Deposit Prescribed Information — Housing Act 2004

Prescribed Information is the statutory document a landlord must serve on a tenant within 30 days of receiving a tenancy deposit in England. Reference page sourced from GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk.

What it is: Prescribed Information is the statutory document a landlord must give to the tenant — and to anyone who paid the deposit on the tenant's behalf — within 30 days of receiving a tenancy deposit for an assured tenancy in England. It tells the tenant which authorised scheme is protecting the deposit, the scheme's contact details, how to claim the deposit back at the end of the tenancy, and how disputes are resolved.

Statutory authority: Section 213 of the Housing Act 2004 and the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007.

RRA 2025 status: active — The 30-day deposit protection and prescribed information duties are unchanged by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.

When to use

Within 30 days of receiving a tenancy deposit for an assured tenancy in England.
When a new deposit is taken on a renewed or replacement tenancy.
When the protected deposit is transferred between authorised schemes — re-serve the prescribed information for the new scheme.
When a relevant person (someone who paid the deposit on the tenant's behalf) needs to be served — they get prescribed information too.

When NOT to use

Where no tenancy deposit was taken.
Where the property is in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland — separate deposit protection regimes apply.
Where the tenancy is not an assured tenancy (for example a genuine company let, holiday let or resident-landlord lodging arrangement).

Common mistakes that invalidate it

Missing the 30-day deadline — the clock starts the day the deposit is received, not the day the tenancy begins.
Failing to serve every relevant person, not just the tenant.
Using a template that is out of date or omits required fields — every field in the Prescribed Information Order is mandatory.
Failing to obtain the tenant's signature confirming the information was given (best practice and required by some schemes).
Not re-serving when the deposit moves between authorised schemes.
Confusing prescribed information with the deposit protection certificate — the certificate is from the scheme, the prescribed information is from the landlord.

FAQ

What happens if I miss the 30-day deadline? The court can order the landlord to pay the tenant a penalty of between one and three times the deposit, and any Section 21 notice served before the deposit is correctly protected and prescribed information served will be invalid for the duration of the breach.

Do I need to re-serve prescribed information if the tenancy renews? If the original deposit remains protected for the renewed tenancy and the scheme treats the new tenancy as a continuation, many schemes accept that the original prescribed information continues to apply — but the safest position is to re-serve fresh prescribed information citing the new tenancy.

Can I serve prescribed information by email? Yes, where the tenant has agreed to receive notices and documents electronically. Keep an email-receipt record of service. Otherwise serve in hard copy with proof of service.

Does the prescribed information cover the deposit protection certificate? No — they are two separate documents. The deposit protection certificate is issued by the chosen authorised scheme. The prescribed information is a separate landlord-issued statement, which is usually served alongside the certificate.

Sources: - Housing Act 2004, Section 213 (legislation.gov.uk) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/213 - Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007 (legislation.gov.uk) — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/797/contents/made - GOV.UK — Tenancy deposit protection — https://www.gov.uk/tenancy-deposit-protection - GOV.UK — Renting out your property: tenancy deposit — https://www.gov.uk/renting-out-a-property/landlord-responsibilities

Last reviewed: 2026-09-13. Next review: 2027-09-13.