Tenancy deposit changes come in from April

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Landlords in England and Wales are reminded of changes to the rules on tenancy deposit protection that kick in this April under the Localism Act.

The main change is that landlords will now have 30 days (not the current 14) in which to protect tenants’ deposits and give the tenant the required information.

Although 30 days sounds laxer, in practice this is unlikely to be the case: courts have apparently found the 14-day time limit too strict, together with the accompanying rules about penalties. The rather odd result was that lawyers had a field day discovering loopholes.

The new rules are intended to close those loopholes. The 30-day limit is intended to be enforced strictly, although courts have some leeway about penalties.