What’s the difference between custodial and insured schemes?

In a custodial scheme the deposit is held by the scheme operator; the landlord transfers the money to them. In an insured scheme the landlord retains the money under an insurance-backed arrangement. The prescribed information varies slightly between the two — this template selects the right variant based on which you pick.

Who counts as a "relevant person"?

Anyone other than the tenant who has paid towards the deposit. Most often a parent acting as guarantor who provided the deposit funds. Under Housing Act 2004 s.213(5) you must serve the prescribed information on every relevant person, not just the tenant. Missing them is a common reason for the three-times penalty being awarded.

What if I miss the 30-day deadline?

Protect the deposit and serve the prescribed information as soon as you realise. The penalty isn’t automatic — it requires the tenant to bring a claim. But until the deposit is protected and prescribed information served, you cannot use most Section 8 grounds (in England) and the tenant retains the right to claim the three-times penalty.

Does this apply if I let property in Scotland?

Yes — a parallel regime applies under the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. The template handles both jurisdictions and picks the correct scheme references based on the property’s jurisdiction.

Deposit Prescribed Information Template

Deposit Prescribed Information Template — 30-Day Compliance

Published 22 May 2026 · Last reviewed 8 August 2026

A free, schemes-aware deposit prescribed information document. Custodial or insured variants, relevant-persons section (Housing Act 2004 s.213(5)), and the 5-week deposit cap warning for English tenancies.

Want the rules explained rather than the document?Deposit Prescribed Information: What Landlords Must Serve Within 30 Days — the deadlines, the notice periods and what invalidates them.

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When you need this document

If you take a deposit from a tenant you must protect it in an approved scheme within 30 days (calendar days in England under the Housing Act 2004; working days in Scotland under the 2011 Regulations) and serve the prescribed information on the tenant and any "relevant persons" within the same window.

The penalty for failure is the same in both jurisdictions: up to three times the deposit, recoverable by the tenant, plus the tenant’s legal costs. In England, failure also blocks the landlord from using most Section 8 possession grounds — the only exceptions are Grounds 7A and 14 (antisocial behaviour). In Scotland, failure can be referred to the First-tier Tribunal directly.

This template handles both jurisdictions, both scheme types (custodial — the scheme holds the money; insured — the landlord holds it under an insurance arrangement), and the relevant-persons requirement that many landlords miss. If a parent paid the deposit on behalf of the tenant, that parent is a relevant person and must receive the prescribed information too.

Who needs this document

You have just taken a deposit in England

Thirty days from receipt to protect the money and serve this. Both halves, or the penalty applies.

A parent or guarantor paid part of the deposit

They are a relevant person under Section 213(5) and must receive the same pack. Forgetting them is the most common way a compliant landlord still loses.

The deposit has moved between schemes

New scheme details mean new prescribed information. The original service does not carry over.

You are auditing older tenancies

A claim can be brought up to six years after the breach, including long after the tenant has moved out, so historic gaps are worth finding now.

Mistakes that invalidate it

The errors that turn a document you thought was compliant into one that gives you nothing.

Serving the certificate without the form and leaflet

All three go together. A partial pack does not discharge the duty and the 30-day clock keeps running.

Missing a relevant person

The penalty is available to them separately. One overlooked guarantor can cost up to three times the deposit.

Assuming protection alone is enough

Protecting the money and serving the information are two separate duties with the same deadline, and each carries the same penalty.

Keeping no evidence of service

The burden is on you to show what was sent and when. A sent email or proof of postage is the whole defence.

Using the England timetable for a Scottish property

Scotland runs 30 working days from the tenancy start under the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011.

RRA 2025 context

England (Housing Act 2004) — 30 calendar days, 5-week cap. The deposit must be protected with the DPS, mydeposits, or TDS within 30 calendar days of receipt. Prescribed information served on the tenant and any relevant person within the same window. Maximum deposit: 5 weeks’ rent (or 6 weeks where annual rent exceeds £50,000) under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. Failure blocks Section 8 except Grounds 7A and 14.

Scotland (Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011) — 30 working days. Protection with SafeDeposits Scotland, mydeposits Scotland, or LPS Scotland. The 30-day window runs in working days, not calendar days. Penalty up to three times the deposit, recoverable at the First-tier Tribunal.

Frequently asked questions

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Deposit Prescribed Information Template — 30-Day Compliance

When you need this document

Who needs this document

Mistakes that invalidate it

What’s included

RRA 2025 context

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Sources

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