If you take a deposit for an assured tenancy of a room or a house in England, you must protect it in a government-approved scheme and give the tenant the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving it. The deposit is capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000. If you don't comply, a court must order you to pay the tenant between one and three times the deposit, and you may not be able to get a possession order. In a house let by the room, each tenancy usually has its own deposit, its own 30 days and its own paperwork.
This guide covers the rules, the schemes, what goes in the prescribed information, the end of the tenancy and the common mistakes room landlords make.
Which deposits need protecting
The rules in sections 213 and 214 of the Housing Act 2004 apply to deposits taken for assured tenancies. Since 1 May 2026, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 changed these sections to refer to assured tenancies rather than assured shorthold tenancies. Existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on that date, and GOV.UK's tenancy deposit protection page confirms the protection rules apply to them. Deposits paid by someone else on the tenant's behalf, such as a parent, must be protected too.
In practice, if you let a room to a tenant who lives there as their main home and you don't live in the house yourself, protect the deposit.
Lodgers
If you let a room in your own home, your lodger usually isn't an assured tenant. GOV.UK says resident landlords are not legally required to protect a deposit with a government-approved scheme. See lodger or tenant? to work out which you have.
The deposit cap
Under Schedule 1 to the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the most you can take as a tenancy deposit is:
- five weeks' rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000; or
- six weeks' rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
Anything above the cap is a prohibited payment. GOV.UK's page on deposits for private renters sets out the same limits. A single room will almost always fall under the five-week cap.
Working out five weeks' rent
The Act defines one week's rent as the annual rent divided by 52. For monthly rent, work out the annual rent, divide by 52, then multiply by five. For a room at £650 a month, that's £650 × 12 = £7,800 a year, £150 a week, and a maximum deposit of £750. GOV.UK's guidance on fees you can charge as part of a tenancy covers the cap.
Holding deposits
A holding deposit to reserve a room is separate from the tenancy deposit. Under Schedule 2 to the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and the GOV.UK guidance:
- it's capped at one week's rent, and you can only take one per tenancy at a time;
- the default deadline to agree the tenancy is 15 days, unless you agree a different date in writing;
- you must usually return it within 7 days, for example once the tenancy agreement is signed, or if you decide not to go ahead;
- you can only keep it in limited cases, such as the applicant giving false or misleading information, failing a Right to Rent check, pulling out, or not taking reasonable steps to agree the tenancy, and you must explain why in writing within 7 days.
GOV.UK says a holding deposit doesn't need protecting. If, with the tenant's agreement, you put it towards the tenancy deposit, it becomes part of the deposit you must protect. The Act treats that money as received on the date of the tenancy agreement.
The three approved schemes
There are three government-approved schemes in England, listed on GOV.UK's tenancy deposit protection page:
- the Deposit Protection Service (DPS);
- mydeposits; and
- the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).
Each offers a custodial option, where the scheme holds the money for free, and an insured option, where you keep it and pay the scheme to insure it. See GOV.UK's guidance on deposit protection schemes and landlords. Pick one and use it consistently, so you only have one account to manage.
The 30 days
The 30 days start when you receive the deposit, not when the tenancy starts. Within that time you must:
- protect the deposit with the scheme; and
- give the tenant, and anyone who paid the deposit on their behalf, the prescribed information.
If a new tenant pays a deposit in June for a room they move into in August, the 30 days run from June.
The prescribed information
The Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007 lists what the tenant must receive. GOV.UK summarises it on information landlords must give tenants. It includes:
- the address of the rented property;
- how much deposit was paid;
- how the deposit is protected;
- the name and contact details of the scheme and its dispute resolution service, and the scheme's own explanatory information;
- your (or your letting agent's) name and contact details;
- the tenant's contact details, including how to reach them at the end of the tenancy;
- the name and contact details of any third party who paid the deposit;
- why you would keep some or all of the deposit, referring to the tenancy agreement;
- how to apply to get the deposit back at the end of the tenancy, what happens if either of you can't be contacted, and what to do if there's a dispute; and
- a certificate signed by you confirming the information is accurate and that the tenant has had the chance to sign it to confirm it.
Section 213 says it must be in the prescribed form or a form substantially to the same effect. Most schemes produce a certificate and a template that cover these points. Give it in a way you can prove, ask the tenant to sign and confirm they've received it, and keep a copy.
At the end of the tenancy
GOV.UK says you must return the deposit within 10 days of you and the tenant agreeing how much they'll get back. Agree any deductions in writing first, with evidence. Your strongest evidence is a start of tenancy inventory (often called a check-in inventory) and an end of tenancy inventory, both with dated photos.
