Checking your deposit
The Deposit Paperwork Your Landlord Owes You
Within 30 days your landlord must give you set details about your deposit, called prescribed information. Not getting it is a breach on its own.
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In Short
Prescribed information is the set of details your landlord must give you within 30 days of receiving your deposit. It covers the scheme protecting your deposit and how to contact it, how to get the deposit back and dispute deductions, and details of your tenancy and landlord. Not receiving it is a breach on its own, even if the deposit was protected, and a court must then award 1x to 3x the deposit.
What You Should Have Been Given
- The scheme's name and contact details
- How the protection rules work
- How to get your deposit back
- What happens if you disagree
- The free dispute service
- What happens if your landlord can't be contacted at the end
- The deposit amount
- The property address
- Your landlord's contact details
- When they can keep money
- How to contact you after you move out
- Anyone who paid the deposit for you, like a parent
- A certificate signed by your landlord
A Certificate May Not Be The Whole Thing
Some items come from your landlord, like when they can keep money and their signed certificate. A solicitor can check if yours is complete.
Where It Might Be Hiding
- A PDF in an email from your letting agent
- A section inside your tenancy agreement
- A scheme certificate plus a landlord document
- Pages in a welcome pack you signed for
Dates Matter
- Day 0You pay your deposit.
- Day 30Deadline for the deposit and the paperwork.
- After Day 30Sent late? The original failure does not go away.
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)
- 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
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.
Quick Answers
What Is Prescribed Information?
A set of details about your deposit and its scheme that your landlord must give you by law, listed in the Prescribed Information Order 2007.
When Must I Receive It?
Within 30 days of your landlord receiving your deposit, under section 213(6) of the Housing Act 2004.
Is A Deposit Certificate The Same Thing?
Not always. A certificate covers some details, but the full list also includes landlord items like a signed certificate.
Can I Claim If My Deposit Was Protected But I Never Got The Paperwork?
You may be able to. If the court agrees, it must award between 1x and 3x the deposit.
Keep Reading
Sources
Last updated 15 October 2026. General information for tenants in England only (the rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Not legal advice.