Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help increase public awareness of the obligation of landlords to re-register tenancy deposits with each renewed or rolling tenancy agreement.

Under current legislation, landlords in England and Wales must protect a tenancy deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it for an assured shorthold tenancy and provide prescribed information to their tenants. They must ensure that the deposit remains protected for the duration of the tenancy.

There is no legislative requirement to re-protect the deposit when a tenancy is renewed or becomes periodic, provided the deposit remains in the same scheme and the parties to the tenancy have not changed. However, where a landlord utilises an insurance based scheme to protect the deposit, it may be necessary to renew their insurance when a tenancy is extended or renewed. This is determined by the scheme’s terms and conditions.

The government continues to work with the three authorised tenancy deposit schemes to ensure landlords and tenants are aware of their rights and obligations. Guidance is available on gov.uk here and through the schemes’ websites and helplines.