 30 days If your landlord has not protected your deposit within 30 days, you can take legal action against them, including claiming back up to 3X the original deposit amount as compensation. Your landlord can’t use the section 21 eviction process if either your deposit: was protected more than 30 days after the start of your most recent contract. Tenant's guide to deposit protection schemes - your deposit, information landlords must provide, disputes and advice Tenancy deposit protection: Get help and advice - GOV.UK Skip to main content You can't get legal aid for a compensation claim but there may be other ways to get free legal advice. Answer 1) The landlord must protect your deposit within 30 days of receiving it. If your landlord or agent hasn’t protected your deposit correctly, it's harder for them to evict you and you can claim compensation. At present landlords must protect a deposit with an authorised scheme within 30 days of receiving it. I doubt that my landlord hasn’t protected my deposit, how can I check if my deposit is protected? From 6 April 2012, the period was extended to 30 days as it is currently. Anyway, here it is: We believe that our landlord has failed to protect our deposit in accordance with Section 213 of the Housing Act 2004 and in accordance with our lease (attached as appendix XXX). You don't need a solicitor but it's a good idea to get legal advice if you can. I/We have verified with all four schemes that the deposit you hold was NOT protected by any scheme. You can claim compensation during your tenancy or after it ends. At the end of the tenancy, landlords must return the deposit within 10 days of both landlord and tenant agreeing how much will be returned. We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. Answer 1) Landlord must protect your deposit within 30 days of receiving it. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. These decisions meant that where a deposit had not been protected it was relatively easy for landlords and agents to avoid any of the penalties as included in section 214 of the Housing Act 2004. However, they didn't even seem to know what date it was due and my deposit still hasn't been protected when it has been 28 days. deposits@tenancydepositscheme.com Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. The court fee is £308. I’ve taken some legal advice and they’ve told me that i must write to him requesting he protects my deposit before i take him to small claims court. Your landlord can only give you a valid section 21 notice in this situation if they return your deposit first. Thank you! You can apply to your local county court if you think your landlord hasn’t used a TDP scheme when they should have. Use the scheme websites to check your deposit is protected: Deposit Protection Service (DPS) Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) mydeposits. Your landlord or agent chooses which scheme to use. The law states that every Landlord who takes a deposit from a Tenant has to protect that deposit by lodging it with one of 3 tenancy deposit protection schemes. Cookies Shelter’s site uses cookies. Charity number: 263710 (England and Wales), SC002327 (Scotland). Contact a tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) if you’re not sure whether your deposit has been protected. The court will consider whether to direct the landlord to pay the deposit back to the tenant and could issue a penalty of up to three times the value of the deposit as compensation to the tenant. The Housing Act 2004 (as amended by the 2011 Localism Act) introduced the concept of "Tenancy Deposit Protection" with regard to AST tenancies and obliges landlords to protect/register all tenancy deposits with one of 4 approved schemes. The tenant (or any relevant party to the deposit) could possibly instigate court action if the landlord fails to protect a tenancy deposit correctly. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve government services. The court could order the landlord to pay you compensation of up to three times the amount of the deposit. If you cannot come to an agreement, you can apply to the court for compensation. Company number: 1‌038133 They must also give you written information about the deposit before they can give you a section 21 notice. If the court finds your landlord has not protected your deposit, it can order them to either: The court may also order the landlord to pay you up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of making the order. They must give you certain written information about where your deposit is protected. Your landlord will have to pay your deposit back to you before they can evict you with a section 21 notice if: your deposit wasn't protected and it should have been; your deposit was protected late; Your landlord also has to give you 'prescribed information' - this includes details about the property and your deposit. If your tenancy hasn't ended, the court will normally order your landlord to protect your deposit in a scheme. Check how the new Brexit rules affect you. If the court finds your landlord has not protected your deposit, it can order them to either: repay it to you; pay it into a TDP scheme’s bank account within 14 days By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. If the court finds your landlord hasn’t protected your deposit, it can order the person holding the deposit to either: Repay it to you; Pay it into a custodial TDP scheme’s bank account within 14 days; The court may also order the landlord to pay you up to 3 times the deposit within 14 days of making the order. In the UK it's the law to put a deposit into a protection scheme and is required by all landlords to do so, you have 30 days by law to place the deposit in the scheme or the renter can take legal action. To make a claim or if you wish to find out more about seeking compensation, you can: You have 6 years to claim from the date the rules were broken. Telephone: 0300 037 1000 Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer. However, my other flatmates rent through another agency who manage everything. You do not need a solicitor to do this. The court looks at how the landlord or agent has behaved. was protected more than 30 days after the start of your most recent contract If your landlord hasn’t protected your deposit, then you can apply to your local county court, but it’s wise to seek legal advice first. Found out today that after 9 months here in my rented house, my landlord hasn't protected my deposit in any of the three uk schemes that he is le You’ve accepted all cookies. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. There is choice of 3 government backed schemes to use for deposit protection: Deposit Protection Service (DPS) MyDeposits; The … Only consider claiming while you 're still a tenant if: you understand any fees or costs 'll... A scheme Telephone: 0300 037 1000 Find out more, View our coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) Housing advice improve... Best to wait until your tenancy ends before starting legal action ended, the period was extended to days. 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