Many tenants in the private sector give their landlords a deposit against possible non-payment of rent or damage to property. When a tenancy comes to an end, there is usually no disagreement about the return of the deposit. But sometimes there is, and this can cause much hardship and inconvenience to both the landlord and the tenant.

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme for Regulated Agents (TDSRA) has been developed to ensure that the deposits they hold are protected and that disputes about their return are resolved swiftly, inexpensively and impartially.

Under the Scheme:

• deposits will be protected during the tenancy
• where there is no dispute at the end of the tenancy, deposits will be returned promptly
• where there is a dispute about the return of the deposit it will be dealt with fairly by the Independent Complaints Examiner (ICE)

The ICE will make his decision quickly, and the deposit will be paid out without unnecessary delay For further info www.tds.gb.com/whatistds.htm#outline