Free guides for renters

Your Deposit, Explained Simply

Short, plain guides for renters in England: check your deposit, see what you could claim, and how we handle the rest for you.

Calculate What You Could Claim

Free to check · 60 seconds · No win, no fee

30 daysfor your landlord to protect it
1x to 3xyour deposit, if they did not
6 yearsusual time limit to claim

Where To Start

  1. Check Your DepositFind out if it was protected, and on time.
  2. See What You Could GetA court must award 1x to 3x if the rules were broken.
  3. Let Us Do The RestWe check, prepare your case and introduce a solicitor. Nothing to pay up front.

Checking Your Deposit

How To Check Your Deposit Is ProtectedSearch the three government schemes, DPS, TDS and mydeposits, with a few details. Your landlord had 30 days to protect your deposit.Read How To Check Your Deposit With The DPSUse the DPS deposit checker with your surname, tenancy start month and year, the property postcode and the deposit amount. A Deposit ID is optional.Read How To Check Your Deposit With TDSUse the TDS checker with your deposit reference and postcode, or search with your postcode, surname, tenancy start date and deposit amount.Read How To Check Your Deposit With mydepositsUse the mydeposits deposit checker with the rental postcode, the month and year you paid the deposit, and your surname, then confirm your address.Read DPS, TDS And mydeposits, Explained SimplyEngland has three government-approved deposit schemes. Your landlord picks one, and your protection is the same whichever they choose.Read Can't Find Your Deposit? Do This NextUsually a detail does not match, or it is under another tenant's name. If it still cannot be found, it may never have been protected.Read Does Your Landlord Have To Protect Your Deposit?Usually, yes. If you rent privately in England on an assured or assured shorthold tenancy, your landlord must protect your deposit within 30 days.Read The Deposit Paperwork Your Landlord Owes YouWithin 30 days your landlord must give you set details about your deposit, called prescribed information. Not getting it is a breach on its own.Read What Is A Deposit Protection Certificate?It is a document from the deposit scheme confirming your deposit was registered. It is not the full prescribed information your landlord must give you.Read How Much Can A Landlord Ask For A Deposit?Most deposits in England are capped at five weeks' rent, or six weeks' if yearly rent is £50,000 or more. Holding deposits are capped at one week's rent.Read

Making A Claim

What Is A Tenancy Deposit Claim?It is a claim against a landlord who broke the deposit rules, and a court must award you one to three times your deposit.Read How Much Could You Get?If your landlord broke the deposit rules, a court must award you between one and three times your deposit.Read Deposit Protected Late? You May Still ClaimYes, you may still be able to claim: protecting it after the 30-day deadline does not undo the breach.Read Moved Out? You Can Still ClaimYes, you can usually still claim after moving out, generally within six years, even if you got your deposit back.Read Got Your Deposit Back? You May Still ClaimYes, you may still be able to claim. Getting your deposit back does not undo a failure to protect it or give you the paperwork.Read Shared The Deposit, Or A Parent Paid It?You may still be able to claim. On a joint tenancy all tenants normally need to be part of it, and a parent who paid may claim too.Read Council Or Universal Credit Paid Your Deposit?You may still be able to claim. What matters is that a deposit was paid to your landlord or letting agent, not who paid it.Read Student Deposit Not Protected?If you rented a private student house in England, your deposit usually had to be protected. University halls and some private student blocks are usually not covered.Read Your Landlord Sold Up. What About Your Deposit?Your tenancy carries on. The deposit usually passes to the new landlord, who must keep it protected and tell you which scheme holds it.Read Renewed Your Tenancy? What It Means For A ClaimPossibly more than one claim. Each renewal may count as a new breach if the deposit was never protected, but the courts are split.Read What Evidence Do You Need For A Deposit Claim?Proof you paid the deposit, your tenancy agreement and any renewals, scheme search results, and messages with your landlord or agent. Missing something? There is often another way.Read How To Make A Deposit Claim YourselfSend your landlord a letter before claim. If they do not settle, apply to the county court on form N208 and pay the court fee.Read Letting Agent Didn't Protect Your Deposit?Yes. Your deposit is your landlord's legal responsibility, even if they paid an agent to handle it. The claim is usually made against your landlord, and the agent who took the deposit can also be named.Read Common Problems With LandlordsUnfair deductions, slow returns and missing paperwork are the most common. Whatever the problem, first check your deposit was protected: if it was not, you may be able to claim.Read How To Get Your Deposit BackIf your landlord kept your deposit and never protected it, a court can order them to pay it back, and must award 1x to 3x on top.Read

How We Help

Can My Landlord Deduct For Cleaning?Only a reasonable cost to bring the home back to how clean it was when you moved in. Nothing can be kept for fair wear and tear.Read How Long To Get Your Deposit Back?Your landlord must pay it back within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you get. If you cannot agree, the scheme's dispute service can decide.Read How It Works, Step By StepYou take a 60-second check and upload your documents. We do the checks, the paperwork and find you a solicitor, free to you.Read What It Costs YouOur service is free to you. Nothing up front, nothing if you lose. If you win, the solicitor's success fee comes out of your compensation. Terms apply.Read Will Claiming Affect My Tenancy?A deposit claim is not a legal reason to end your tenancy, and since 1 May 2026 landlords can no longer use no-fault evictions.Read

Renters' Rights Act

The Renters' Rights Act And Your DepositDeposit protection still applies. The 30-day deadline and the 1x to 3x penalty are unchanged, so you may still be able to claim.Read

Here's What You Get When Working With Us

Recommended

With Free Deposit Check
  • Full online deposit check and analysis
  • All three deposit schemes searched for you
  • Eligibility and time limits checked
  • Your whole case file prepared
  • Matched with our specialist solicitors
  • £387 court fee covered in your agreement
  • With you at every step
  • £0 up front and £0 if you lose (terms apply)
Claiming Yourself
  • Search each scheme yourself
  • Work out if you qualify
  • Gather and organise all the evidence
  • Write the letter to your landlord
  • Pay the £387 court fee up front (Help with Fees may cut it)
  • Present your case to the court
  • Chase your landlord for payment
  • All the risk and work is on you
Calculate What You Could Claim

If you win, the solicitor's success fee (up to 25% + VAT) comes out of your compensation. The solicitor pays us for the introduction, so you never pay us anything.

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