Thank you for choosing
my|deposits Northern Ireland. Before continuing with your Membership application, please read the following statements and answer the relevant questions relating to your application.
my|deposits Northern Ireland
my|deposits Northern Ireland
has been appointed by
Department of Social Development
to operate an insurance-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme in
Northern Ireland
. You are applying to become a Member of this Scheme which allows you to take and hold deposits on behalf of your tenants.
It is a condition of joining
my|deposits Northern Ireland that you agree to abide by the
Scheme Rules of Membership
These Rules set out the terms and conditions that you must adhere to when operating your Membership and dealing with tenancy deposit protection including any dispute resolution.
If you DO NOT agree to these Rules or you have not read them, you should NOT proceed with this application process.
You should always apply for Membership in the name that is stated on the tenancy agreement that you issue to your tenants.
Have you read and are willing to be bound by the
Scheme Rules of Membership?
Apply for Membership as a Private Individual Landlord if:
You are an individual (or individuals) that owns the property
and lets it in your private name e.g. Mr A Brown, Mr & Mrs A Brown,
Mr & Mr B Brown and C White (joint ownership but not a formal
Partnership that operates as a business).
`
Apply for Membership as a Company Landlord if:
You are a company (Limited, formal Partnership, PLC, LLP or sole trader
that trades in a name other than your private individual name) that owns
the property and lets it in the company name e.g. Letting Property Limited,
The Property Partnership, Mr J Brown T/A Property Lettings. Please note that
if you join my|deposits Northern Ireland as a company landlord, you will not be able to protect
deposits taken on properties that you own as a private individual even though
you may be a shareholder, partner or director. Under these circumstances, you
should purchase a Membership for those properties let in the company name and
purchase a separate Membership for properties registered in your private name.
Apply for a Membership as an Agent if:
You are an individual or company that lets properties on behalf of third party landlords. You may also protect deposits that you privately own but the tenancy agreement must be issued in the name of your Letting Agency company. If you applying to join as an Agent Member of my|deposits Northern Ireland, you must hold the deposit that is to be protected in a segregated client money account which does not form part of the company’s assets. If you do not hold the deposit you must pass the responsibility for protection over to the landlord.
Do you own residential property in England and Wales which is let on a written Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreement?
Tenancy Deposit Protection (as legislated under Schedule 10 of the Housing Act 2004) only applies to properties that are let in England and Wales. For the purposes of clarity, my|deposits Northern Ireland will not accept deposits taken on properties that are located in either Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man.
An Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) agreement is a contract between landlord and tenant for a residential property which sets out the duties and responsibilities of the (non resident) landlord and tenant. For example, it gives rights to the landlord to repossess the property at the end of the specified date in the contract and it gives rights to the tenant to live in the property with in the agreed period. An AST agreement can be for any length of time, but it must be for a minimum of 6 months. The landlord and tenant may agree on a fixed term of less than six months. However, the tenant has a right to stay in the property for a minimum period of six months, regardless of what the agreement stipulates.
Are you a UK resident?
You must live in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but excluding the Isle of Man. my|deposits Northern Ireland will accept landlords who are serving members of HM Forces and who are temporarily stationed abroad for operational purposes.
Can you provide a correspondence address (other than a PO Box number) in Northern Ireland?
You must be able to provide a regular correspondence address in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (but excluding the Isle of Man) in order to accept documents and correspondence from my|deposits Northern Ireland. We will accept BFPO correspondence addresses for serving members of HM Forces who are temporarily stationed abroad for operational purposes. We regret that we cannot accept PO Box Numbers as valid correspondence addresses as they are not a recognised address for legal documents or demands that we may be required to send you.
Do you agree to be personally accountable for the holding of the tenancy deposits and legally liable for the return of the deposit on determination of the related AST agreement?
You must hold securely any deposits taken from your tenant yourself and not pass these deposits to any other person or organisation to hold on your behalf. At the end of the AST agreement you are legally responsible in law for the return of the deposit, or agreed part thereof, to the tenant in accordance with Chapter 4 Section 212 (9)(a) of Schedule 10 of the Housing Act 2004.
Is your company, partnership or trading entity based in Northern Ireland and registered, where required by law, with Companies House in Northern Ireland?
If you are applying for Membership of my|deposits Northern Ireland as a Company Landlord, your company must be based and registered with Companies House in Northern Ireland. For the purposes of clarity, UK means England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but excludes the Isle of Man. my|deposits Northern Ireland cannot accept Membership of companies that are based or registered abroad.
Can you provide a correspondence address (other than a PO Box number) in Northern Ireland?
You must be able to provide a regular correspondence address in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (but excluding the Isle of Man) in order to accept documents and correspondence from my|deposits Northern Ireland. We regret that we cannot accept PO Box Numbers as valid correspondence addresses as they are not a recognised address for legal documents or demands that we may be required to send you.