Tenancy deposit protection
Most deposits should be protected within 30 days of you paying one.
This applies to assured and assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs).
Lodger deposits do not need to be protected.
Your tenancy deposit if your landlord changes
Your old landlord or the letting agent should tell the scheme about the change.
Your new landlord or the letting agent should:
check your deposit is still protected by the scheme
give you written information about which scheme is protecting your deposit
They can choose to use a different scheme but your deposit should stay protected at all times.
Check your deposit is still protected.
Ask your new landlord about your deposit if you cannot find it. Keep a record of what they say.
If your agent changes
Your old agent should transfer responsibility for your deposit to the new agent.
You could claim compensation from the:
old agent if you paid the deposit to them, they still have the money and did not register it with a scheme or send you the right written information in 30 days
new agent if they received the deposit but did not protect it or send you the right written information in 30 days
If you paid your deposit directly to the landlord and a new agent took over management of the tenancy later, you could claim compensation from the landlord if both these things apply:
the landlord did not protect the deposit or send you the written information within 30 days when you first paid it
the landlord did not pass the deposit to the agent
If your home is sold to a new landlord
Your deposit is usually passed to your new landlord as part of a sale.
Your new landlord has 30 days to:
make sure your deposit is protected in a scheme
give you details about which scheme it is in
You can claim compensation from your new landlord if this does not happen.
If the deposit is not passed to your new landlord, your old landlord is still responsible for protecting it.
You can claim compensation from your old landlord if both of these things apply:
your old landlord does not pass your deposit money to your new landlord
your old landlord does not continue to protect your deposit
Even though you cannot claim compensation from your new landlord if they did not receive the deposit, you can still make a claim to get your deposit back from them through the small claims court.
If your landlord dies
It can take time for your landlord's relatives to decide what happens with your landlord's money and the property you live in.
Find out about your deposit if your landlord dies.
When you move out
The person who is your landlord or agent when your tenancy ends is responsible for returning your deposit.
They are responsible even if they never got the deposit money from your old landlord or agent.
Find out how to:
Last updated: 1 May 2026
