According to the National Landlords Association (NLA), the tenancy deposit protection legislation is working despite some concerns about price increases.

The Board of the Dispute Service approved a change in the method of charging subscriptions for TDS scheme, with subscriptions to be determined on a fairer basis in order to take account of the dramatic rise in disputes being sent for resolution.

David Salusbury, NLA’s chairman, said: “The NLA believes we need to be careful not to let the current discussions about TDS price increases detract from the principle purpose of tenancy deposit protection: offering legal protection for tenants where, in the small number of cases, landlords wrongly withhold all or part of their deposit.

“I have written to the TDS seeking clarification about the likely impact of their price increases on landlords and the NLA will communicate their response in due course. It is quite clear that landlords should not be expected to foot the bill of these price increases and we will be monitoring the situation carefully. For the NLA the interests of landlords must be safeguarded.”

The minimum annual subscription to the TDS has increased from £585 to £750 as a result of the changes. The fee is for letting agents and not landlords.