What Deposit Protection Service does

Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) is a UK government-authorized tenancy deposit protection scheme, operating as a trading name of Computershare Investor Services Plc and headquartered in Bristol. Founded in 2007 when mandatory deposit protection was introduced under the Housing Act 2004, The DPS has grown to become the largest of the three authorized schemes in England and Wales, holding 1.87 million deposits (40% market share of the 4.72 million total) and serving more than 535,000 landlord and letting agent clients. The platform offers two core products: a free Custodial scheme under which DPS holds tenant deposits for the tenancy duration, and an Insured scheme at £11.75–£27.75 per deposit under which landlords retain the funds while paying DPS a single fee for protection. Adjacent services include free impartial dispute resolution, online evidence upload (40MB per submission), tenant transfer tooling, bulk tenancy upload, and a Deposit Cap Calculator compliant with the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

The underlying technology is a cloud-based deposit administration platform (myaccount.depositprotection.com) accessible 24/7, with an API layer that integrates directly with 10+ major UK lettings software platforms (Goodlord, PayProp, flatfair, agentOS, 10Ninety, Acquaint, Estates IT, GNB, SME, Yorlet). The platform handles statutory interest calculation on custodial deposits held for 183+ days, Prescribed Information generation, and an end-to-end switching service that migrates agents from competing schemes. Distribution combines a self-serve online portal, embedded API integrations, and a free switching concierge service. Revenue is generated from two streams: float/interest income on custodial deposits and per-deposit fees on insured deposits, with 54% of deposits in the custodial scheme as of September 2025.

The DPS is wholly owned by Computershare Limited (ASX: CPU) and does not publicly disclose standalone revenue. Strategic focus areas visible in 2024-2026 activity include deepening API ecosystem lock-in, launching workflow tools (Account Dashboard, Deposit Reporting Suite, User Management), and positioning as the regulatory-knowledge authority ahead of the May 2026 implementation of the Renters' Rights Act. The service is geographically restricted to England and Wales and is not authorized to operate in Scotland.

Name

Deposit Protection Service

Legal name

Computershare Investor Services Plc

Website

https://depositprotection.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) is a UK government-authorized tenancy deposit protection scheme, operating as a trading name of Computershare Investor Services Plc, serving 535,000+ landlords and letting agents in England and Wales with 40% market share.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custodial Deposit Protection: Free custodial service where DPS holds tenant deposits. Revenue generated from the float/interest earned on deposited funds held during tenancies.
2. Insured Deposit Protection: Fee per deposit model where landlords/agents retain deposits but pay DPS a fee to protect them for the tenancy duration. Single fee per deposit with no annual renewal charges. Discounts available for portfolios over 100 deposits.
3. Interest on Deposits: Interest accrues on custodial deposits held for 183+ days. Tenants receive interest at tenancy end. Tenants may opt to donate interest to DPS charity partner St Mungo's.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) is a government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme operating in England and Wales. It provides two core products — a free Custodial scheme where DPS holds the tenant's deposit, and a fee-based Insured scheme where landlords retain the deposit — along with a free, impartial dispute resolution service to resolve end-of-tenancy disagreements between landlords and tenants.

Product overview

The Deposit Protection Service (The DPS) operates as a government-authorized tenancy deposit protection scheme offering two core deposit protection products: Custodial (free, DPS holds deposits) and Insured (fee-based, landlord retains deposits). The platform includes dispute resolution services, tenant management tools (Tenant Transfer Tool, User Management), account administration features (Account Dashboard, Deposit Reporting Suite), and bulk processing capabilities (Multiple Tenancy Upload Tool). Supporting services include online evidence upload for disputes, a Learning Centre with webinars and interactive case studies, and a deposit checker for tenants. The DPS also provides an API enabling integration with third-party lettings software platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custodial Deposit Protection A free deposit protection product where The DPS holds the tenant's deposit for the duration of the tenancy and manages repayment at the end of the tenancy. It is the most popular choice for landlords and letting agents, with 54% of all DPS deposits held under the Custodial scheme.
• Insured Deposit Protection A fee-based deposit protection product where the landlord or letting agent retains the tenant's deposit during the tenancy and pays The DPS a single per-deposit fee for statutory protection. Pricing is £18.75 per deposit under £500, £27.75 per deposit £500 or above, and £11.75 + VAT for letting agents, with volume discounts for portfolios of 100+ deposits. No annual renewal charges apply.
• Dispute Resolution Service A free impartial service that resolves deposit disputes between landlords and tenants without the need for court action. Independent adjudicators review evidence submitted via the online evidence upload service and make binding decisions, typically within 15 business days of adjudication beginning. Less than 5% of all deposits protected end in dispute.