If you can't agree, the scheme offers a free dispute resolution service. GOV.UK's page on disputes and problems explains that both sides need to agree to use it and that its decision is final. The deposit stays protected until the dispute is settled. There may be a time limit for raising a dispute, so don't wait. See our guide to deposit deductions and disputes for what you can fairly deduct.
If you get it wrong
If you don't protect the deposit or give the prescribed information in time, the tenant can apply to court. Under section 214 of the Housing Act 2004, the court must order you to pay the tenant at least the amount of the deposit and up to three times it, within 14 days. It can also order you to repay the deposit or protect it. GOV.UK explains this on if your landlord doesn't protect your deposit.
It also affects ending the tenancy. Under section 215, as rewritten by the Renters' Rights Act from 1 May 2026, a court can only make a possession order if the deposit is held in an approved scheme and you've given the prescribed information. This doesn't apply if you've returned the deposit (in full or with agreed deductions) or a tenant's claim under section 214 has been decided, withdrawn or settled. Grounds 7A and 14, the anti-social behaviour grounds, are not affected. The government's grounds for possession guidance puts it simply: the court won't be able to make a possession order if you haven't protected the deposit. See grounds for possession. If you discover a mistake, take legal advice.
Rooms in a shared house
Letting room by room changes the scale of the job, not the rules:
- Separate tenancies, separate deposits. Where each room has its own tenancy, each deposit is protected separately, with its own 30 days and its own prescribed information.
- Joint tenancies. If you let a whole shared house to a group on one joint tenancy, there's usually one deposit for the group. Make clear in writing who paid what, and give the prescribed information to anyone who paid on a tenant's behalf. See tenancy agreements for a room.
- Turnover. Rooms in shared houses often change tenants more than once a year, so a missed deadline is easy. Make protecting the deposit part of your move-in routine, alongside the safety certificates. See landlord safety certificates.
- Moving rooms. If a tenant moves to another room under a new tenancy, check with your scheme whether the deposit needs re-protecting and new prescribed information. If in doubt, protect it again and serve fresh prescribed information.
Common mistakes
- Starting the clock at move-in. The 30 days run from when you receive the money, so a deposit paid early has an earlier deadline.
- Forgetting the prescribed information. Protecting the deposit isn't enough on its own; the tenant must also get the prescribed information.
- Taking too much. A deposit above the cap breaks the Tenant Fees Act. Work out five weeks' rent from the annual rent, not from "one month plus a week".
- Not giving the information to whoever paid. If a parent or employer paid the deposit, they need the prescribed information too.
- No inventory. Without a dated start of tenancy inventory, it's hard to justify any deduction at the end.
- Mixing up rooms. When rooms turn over often, keep each deposit clearly labelled with the tenant, the room and the dates.
Worked example
Amir lets five rooms in a house in Nottingham, each on its own tenancy.
- Priya accepts Room 2 at £650 a month on 3 June. Amir works out five weeks' rent: £650 × 12 ÷ 52 × 5 = £750. He takes a holding deposit of one week's rent, £150, to reserve the room.
- On 10 June Priya signs her tenancy agreement and pays the balance of the deposit, £600. With Priya's agreement in writing, the £150 holding deposit goes towards the deposit, making £750. Under the Tenant Fees Act, the £150 counts as received on the date of the tenancy agreement, 10 June, so the 30 days for the whole £750 run from then.
- Amir protects the deposit with his scheme on 12 June and emails Priya the scheme certificate and prescribed information the same day. She signs it and replies to confirm she's received them.
- Priya moves in on 1 July. Amir does a start of tenancy inventory with photos that morning.
- Two years later Priya gives notice. At the end, Amir does the end of tenancy inventory, finds a burn mark on the desk, and proposes a £40 deduction with photos and a quote. Priya agrees. Amir returns £710 within 10 days of agreeing.
How Rentap helps
Rentap's deposits feature keeps each tenant's deposit with their tenancy: the amount, the date you received it and any notes. At the end, record what you returned and any deductions with a reason for each, next to the end of tenancy inventory and photos for that room. Rentap doesn't protect deposits or track the scheme or the 30 days; you do that with the scheme directly. For the terms used here, see our glossary of letting terms.
Sources
- Housing Act 2004, section 213
- Housing Act 2004, section 214
- Housing Act 2004, section 215
- Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007
- Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1
- Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 2
- GOV.UK: fees you can charge as part of a tenancy
- GOV.UK: tenancy deposit protection
- GOV.UK: information landlords must give tenants
- GOV.UK: if your landlord doesn't protect your deposit
- GOV.UK: disputes and problems
- GOV.UK: deposit protection schemes and landlords
- GOV.UK: private renting, deposits
- GOV.UK: grounds for possession guidance
- GOV.UK: rent a room in your home
Last checked: 10 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal advice.