1/ Overview
Here at Beacons Estate Agents acting on behalf of your landlord and in accordance with the Government Guidelines we put your deposit in a government-backed tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) if you rent your home on an assured shorthold tenancy that started after 6 April 2007. At Beacons Estate Agents we log your deposit with:
- Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
If you don’t rent your home on an assured shorthold tenancy, your landlord can accept valuable items (for example a car or watch) as a deposit instead of money. The items won’t be protected by a scheme.
Under the Deposit Protection scheme you’ll get your deposit back if you:
- Meet the terms of your tenancy agreement
- Don’t damage the property
- Pay your rent and bills
As per the Government Guidelines here at Beacons we put your deposit in the scheme within 30 days of getting it.
At the end of your tenancy
If everything runs smoothly then we at Beacons on behalf of your landlord must return your deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you’ll get back.
If however you’re in a dispute with your landlord, then your deposit will be protected in the TDP scheme until the issue is sorted out.
Holding deposits
Beacons Estate Agents doesn’t have to protect a holding deposit (money you pay to ‘hold’ a property before an agreement is signed). Once you become a tenant, the holding deposit becomes a deposit, which they must then protect.
Deposits made by a third party
At Beacons on behalf of your landlord we must use a TDP scheme even if your deposit is paid by someone else, such as a rent deposit scheme or your parents.
2/ Information landlords must give tenants
Once your landlord has received your deposit, they have 30 days to tell you:
- The address of the rented property
- How much deposit you’ve paid
- How the deposit is protected
- The name and contact details of the tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme and its dispute resolution service
- Our name (Beacons Estate Agents) and our contact details
- The name and contact details of any third party that’s paid the deposit
- Why we may keep some or all of the deposit
- How to apply to get the deposit back
- What to do if you can’t get hold of the landlord at the end of the tenancy
- What to do if there’s a dispute over the deposit
3/ In the unlikey events that Beacons doesn’t protect your deposit
Contact a tenancy deposit scheme (TDP) if you’re not sure whether your deposit has been protected.
Deposit Protection Service
Telephone: 0330 303 0030
MyDeposits
Telephone: 0333 321 9401
Tenancy Deposit Scheme
deposits@tenancydepositscheme.com
Telephone: 0300 037 1000
Find out about call charges.
Contact MyDeposits if your deposit was held by Capita.
Getting your deposit back
You can apply to your local county court if you think your landlord hasn’t used a TDP scheme when they should have.
Get legal advice before applying to court.
If the court finds your landlord hasn’t protected your deposit, it can order the person holding the deposit to either:
- Repay it to you
- Pay it into a TDP scheme’s bank account within 14 days
At the end of the tenancy
The court may decide that you won’t have to leave the property when the tenancy ends if your landlord hasn’t used a TDP scheme when they should have.
4/ Disputes and problems
If there’s a dispute over a product
Your tenancy deposit protection (TDP) scheme offers a free dispute resolution service if you disagree with your landlord about how much deposit should be returned.
You don’t have to use the service but if you do, both you and us here at Beacons Estate Agents, on behalf of your landlord have to agree to it. You’ll both be asked to provide evidence, and the decision made about your deposit will be final.
If you can’t contact the landlord
You can ‘raise a dispute’ to get your deposit back if you can’t contact your landlord and your deposit is held by one of the approved TDP schemes:
- MyDeposits
- Tenancy Deposit Scheme
- Deposit Protection Service
Contact MyDeposits if your deposit was held by Capita.
The TDP scheme will refund your deposit if the dispute resolution service agrees.
There may be a limit on the time you have to raise a dispute. Contact the TDP scheme as soon as possible.
5/ Get help and advice
You can get more help and advice from:
- Your local Citizens Advice office
- A solicitor or advice agency
- Shelter in England or Shelter in Wales
For more information see:
