TDS Northern Ireland

What TDS Northern Ireland does

TDS Northern Ireland (legal entity: Tenancy Deposit Scheme Northern Ireland Limited, company number NI 615475) is the government-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme for Northern Ireland, established in 2003 by ARLA (Association of Residential Letting Agents) and RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It operates as part of the broader TDS Group and is headquartered at the Innovation Factory, 385 Springfield Road, Belfast. The organization serves the Northern Ireland private rented sector through two core products: TDS Custodial, a free scheme in which TDS holds the tenant's deposit and manages repayment, and TDS Insured, a fee-based scheme in which the landlord or agent holds the deposit while TDS provides protection and dispute resolution services. Pricing is unit-based: £10.75 ex-VAT per deposit for agents, and £19.00 inc-VAT (deposits ≤£500) or £23.00 inc-VAT (deposits >£500) for landlords.

The underlying technology is a web-based deposit protection platform with an online portal (portal.tdsnorthernireland.com) for registration, repayment requests, and dispute resolution access. Supporting product components include the Tlyfe tenant lifecycle app for tenants, an API offering for property management software integration, and the TDS Academy educational platform. The company maintains ISO 10002 (quality management), ISO 27001 (information security), and UK Cyber Essentials certifications, and processes payments via Worldpay and major card networks (Mastercard, Visa, JCB, Maestro).

TDS Northern Ireland generates revenue almost exclusively from the TDS Insured scheme fees; the Custodial scheme is provided free of charge. Its go-to-market combines a direct self-service online portal with channel partnerships through Propertymark, RICS, and LANI (Landlords Association of Northern Ireland), each of which provides preferential deposit protection rates to their respective members. Distribution is exclusively domestic, limited to Northern Ireland, and customer segments are horizontally segmented across letting/estate agents (primary), private landlords (primary), and tenants (primary). No revenue, headcount, or funding figures are disclosed.

Name

TDS Northern Ireland

Legal name

Tenancy Deposit Scheme Northern Ireland Limited

Website

https://tdsnorthernireland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TDS Northern Ireland is the not-for-profit, government-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme for Northern Ireland, founded in 2003 by ARLA and RICS. It offers a free Custodial scheme and a paid Insured scheme to letting agents, private landlords, and tenants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tenancy Deposit Protection

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Payoff & Lien Release Services (BPAJAOAI)

Keywords

• Tenancy deposit protection
• Deposit protection schemes
• Rental property compliance
• Landlord registration services
• Tenancy dispute resolution

Headquarters

HQ city

Belfast

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Insured Deposit Scheme (Landlords): Landlords pay a fee to use the Insured scheme where they hold the deposit but TDS provides protection and dispute management. Fee varies by deposit amount: £19.00 inc VAT for deposits £500 and under, £23.00 inc VAT for deposits over £500.
2. Insured Deposit Scheme (Agents): Agents pay £10.75 per deposit (excluding VAT) for the Insured scheme. Agents can pass costs to landlords.
3. Custodial Scheme: Free custodial deposit protection service where TDS holds deposits at no cost. This is a not-for-profit service provided to support tenancy deposit compliance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TDS Northern Ireland provides government-approved tenancy deposit protection schemes for the Northern Ireland private rented sector, offering a free Custodial scheme and a paid Insured scheme for letting agents and private landlords. The service covers statutory deposit registration, ongoing tenancy tracking and independent dispute resolution at the end of each tenancy, supported by a web portal, an agent API, the Tlyfe tenant lifecycle app and the TDS Academy training resource.

Product overview

TDS Northern Ireland operates a dual-scheme deposit protection platform offering two main products: TDS Custodial (free service where TDS holds the deposit) and TDS Insured (paid service where the landlord/agent holds the deposit with TDS providing insurance). The platform is supported by additional tools including Tlyfe (tenant lifecycle app), a customer portal for agents and landlords, and TDS Academy for training resources. The company is backed by Propertymark, RICS, and LANI professional bodies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TDS Custodial: Free deposit protection scheme where TDS holds the tenant's deposit and manages the repayment.
• TDS Insured

Products and services

• TDS Custodial Free, government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme for Northern Ireland letting and estate agents, in which the deposit is held by TDS for the duration of the tenancy and returned (or disputed via independent resolution) at the end of the tenancy.
• TDS Insured Paid, government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme for Northern Ireland letting agents and private landlords, where the deposit remains with the agent or landlord and is insured by TDS for the duration of the tenancy, with disputes resolved independently.
• Tlyfe Tenant Lifecycle App Mobile/online application that helps Northern Ireland landlords manage the full tenant lifecycle, complementing TDS deposit protection for the duration of a tenancy.
• TDS Portal Online portal used by letting agents and landlords to register and manage Northern Ireland tenancy deposits, track tenancy status and submit/respond to disputes.
• TDS Academy Educational and training resource providing courses and guidance for letting agents, landlords and tenants on statutory tenancy deposit protection and related compliance in Northern Ireland.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PropertymarkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPropertymark is the leading membership body for property agents in the UK. TDS was established in partnership with ARLA and RICS (the precursor to Propertymark for letting agents). Propertymark members receive preferential deposit protection rates from TDS.
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRICS is a globally recognised professional body for land, property, construction and environmental issues. TDS was set up in 2003 by ARLA and RICS as a not-for-profit company. RICS members receive preferential deposit protection rates.
• LANI (Landlords Association of Northern Ireland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLANI is the only organisation specifically representing landlords in the private rented sector in Northern Ireland. TDS is backed by LANI as a key stakeholder.
• WorldpayminorOthersWorldpay is used as a payment processor on the TDS Northern Ireland website for processing fees related to deposit protection services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DPS (Deposit Protection Service): DPS is the largest government-backed tenancy deposit protection scheme in the UK, operating in England and Wales. It offers both custodial and insured schemes directly comparable to TDS Northern Ireland, serving letting agents, landlords, and tenants through a near-identical model.
• MyDeposits: MyDeposits is an authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme operating across the UK, providing both insured and custodial deposit protection. Directly comparable to TDS in product offering, customer base (letting agents/landlords), and regulatory positioning.
• TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme - England & Wales): TDS England & Wales is the sister entity under the same TDS Group parent, providing the same custodial and insured deposit protection products across England and Wales. As the parent-scheme sibling, it offers the most direct operational and product comparison.
• SafeDeposits Scotland: SafeDeposits Scotland is a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme serving the Scottish private rental market, offering custodial deposit protection. Directly mirrors TDS Northern Ireland's role, just in the Scottish jurisdiction, making it a structurally identical regional peer.

Others

• Propertymark: Propertymark is the UK's leading membership body for property agents (formed from ARLA, NAEA, and others). It is both a TDS channel partner and an industry-wide standards body, serving overlapping customers (letting agents) with complementary rather than competing services.
• HomeLet: HomeLet is a UK letting insurance and tenant referencing specialist serving letting agents and landlords. While not a deposit protection scheme itself, it serves an overlapping customer base and participates in the broader rental services ecosystem where TDS operates.

Emerging players

• Reposit: Reposit offers an alternative deposit replacement / guarantee product in the UK rental market, allowing tenants to pay a non-refundable fee instead of a cash deposit. It competes indirectly with TDS by addressing the same end-customer pain point (deposit affordability) with a different mechanism.
• Zero Deposit: Zero Deposit is a UK deposit替代方案 (deposit alternative) provider offering a guaranteed deposit scheme. It competes for the same landlord/agent wallet share as TDS's insured scheme by offering a different commercial model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TDSNI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TenancyDeposits
• Facebookfacebook.com/TdsNorthernIreland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tds-northern-ireland

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TDS Northern Ireland