Are you deposit-compliant?
In England, the deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days and capped at 5 weeks' rent (6 weeks if annual rent ≥ £50k). Penalties for getting it wrong are up to 3× the deposit.
How the deposit rules work in England
Two separate rules apply to every tenancy deposit in England. The Housing Act 2004 requires the deposit to be protected in one of the three government-approved schemes within 30 days of receipt, and the prescribed information about where it is held must be served on the tenant in the same window. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps the amount you can take: 5 weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and 6 weeks' rent at or above that threshold. Weekly rent is the annual rent divided by 52, which is what this checker calculates from the monthly figure.
What happens if you protect late or take too much
Missing the 30-day protection window exposes you to a court-ordered penalty of between 1 and 3 times the deposit, and the exposure does not disappear when you protect late. An unprotected deposit also blocks possession: you cannot serve a valid notice seeking possession until the deposit is protected and the prescribed information has been served. A deposit over the statutory cap is a prohibited payment, and the excess must be returned to the tenant.
Custodial and insurance schemes
All three approved schemes (DPS, MyDeposits and TDS) offer a free custodial model, where the scheme holds the money, and a paid insurance model, where you hold the money and pay a fee to insure it. Custodial is the simpler choice for most landlords: there is nothing to pay and nothing to reconcile at the end of the tenancy. Whichever model you use, keep the scheme certificate and proof that the prescribed information was served with your compliance records. For what you can and cannot deduct at the end of the tenancy, see the deposit deductions guide, and for the full protection process see the deposit protection guide. Information only, not legal advice.