If you rent your home, you will probably have to pay a deposit. Your landlord or letting agent must transfer your deposit to a government approved Scottish deposit protection scheme, like SafeDeposits Scotland, to keep it safe. This is the law in Scotland. They also have to tell you the name and contact details of the scheme. 

SafeDeposits Scotland is...

• Approved by the Scottish Government
• The leading scheme for tenant deposits in Scotland
• Backed by several leading organisations
• Scottish-based with an office and contact centre in Glasgow
• Free to use

After your landlord or letting agent transfers your deposit to SafeDeposits, we will send you a deposit account number (DAN) by email or post. You can log in to our website to keep your contact details up-to-date and claim your deposit back when you move out. We also have a short YouTube video which explains how to get your deposit back.

If a landlord fails to protect your deposit with a Scottish deposit protection scheme and/or provide the necessary information, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber) for financial sanctions. If the Tribunal is satisfied that the landlord has failed to comply, they may order the landlord to pay you up to three times the amount of the deposit. In addition, they may order the landlord to transfer the deposit to a Scottish deposit protection scheme. You can apply to the First-tier Tribunal during the tenancy or up to three months afterwards.

We have a Tenant FAQ section with further information on tenant deposits in Scotland.