Prescribed information
The set of details about a protected deposit that a landlord must give the tenant, and anyone who paid the deposit for them, within 30 days of receiving it.
In short: Prescribed information is the list of details the law requires a landlord to give about a protected deposit: which scheme, how to get the deposit back and how disputes work. It must reach the tenant, and anyone who paid for them, within 30 days. Missing it carries the same penalty as not protecting the deposit.
England. Checked against the law on 5 October 2026. Information, not legal advice.
The content is set by the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007. It includes the scheme's name and contact details, the scheme's leaflet, the amount, the address of the home, the landlord's contact details, when deductions can be made and how the dispute service works, signed as accurate.
In practice:
- Give it within 30 days of receiving the deposit, with the scheme's certificate.
- Give it to every tenant and any relevant person, such as a parent who paid the deposit.
- Keep proof of when and how it was given.
If it is late or missing, the tenant can claim one to three times the deposit.
Read more: Deposits: the cap, the 30 days and the prescribed information
Related: Tenancy deposit protection scheme, Deposit cap
Where this comes from
Guides on this
Guide
Deposits: the cap, the 30 days and the prescribed information
A tenancy deposit in England is capped at five weeks' rent, must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and the tenant must get the prescribed information. Miss any of that and you face a penalty of up to three times the deposit.
Guide
How to protect a tenancy deposit, and what happens if you are late
Put the deposit in one of the three government schemes within 30 days and give the prescribed information. If late, the tenant can claim one to three times the deposit and most possession grounds close.
Template
Inventory and schedule of condition, room by room
A room-by-room record of what is in the home and what state it is in on the day the tenant moves in, with meter readings, keys, photos and signatures. It is the evidence both sides rely on when the deposit is returned.
Template
Deposit return: the tenant's request and the landlord's itemised statement
At the end of a tenancy in England the tenant asks for the deposit back and the landlord sets out any deductions with evidence. Both letters, and the deposit scheme's free dispute service when the two sides cannot agree.
Related terms
Glossary
Check-in and check-out
The visits at the start and end of a tenancy where the home is inspected against the inventory, keys are handed over and meter readings are taken.
Glossary
Deposit cap
The most a landlord in England can take as a tenancy deposit: five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, six weeks' at £50,000 or more.
Glossary
Fair wear and tear
The normal deterioration of a home and its contents from ordinary, reasonable use over time. A landlord cannot deduct for it from the deposit.
Glossary
Holding deposit
A payment of up to one week's rent to reserve a home while the landlord checks an application. It must be returned or put towards the rent or deposit.
Glossary
Inventory and schedule of condition
A dated record of what is in the home and the condition of each room and item at the start of a tenancy, usually with photos, signed by both sides.
Glossary
Tenancy deposit protection scheme
A government-approved scheme that protects an assured tenant's deposit. In England there are three: the Deposit Protection Service, mydeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.