The Welsh fees legislation controls which payments may be required. Do not import English deposit caps or default-fee rules. The Welsh start-of-contract checklist identifies the deposit requirements and information to supply.
Check the purpose before requesting payment
Welsh permitted-payment rules need their own check. Do not copy an English fee schedule or deposit-cap statement into a Welsh contract.
- Identify the proposed payment, the legal basis for asking for it and the amount. Check current Welsh guidance before requesting an administration, reference, renewal or default charge.
- Treat a holding deposit separately from the security deposit. Give the information required before accepting a holding deposit and record its repayment or lawful retention.
- Explain the rent and deposit in the written statement consistently with the payment request. Do not disguise a prohibited fee as extra rent or an optional service.
Protect the security deposit
For a relevant occupation contract, use an authorised scheme and provide the required information within the applicable 30-day period.
- Record the date received, payer, amount and property. Start the protection task from receipt rather than from the day the keys are collected.
- Check the names and scheme details, and retain evidence of the information provided to the contract-holder and any other relevant person.
- Reconcile the protected balance after any agreed change. Keep deposit money separate in the records from rent receipts and repair invoices.
Deal with a dispute or missed step
Use the records to establish what happened before deciding what is owed.
- If the contract-holder challenges a fee, identify the payment and applicable Welsh rule. Do not rely on the fact that an old template included it.
- If protection or information was late, correct what can be corrected and take advice about the consequences, including possession restrictions.
- For deductions at the end, show the condition evidence, loss and calculation. Use the scheme dispute route for disagreement rather than treating the whole deposit as automatically forfeited.
Example: a charge appears on an agent's old schedule
A fictional agent asks a Welsh contract-holder for a renewal administration fee. Check whether that payment is permitted under the Welsh rules before collecting it. An agent's standard price list is not evidence that the charge can lawfully be passed to the contract-holder.
What to do
- Classify each requested payment against the Welsh rules.
- Record receipt and meet the applicable 30-day protection and information duties.
- Use the current official holding-deposit guidance before retaining any money.
Evidence to keep
- Receipt and scheme confirmation
- Information served and any holding-deposit decision
Sources and guidance
- Renting Homes (Fees, Discrimination etc.) (Wales) Act 2019Welsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Renting Homes: checklist for landlords and tenantsWelsh Government · checked 20 October 2026
- Resource library and official templatesRent Smart Wales · checked 20 October 2026