Deposits

Learn about what your landlord should do with your deposit

When you start a new tenancy your landlord will ask you to pay a security or damage deposit, usually worth a month's rent. This money is held throughout your tenancy in case you are responsible for any damage or fail to pay the landlord any money you owe. It should be returned to you, minus any agreed deductions, at the end of the tenancy.

How much deposit will I need to pay?

The exact amount will depend on what's in your tenancy agreement, but landlords can only ask you for up to the equivalent of five weeks' rent when your annual rent is less than £50,000. Most landlords ask for a month's rent, and on rare occasions they don't take a deposit at all.

What should my landlord do with the deposit?

Most private landlords must register your deposit with a deposit protection scheme and send you information about the scheme within 30 days. This is a law created to make sure landlords don’t unfairly keep your money. If they don't comply with the law you could take them to court for up to three times the amount of the deposit.

If you live in Purpose-Built Student Accommodation like private halls (and signed up on or after 1 May 2026) that is a member of the ANUK/Unipol National Code, they are exempt from this law. However, your provider does still need to protect the deposit in the same way because it is a requirement of their membership.

**If you're sharing a house with your landlord then you are a lodger and your deposit cannot be protected. However, if you're living with the family member of your landlord then in most circumstances the deposit should still be protected.**

If you suspect your deposit hasn't been protected check with each of the schemes to see if they have any record of you. You can find information about the schemes at these links:

Shelter has a useful deposit checker page to help you.

If your deposit isn't protected by any of these schemes and/or you're not sure whether it should be, contact ASK.

What can I do at the start of the tenancy to make sure I'm not charged for damage I didn't cause?

Make sure there's an inventory and take plenty of photos of the house at the start of your tenancy – this shows what was there when you moved in and if anything was already dirty or broken so your landlord can’t blame you later and try to keep your deposit.

You can make your own inventory if the landlord doesn't arrange one. Try to get the landlord to sign it along with everyone who lives in the house - if the landlord refuses to sign, get an independent witness to sign instead.

Shelter has more information about inventories.

Make sure you tell the landlord in writing if there is any disrepair in the house so you won't be blamed for it later.

What happens at the end of the tenancy?

You should leave the property in the same condition as when you moved in. Make sure you clean the property thoroughly, remove all your belongings and empty the bins - your landlord can take money from your deposit to cover reasonable costs for cleaning, replacing broken items, and for removing items.

Take plenty of photos of the property to show you left the house in a good, clean condition. If you paid for any service or bought any products to help you leave the house in good condition, keep the receipts as proof.

If you're responsible for bills, contact the utility companies to let them know the final date of your tenancy. Read the meters on the final day (and keep a record), tell the company to close your account and get the final bill sent on to your forwarding address. Send proof of paying final bills to the landlord, as some won't return your deposit unless they have this proof.

Your landlord should return your deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much will be given back. If anything is broken or you owe money they can deduct it from the deposit.

What can I do if the landlord isn't returning my money or if I disagree with deductions?

Shelter has great, easy to read information about deposits on their website, but we have summarised the main information below.

Most private landlords must register your deposit with a deposit protection scheme and send you information about the scheme within 30 days. After protecting the deposit, the landlord must also send you details of the deposit protection scheme they have used. See the section titled 'What should my landlord do with the deposit?' for more information.

If your landlord isn't returning your deposit or wants to make unfair deductions, you can use the deposit protection scheme's dispute resolution service. Don’t wait too long - you can only use the scheme for 3 months after your tenancy ends.

What can I do if my deposit wasn't protected?

If your landlord was legally required to protect your deposit and failed to do so, you could take them to court to claim 1-3 times the worth of your deposit. This could be useful to use against your landlord, as they may be willing to pay you back the deposit in exchange for you not taking court action.

Shelter has some template letters you can use when writing to your landlord.

What can I do if I was a lodger and the landlord didn't need to protect my deposit?

You can write formal letters to the landlord requesting the return of your deposit and, ultimately, you may want to consider legal action to get it back.

Shelter has some template letters you can use.

I've been asked to pay a holding deposit too - what's the difference?

Some landlords also ask for a different type of deposit - a holding deposit. Holding deposits are paid to reserve the property before signing the tenancy agreement and they will not be protected by a scheme.

It is capped at one week's rent and is often deducted from your first rent payment if the tenancy goes ahead. A landlord or agent should stop advertising a property once a holding deposit has been paid, and they are not permitted to take multiple holding deposits for the same property.

The landlord must give you a copy of the tenancy agreement for you to read through first. It's important you know what terms you would be entering into before you give the landlord any money.

The landlord is entitled to keep the holding deposit if you pay it but then change your mind about renting the property, unless you had a good reason. You should get your money back if the landlord changes their mind, unless you gave false information about yourself.

Landlords will usually have 15 days to enter into a tenancy agreement with you once a holding deposit has been received by the landlord or agent. However, the law allows both parties to agree a different deadline in writing.

HMO landlords (3 bedrooms or more) will want to make sure tenancy agreements are signed within the six-month window needed to use the student eviction ground (Ground 4A), so you may be asked to pay a holding deposit several months before you can actually sign the tenancy agreement. For example, you might reserve a property in October or November for a July move-in date. In that situation, the landlord may ask you to sign a written agreement extending the normal deadline, allowing them to hold the property for you until the tenancy can be formally signed later in the year.

Be cautious if you are asked to sign a reservation agreement, pre-let agreement or similar document before signing a tenancy. These arrangements are still relatively new and it may not always be clear what rights and obligations they create. In addition, the longer the period between paying a holding deposit and signing a tenancy agreement, the more likely it is that circumstances could change. You will likely lose your deposit if you change your mind.

For more information about these deposits, you can visit the Holding Deposits section of the Tenant Fees Act 2019 guidance (starting on page 43).

Where can I find more information?

Gov.uk website has more information about deposits and the protection schemes.

Shelter - a housing and homelessness charity that is a great resource and has its own helpline.

Citizens Advice website has a section about getting your deposit back.