Landlords, are you ready for the important changes to the residential Tenancy Deposit Protection schemes?

Previous April 2007   Scheme rules

Major changes in   effect from April 2012

A   Tenancy Deposit must be paid into a TDS within 14 days of receipt

The   period for the landlord to protect the deposit in a TDS has increased to 30   days.

prescribed   information about the scheme also being served on the tenant within 14 days   of receipt

The   period for the landlord to provide the prescribed information has increased to   30 days.

If   a Landlord failed to comply with the requirements, (ie) paying a deposit into   the TDS, and providing the required prescribed notices, the Landlord could be   prevented from recovering possession of the property by being unable to serve   a valid s21 on the tenant, meaning they could not evict a Tenant through the   courts.

HOWEVER,   the Landlord could arrange to protect the Deposit late, so that the Landlord paid   the deposit into the TDS, serve the prescribed information, before issuing   the s21 notice to successfully evict the tenant.

It   will no longer be possible for a landlord to serve a valid section 21 notice   after paying the tenant’s deposit into a TDS out of time. The only way a   landlord will be able to do this is by paying all of the deposit money back   to the tenant, by agreeing with the tenant that they can offset all or part of   the deposit against damage or unpaid rent, or by the tenant bringing a claim   for non-compliance in the courts which has been resolved.

Under   the previous rules, the tenant had the right to apply to court for an   unprotected deposit to either be paid into a TDS or returned to them. They   could also apply for a payment from the landlord of three times the deposit sum.

The   courts now have the discretion to award penalties for non-compliance of   between one and three times the deposit amount.  

Where   a Tenant claimed that a Landlord had not complied with the rules, the   Landlord could avoid the 3 x deposit penalty by protecting the tenant’s   deposit at any time up until the day before the hearing.

Even   though Landlords are able to protect the deposit late, after the 30 day   period, it is no longer a defence to a tenant’s claim for a penalty payment.   A penalty cannot now be avoided by paying into a scheme prior to a court   hearing. 

Tenants   were prevented from applying to court once their tenancies had ended, meaning   that in practice, the penalty was very rarely granted.

Tenants   will now be able to bring claims after their tenancy has ended. It is often   only once a tenancy has ended that a tenant becomes aware that his or her   deposit has not been paid into a TDS, and consequently this change increases   the likelihood of claims against being pursued against landlords for   non-compliance.