Tenancy & deposits
What is prescribed information?
Prescribed information is the set of details about a protected deposit that must be given to the tenant within a defined period — the scheme used, how to get the deposit back, and how disputes are resolved.
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<img src="https://propertyoptix.co.uk/glossary/prescribed-information/diagram.svg" alt="prescribed information — diagram from PropertyOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://propertyoptix.co.uk/glossary/prescribed-information">What is prescribed information?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://propertyoptix.co.uk">PropertyOptix</a>
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</figure>It is a separate obligation from protecting the deposit, and it is the one more often missed. A deposit correctly protected with the information never served leaves the landlord in breach and exposed to a penalty.
It has to be served on the tenant and on anyone who paid the deposit on their behalf, which catches out arrangements where a parent or a guarantor paid it.
Proving service is what matters later. Recording what was served, to whom, when and by what method at the time is trivial; establishing it two years afterwards usually is not.
What goes wrong in practice
- Deposit protected, information never served, or served with no evidence.
- Not served on a third party who paid the deposit.
- Not re-served where a renewal required it.