Renters who don't know of deposit protection

A year on since the law was changed to ensure greater protection for tenants, almost one in three renters are unaware of tenancy deposit protection schemes.

As well as protecting the deposit from being unfairly withheld, tenancy deposit protection schemes also act as independent mediators – benefiting landlords and renters – if renters think unfair deductions have been taken from it when a tenancy ends.

But research by housing charity Shelter found that one in five tenants don't know if their deposit has been protected and almost one in 10 know that their deposit definitely has not been.

Landlords who fail to place tenants' deposits in a government-recognised scheme within 30 days of receiving it face penalties of up to three times the value of the deposit, which is then awarded to the tenant. Shelter is highlighting the issue one year on since tenancy deposit protection law was improved.

The housing charity is encouraging renters to check that their landlord has put their deposit in one of the government-backed schemes within 30 days of receiving it, as is now required by law.

Campbell Robb, the chief executive at Shelter, said: "We campaigned for this change in the law to stop renters from losing money in unfair deposit deductions, so it's extremely worrying that so many are still unaware of their tenancy deposit rights."