TDS has warned that the clock is ticking for landlords and agents in England after last month's launch of DepositCap.Com, an online resource to provide information to those who will be affected by the new laws, which has already seen over 17,000 unique visits.
The resource centre offers examples of how the Tenant Fees Ban could affect tenancy deposit protection (TDP), providing landlords and letting agents with the information that they need to avoid any breach of the new rules and outlining how new systems put in place by TDS makes it easy for members to adjust the deposit value accordingly, to comply with legislation.
From 1 June this year, on any new or renewed AST (Assured Shorthold Tenancy), the tenancy deposit will be capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000 and six weeks’ rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more.
Steve Harriott, Chief Executive of TDS, said: “The number of visits that we’ve had to the website, in only a month, shows that there is a huge appetite for clear information and guidance on how to comply with the changes and avoid possible fines or prosecution.
Agents and landlords are in real danger of falling foul of the law if they don’t make themselves aware of the implications of the new rules. We’re doing everything we can to make things as easy as possible for everyone to not only understand how the legislation affects them but also enabling agents and landlords a simple online solution to quickly and securely adjust the value of the deposits in-line with the new legislation.
Educating our customers and members on their TDP responsibilities is paramount and we strive to make the processes of deposit protection simple, quick and efficient. As the only not-for-profit tenancy deposit protection scheme, we’re able to invest surpluses back in to the business to create new and innovative technology solutions to support our Custodial and Insured members in this way.”
