Are there any exemptions for protecting the deposit?

There are some circumstances where the landlord does not have to use a tenancy deposit scheme. They do not need to register your deposit if:

  • the landlord returns the full deposit to you within 30 working days of the beginning of the tenancy
  • you and the landlord are family members
  • the tenancy is a ‘life rent’
  • the property is a holiday home
  • the property is used by a religious organisation
  • the property is supported accommodation
  • it’s an agricultural or crofting tenancy
  • the landlord is also a resident in the property
  • the property is subject to control orders
  • the property has transitory ownership – where ownership of a house is short-term, e.g. a house which has been repossessed by a mortgage lender or a house held for up to 6 months by executors dealing with a deceased person’s estate