Quantifiable outcome

• Less than 5% of deposits end in dispute
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guild of Letting & ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Co-host partnership for Renters' Rights Act webinar series. Susie Crolla, Managing Director of the Guild, co-hosted educational webinars covering tenancy structures, rent rules, pets, and enforcement powers. Partnership aims to enhance letting agents' understanding of legislative changes.
• St Mungo'scoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Charity partnership with leading homelessness charity. DPS facilitates donations to St Mungo's from tenant deposit interest. Reached £1 million in total donations facilitated since partnership began. St Mungo's provides emergency accommodation and supports people experiencing homelessness across London and South of England.
• 10NinetycoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• AcquaintcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• agentOScoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• Estates ITcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• flatfaircoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• GNBcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• GoodlordcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Major letting software platform integration enabling automated deposit protection registration through cloud-based platform.
• PayPropcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• SMEcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• YorletcoreTechnology or IntegrationAPI integration partner. Letting software integration enabling automated deposit protection registration directly through CRM platform.
• Client Money ProtectminorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.
• UK Association of Letting Agents (UKALA)minorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.
• SafeagentminorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.
• Money ShieldminorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.
• PropertymarkminorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.
• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)minorOthersClient Money Protection (CMP) scheme. Letting agents must confirm CMP membership when setting up Insured scheme accounts.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• PayProp: Automated rental payments and reconciliation platform with DPS API integration. Comparable as an ecosystem partner serving the same letting agent customer base and competing for workflow mindshare.
• flatfair: UK proptech offering a deposit-alternative service that replaces traditional cash deposits with a guarantee-based fee product. Represents both a DPS API integration partner and a structural competitor as landlords adopt deposit alternatives.
• Zero Deposit: Deposit replacement scheme that allows tenants to pay a non-refundable fee instead of a traditional cash deposit. Competes with The DPS by addressing the same landlord compliance need through an alternative mechanism.
• HomeLet: UK specialist provider of landlord insurance, tenant referencing, and rent guarantee products. Comparable as an adjacent protection-services provider serving the same landlord segment that DPS serves.
• Goodlord: Cloud-based lettings platform that integrates with DPS via API to automate deposit protection. Overlapping ecosystem participant, addressing the same letting agent workflow with adjacent reference-point competitive dynamics.
• Rentguard: UK provider of landlord insurance products including rent guarantee and tenant reference services. Comparable as an adjacent landlord-protection service overlapping with DPS's landlord customer base.

Regional players

• OpenRent: UK online letting agent platform that helps landlords list and manage rental properties. Comparable as a UK-focused rental property workflow provider overlapping with DPS's landlord and tenant base.

Broad incumbents

• Computershare Limited: ASX-listed global financial services company and parent of Computershare Investor Services Plc, of which The DPS is a trading name. Operates a broad portfolio including share registry and employee equity plans alongside deposit protection.

Direct peers

• MyDeposits: The third government-authorised tenancy deposit protection scheme in England and Wales, run by Propertymark. Competes directly with The DPS for landlord and letting agent share across custodial and insured deposit products.
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS): One of the three government-authorised deposit protection schemes in England and Wales, offering custodial and insured deposit protection alongside dispute resolution. Direct head-to-head competitor to The DPS for landlord and letting agent business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/the_dps
• YouTubeyoutube.com/depositprotection
• Facebookfacebook.com/DepositProtectionService
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1211260
• Instagraminstagram.com/depositprotectionservice

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Deposit Protection Service