If you let a home in England and take a deposit, the day the money lands is the day two separate deadlines start. Most new landlords know about the first one. Fewer know about the second, and fewer still keep the evidence that shows they met both.
Clock one: protect the deposit within 30 days
GOV.UK says a landlord or letting agent must put the tenant's deposit in a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of getting it. In England and Wales the approved schemes are the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Choose one, register the deposit and keep the scheme's confirmation.
Clock two: give the tenant the deposit information within 30 days
This is the one that gets missed. GOV.UK also says that once the landlord has received the deposit, they have 30 days to tell the tenant:
- the address of the rented property
- how much deposit has been paid and how it is protected
- the name and contact details of the scheme and its dispute resolution service
- the landlord's (or letting agent's) name and contact details, and those of any third party who paid the deposit
- why the landlord would keep some or all of the deposit
- how to apply to get the deposit back, and what to do if the landlord cannot be reached at the end of the tenancy
- what to do if there is a dispute over the deposit
Protecting the money does not by itself tell the tenant any of this. Treat the two clocks as two separate jobs with two separate pieces of proof.
Why it matters more since 1 May 2026
GOV.UK notes that assured periodic tenancies replaced assured shorthold tenancies on 1 May 2026. The tenancy rules changed, but the deposit duties above still sit alongside them as separate obligations, so a new letting now needs both the new-tenancy paperwork and the deposit paperwork in order.
A simple 30-day routine
- Day 0: record the date and amount received, and how it was paid.
- By day 30: protect the deposit with your chosen scheme and save the confirmation.
- By day 30: send the tenant the deposit information listed above, in writing, and keep a copy plus proof of when and how you sent it.
- Diary it: put both deadlines in your calendar the day the deposit arrives, not the day you remember.
Keep the proof
Keep one tenancy file with: the payment record, the scheme confirmation, the deposit information you gave the tenant, the evidence of delivery, and your gas, electrical and EPC records alongside them. If anything is questioned later, the dates and documents answer for you.
The pack that sets this out step by step
The UK Landlord Starter Pack (England) bundles two complete guides as separate instant PDFs: the First-Time Landlord Blueprint – UK Edition (England), which covers England landlord legal responsibilities including deposit protection, certificates and Right to Rent checks, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 Compliance Blueprint — 2026 Edition, which includes a new-tenancy workflow and a document register with a line for deposit protection and prescribed information. Both guides are also available individually on Amazon.
Explore the pack and instant PDF download.
Know what changed. Know what to do. Keep the proof.
📘 PDFBlueprints — plain-English UK compliance guides for landlords, sole traders & small employers. Checklists, trackers & templates. Instant PDF. General information, not legal advice. Deposit rules checked against GOV.UK "Tenancy deposit protection" (including "Information landlords must give tenants") on 25 October 2026.