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Deposit protection deadline calculator
The 30 days start on the day you (or your agent) received the money, whatever the tenancy start date. That day counts as day one.
HouseFile shares the prescribed information with your tenant and records when they open it.
Every property gets its own file, with a reminder before any certificate expires. When you share documents with your tenant, you'll see when they open each one.
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Why the 30-day rule matters more now
With Section 21 gone, every possession claim runs through Section 8. Until the deposit is protected and the prescribed information served, or the deposit returned, the court can't make a possession order on any ground except 7A and 14. Your tenant can also claim one to three times the deposit.
The prescribed information has to reach your tenant, and anyone who paid the deposit for them, within the same 30 days as the protection. Keep proof it did, because a claim can come up to six years later.
Read more: the 30-day rule explained and what happens if a landlord doesn’t protect the deposit.
General guidance for landlords in England, not legal advice. Last reviewed September 2026.