Deposits
Tenancy Deposit Deadlines in Scotland: 30 Working Days
The English 30-day deposit rule does not apply north of the border. Scotland has its own regulations, its own schemes and a deadline counted in working days from the tenancy start. Landlords who copy an English process into a Glasgow or Edinburgh let miss it.
30 working days from the tenancy start
Under the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011, the landlord must pay the deposit to an approved scheme within 30 working days of the beginning of the tenancy and give the tenant the required information in the same window. Working days exclude weekends and Scottish bank holidays. The clock runs from the tenancy start date, not from the day the money hit your account - those can differ when a holding amount is taken early.
The three approved schemes
- SafeDeposits Scotland
- Letting Protection Service Scotland
- mydeposits Scotland
English schemes (DPS, TDS, MyDeposits) cannot protect a Scottish deposit. The tenancy itself is almost always a Private Residential Tenancy - open-ended, no Section 21 equivalent. Deposit failures are argued in the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), not the county court.
The penalty is still 1–3× the deposit
If you miss the deadline or skip the information, the tribunal can order you to pay the tenant a sum of up to three times the deposit. That sits on top of lodging the deposit itself. Unprotected money also complicates any later possession claim.
How to count 30 working days
Start the day after the tenancy begins. Skip Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. A tenancy starting on Friday 1 May does not fall due 30 calendar days later; you need thirty weekdays. Use the deposit deadline calculator and pick Scotland - it uses working days, not calendar days.
Wider Scottish duties - landlord registration, the Repairing Standard, agent registration - are in the lettings compliance in Scotland guide. Vantage applies the Scottish deadline when the property is set to Scotland.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Scottish deposit deadline 30 days or 30 working days?
30 working days from the start of the tenancy, under the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011. Weekends and bank holidays do not count. It is not the English and Welsh 30 calendar days from receipt.
Which deposit schemes are approved in Scotland?
SafeDeposits Scotland, Letting Protection Service Scotland, and mydeposits Scotland. You cannot use DPS, TDS or MyDeposits England and Wales for a Scottish tenancy.
Does the Renters' Rights Act change Scottish deposits?
No. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 applies in England. Scotland keeps the Private Residential Tenancy, its own schemes and the 30-working-day rule.
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