Protecting tenant deposits
Landlords are required by law to lodge any deposit charged to your tenant into one of three approved Tenancy Deposit Protection schemes:
The Landlord must lodge the funds within 30 working days of the start of the tenancy. If they fail to do so, or fail to provide the tenant with the legally prescribed information, then the tenant may lodge a claim with the First-tier Tribunal, Housing and Property Chamber.
Tenants may lodge this claim at any time during their tenancy or for a period of up to 3 months following the end of their tenancy. Find more information here.
Where it can be shown that the Tenant paid the Landlord a deposit and that the landlord did not lodge that deposit with one of the 3 approved schemes, then the Tribunal can award the tenant up to 3 times the amount of the deposit, in compensation. The Tribunal could also order the landlord to lodge funds equivalent to the amount of the deposit with one of the approved schemes.