Tradedocdeposit protection notice
A blank Prescribed Information notice you can print and serve by hand. Or the faster option, fill it on the phone, deposit details prefilled from the scheme registration, signed copy in the tenant's inbox before the 30-day clock runs out. Tracks Housing Act 2004 s.213 and the Localism Act 2011 amendment.
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What it is
The notice landlords must serve to every tenant (and to anyone who paid the deposit on the tenant's behalf) within 30 days of receiving a tenancy deposit. Required under Housing Act 2004 s.213 as amended by the Localism Act 2011. The notice tells the tenant which authorised scheme protects their deposit, how to claim it back, and what to do in a dispute. Failure to serve, or serving late, exposes the landlord to a tenant claim of one to three times the deposit and (where Section 21 was historically relevant) blocked the no-fault possession route.
UK legal requirement
Housing Act 2004 s.213 (deposit protection requirement) plus Schedule 10 (prescribed information). Amended by the Localism Act 2011, which extended the original 14-day window to 30 days from 6 April 2012. Three approved schemes: Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS), Deposit Protection Service (DPS, custodial), MyDeposits (insurance-backed). Penalty: tenant can claim one to three times the deposit at the county court, awarded per non-compliant tenancy. Post-Renters' Rights Act 2025, deposit protection remains a free-standing duty independent of the abolished Section 21 regime.
Compliance status
This template tracks Housing Act 2004 s.213 — deposit protection 30-day duty (Localism Act 2011 amendment, in force from 6 April 2012). Our compliance radar crawls the publishing bodies every six hours — see the standards we build to today or the radar of what's coming next.
Engineer remains responsible for verifying compliance with the version applicable to their work. TradeDoc is a tool, not a regulator.
Who needs it
- ·Every private landlord taking a tenancy deposit on an assured tenancy in England and Wales
- ·Letting agents holding deposits on the landlord's behalf, the duty applies to whoever holds the funds
- ·Build-to-rent and student-accommodation operators within the assured-tenancy regime
- ·Landlords renewing tenancies who take a fresh deposit, a renewal does not carry over the original PI service
What goes on it
Every mandatory field, in the order the inspector or auditor will check them.
Landlord and tenant details
Full names, contact addresses, tenancy property address, tenancy start and end dates, names of any guarantor or third-party deposit payer.
Deposit details
Amount paid, currency, date received in cleared funds, payer name (if not the tenant), method of payment.
Scheme details
Which approved scheme protects the deposit (TDS, DPS, MyDeposits), scheme contact details, scheme leaflet reference, deposit ID or reference within the scheme.
Grounds for deductions
Full list of the grounds on which the landlord may make deductions from the deposit at the end of the tenancy, written so a non-lawyer tenant can understand each one.
Dispute procedure
Plain-English explanation of how the tenant raises a dispute, the scheme's ADR contact details, the dispute timeline, and what evidence each side typically provides.
Service confirmation
Date served, method of service (email, first-class post, in-person), tenant acknowledgement signature where given, landlord declaration that the information is correct.
Common mistakes on a hand-filled one
The small things that get picked up on audit, insurance review, or when the next engineer reads it.
- ✗Serving the notice late and assuming it can be backdated, the 30-day clock starts at deposit receipt and is not extendable for any reason
- ✗Forgetting to serve the third party (a parent or partner who paid the deposit on the tenant's behalf), they are statutorily entitled to receive the same Prescribed Information
- ✗Using the scheme's standard receipt as the Prescribed Information, the receipt is not the PI and both are required
- ✗Serving by ordinary post without proof of posting, dispute resolution often turns on whether service can be proved on the balance of probabilities
- ✗Renewing a tenancy and assuming the original PI still applies, a fresh deposit or material tenancy change requires re-service within 30 days
- ✗Not informing the tenant when the deposit is moved between schemes, mid-tenancy scheme changes also trigger a re-service duty
The faster option
Fill one on your phone in 2 minutes
Pick the template. Answer the fields. Customer signs from their inbox. PDF saved in the vault with a unique number. Free forever on your first 100 docs a month. Pro £15/month adds custom branding and one-tap customer email. No card at sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 30-day clock start?+
From the date the landlord (or agent) receives the deposit in cleared funds, not from the tenancy start date. If the deposit lands in the agent's client account on Monday, the 30 days run from Monday, not from the day the agent forwards the funds to the landlord.
Which scheme should I use?+
Three approved schemes, all government-authorised. DPS is custodial (they hold the money). TDS and MyDeposits are insurance-backed (you keep the money, the scheme insures the tenant). All three accept the same Prescribed Information. The choice is operational, not legal.
What happens if I serve late?+
The tenant can claim one to three times the deposit through the county court, awarded per non-compliant tenancy. Landlords with multiple late-protected tenancies have been ordered to pay multiple awards in a single hearing. There is no caveat for good-faith late protection.
Section 21 is abolished, do I still need to do this?+
Yes. The deposit-protection duty is independent of Section 21. It runs alongside the new Section 8 grounds regime introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Failure to protect still triggers the 1 to 3 times award and can prejudice specific Section 8 grounds where the tenancy is otherwise irregular.
Can I serve electronically?+
Yes, email is acceptable service if the tenant has agreed in writing (typically in the tenancy agreement) to electronic service. The PI must be a separate, identifiable document, not buried in a tenancy bundle. A clearly-titled email with the PI as a PDF attachment is the standard approach.
What if the tenant won't sign acknowledgement?+
Service is complete on dispatch, not on acknowledgement. Keep proof of dispatch (email read receipt, certificate of posting, tenant's reply quoting the PI). Acknowledgement is best evidence, not a service requirement.