Wales Deposit Required Information: What the Form Must Include

Required Information, Not Prescribed Information

The terminology matters. Under English law, landlords serve "prescribed information" governed by the Housing (Tenancy Deposits) (Prescribed Information) Order 2007. In Wales, that 2007 Order was revoked by Regulation 4 of the Renting Homes (Deposit Schemes) (Required Information) (Wales) Regulations 2022 (S.I. 2022/250).

Since 1 December 2022, Welsh landlords must serve "required information" under S.I. 2022/250. Using an English prescribed information template for a Welsh occupation contract is a compliance breach, even if it contains similar fields.

What the Pack Must Contain

Regulation 3 of S.I. 2022/250 lists seven categories of information that the document must include:

Scheme administrator details — the name, physical address, telephone number, and email of the authorised deposit scheme (DPS, MyDeposits, or TDS)

Scheme leaflet — a copy of the informational document produced by the scheme explaining how the scheme operates

Deduction terms — the specific provisions in the occupation contract that set out the circumstances under which the landlord may retain some or all of the deposit

Financial and property details — the exact deposit amount paid and the full address of the dwelling

Party contact details — the name, address, telephone number, and email address of the landlord, all contract-holders (including forwarding addresses for use after the contract ends), and any third party who paid the deposit on the contract-holder's behalf

Repayment and dispute procedures — the steps for deposit repayment at contract termination, the scheme's ADR process for disputes, and what happens if either party cannot be contacted

Landlord declaration and opportunity to sign — a signed certificate from the landlord (or their agent) confirming that the information is accurate, plus an explicit opportunity for the contract-holder to sign the document

The Signature Requirement

Welsh law does not require the contract-holder's signature for the service to be legally valid. However, it does require the landlord to provide the opportunity to sign. In practice, this means including a signature block and a written invitation to sign and return a copy within a stated period.

A contract-holder who declines to sign has not invalidated the service, provided the landlord can demonstrate the document was delivered and the signature opportunity was clearly offered.

Proof of Delivery

Serving the required information is a legal obligation; keeping proof of service helps demonstrate compliance if challenged. If a landlord later needs to serve a Section 173 possession notice, a County Court will want evidence that the required information was served within the 30-day window.

Reliable delivery methods include:

• Hand delivery with a dated, countersigned receipt from the contract-holder
• First-class recorded post with a Royal Mail tracking reference
• Email where the contract-holder has given prior written consent to electronic service, with a delivery or read confirmation

Sending the information by ordinary first-class post with no proof creates a vulnerability — the landlord cannot prove receipt if it is later disputed.

When to Re-Serve

The required information must be updated and re-served in specific circumstances:

• A deposit top-up is paid (for instance, following a rent increase) — the new total must be reflected, and the fresh required information served within 30 days of the top-up payment
• A joint contract-holder is added or removed under the statutory transfer procedures (Forms RHW11, RHW13, or RHW14) — the scheme registration and required information must reflect the current contract-holders
• The property is sold to a new landlord — the incoming landlord must re-serve required information on all contract-holders within 30 days of the legal assignment, naming the new landlord

The Tenancy Deposit Protection in Wales guide includes a fillable required information compliance record and proof-of-service log.

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