Your landlord had 30 days. Two things had to happen.
Putting your deposit into a government-backed scheme was one of them. Sending you the prescribed information was the other. Most people only know about the first, which is why most people never check.
Free to check, even if you moved out up to six years ago. We don't ask who you are until the end.
The part the rest of the market skips
Protected on time is only half of it
The Housing Act 2004 puts two separate duties on a landlord, both inside the same 30 days. They are independent. Doing one does not excuse missing the other.
Protect the deposit
The money goes into the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme within 30 days of the landlord receiving it.
Send the prescribed information
You are given, in writing, the scheme details, how to get the money back, and what happens if there is a dispute. Also within 30 days. A certificate alone is not enough.
So a tenant whose deposit was protected, on time, may still have a claim if that paperwork never came. On most sites that tenant answers “yes it was protected” and is turned away at the first question.
When we are not the right answer
Sometimes you don't need us
If your deposit was protected and the paperwork arrived
Then the two duties were met, and there is nothing here to claim. If you are arguing about deductions, such as cleaning, damage, or wear and tear, that is a different thing entirely.
Each scheme runs its own dispute service for exactly that, and you do not need a solicitor or a claims company to use it. Go straight to your scheme; we would only be in the way.
What the law actually provides
Between one and three times the deposit
Under section 214 of the Housing Act 2004, where a landlord has breached, the court must order the deposit returned, and must order the landlord to pay a further sum of no less than the deposit and no more than three times it.
This is what the legislation provides, not a prediction. The amount inside that range is the court's decision, and no one can tell you in advance where a case would land. Nothing on this site is a promise of any outcome. If a claim succeeds, the panel solicitor's success fee is deducted from the compensation.
Plus the deposit itself returned, and the court fee is recoverable from the landlord if the claim succeeds.
Said up front, not buried in an FAQ
What it costs you
There is nothing to pay to check, and nothing to pay if a claim does not succeed. If it does succeed, the panel solicitor's success fee is deducted from the compensation before it reaches you.
You will be told the exact percentage, and what it means for your own deposit, before you agree to anything.
How it works
Three steps, and the first one is free
Answer three quick questions
Was the deposit put into a scheme, did the paperwork arrive, and are you still living there? That is enough to know whether it is worth going further.
See where you stand
You get a straight answer on the spot, including “no, and here is where to go instead”. Only then do we ask for your details.
We introduce you to a panel solicitor
With your consent, your enquiry goes to a solicitor who handles deposit claims. They take it from there and explain the fee before you commit.
Three questions. Two minutes.
You will know whether it is worth going further before you tell us a single thing about yourself.
Question 1 of 3
Was your deposit put into a government-backed scheme?
The three schemes are the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.