Tenancy deposit scheme

What is a tenancy deposit scheme?

A tenancy deposit is money which your landlord may ask you to pay when you start to rent a house, as protection against damages to the property or for unpaid rent. If your landlord or their agent takes your deposit for a private tenancy, they must protect it in an approved tenancy deposit scheme. 

The landlord or agent cannot ask you for a deposit which is more than one month’s rent.

Date when you paid a deposit for a private tenancy

Deposit paid before 1 April 2013

If you paid a deposit to the landlord before 1 April 2013, they don't need to protect it in a tenancy deposit scheme.

Deposit paid between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2023

• It must be protected in an approved scheme within 14 days of it being paid.
• The prescribed information about the scheme must be given to the tenant, within 28 days of the landlord receiving the deposit.

Deposit paid after 1 April 2023

• It must be protected in an approved scheme within 28 days of it being paid.
• The prescribed information about the scheme must be given to the tenant, within 35 days of the landlord receiving the deposit.

Types of tenancy deposit schemes

There are two types of deposit scheme:

• Custodial scheme: this is where the landlord protects the entire tenant's deposit in the scheme until it becomes due at the end of the tenancy.
• Insurance scheme: this is where the landlord can hold the deposit, on the condition they pay a fee or an insurance premium, or both, to the scheme to protect the deposit, until it becomes due at the end of the tenancy.

The two appointed scheme administrators in Northern Ireland are:

• My Deposits NI (link opens in new window)
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme NI (link opens in new window)

Letting Protection Service NI scheme closed in January 2023.

Enforcement of tenancy deposit protection

We enforce the scheme for all private rentals in the Belfast City Council area.

If we find a landlord or agent holding a deposit which has not been secured in one of the two approved schemes, we can issue them with a fixed penalty that is three times the value of the deposit taken.

The fixed penalty for taking a deposit other than money will be determined by the council, and cannot exceed £500.

Receipt for rent paid

Landlords must provide a receipt for rent paid in cash. They must give a receipt when they get a payment or as soon as reasonably possible. Each receipt should include:

• date
• reason for payment
• amount paid
• arrears

A landlord must give a separate receipt for each part payment they receive.

To report a landlord or agent for not complying, email [email protected] or call 028 9027 0428.

For more information about the tenancy deposit scheme, visit nidirect (link opens in new window).