Our guide to tenancy deposit protection legislation
Before deposit protection legislation came into force in England and Wales on 6 April 2007, tenants had very few rights when it came to getting their deposit back.
Here, we’ve put together a series of questions and answers about deposit protection that should tell landlords (and agents) all they need to know, including: when and how a deposit needs to be protected, what to do with the deposit at the end of a tenancy and how disputes over the return of a tenant’s deposit should be handled.
This guide relates to deposits taken for assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in England and the standard occupation contract in Wales. Further information on deposit protection in Scotland and Northern Ireland is included towards the end.