Selecting the deposit protection scheme on a tenancy

In Alto, you are able to record which deposit scheme the tenant's deposit is to be registered with, and whether it is held by the landlord, if they will be using the Zero Deposit Guarantee, or if there is no deposit held.

Once the deposit charge has been raised and paid, the deposit scheme registration number can be added.

Setting a default deposit scheme for a branch

If your branch registers most deposits with the same scheme, you can set it as the default. It will then be pre-selected on every new tenancy, which saves time and reduces the risk of the wrong scheme being recorded. This matters because once a tenancy is active, the scheme can only be changed by renewing the tenancy or carrying out a rent review.

The default deposit scheme is set per branch. If you have more than one branch, repeat these steps for each one.

1. Click Tools (the cog) on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Templates and admin
3. On the side menu, under System Tools, click System Administration
4. Click Branches
5. Click Edit next to the relevant branch 
6. Scroll down to the lettings defaults section
7. In the Default Deposit Scheme dropdown menu, select the appropriate scheme
8. Click Save

Recording the deposit scheme

1. Click Progressions on the main navigation bar
2. In the dropdown menu, click Lettings progressions
3. Within Lettings on the side menu, click All Lettings
4. In the Status dropdown menu, click In Progress
5. Click the relevant property in the list 
   1. Alternatively, find the property using the Search Lettings bar in the top right
6. Click Edit Tenancy
7. You can now make changes to the deposit scheme
   1. Deposit Required - Enter the amount of deposit you are requesting from the tenant(s)
   2. Deposit Scheme - In the dropdown menu, click the appropriate scheme
8. Click Save

Tenancy deposit details

The scheme you selected will appear on the Tenancy.

1. If you are in the progression of the tenancy, click New Tenancy - In Progress (pink banner), to link to the Tenancy 
   1. Alternatively, click Tenancy on the main navigation bar
   2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
      1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
2. Click Tenancy on the side menu
3. Click the Deposit top tab
4. In the Registration No field, add the deposit scheme registration number
5. In General Notes, add additional details as required

Incorrect deposit scheme selected

For a fixed-term tenancy with a status of Active, the only way to change the deposit scheme is by renewing the tenancy.

For an Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT), the deposit scheme can only be changed by carrying out a rent review.

For a fixed-term:

1. Click Tenancies on the main navigation bar
2. Select the relevant tenancy from Recent & Favourite Tenancies
   1. Alternatively, find the tenancy using the Search Tenancies bar in the top right
3. Click Tenancy on the side menu
4. Click the Tenancy top tab
5. Click Renew Tenancy
6. Edit the Start Date to the correct term of the current tenancy
7. Click Start Renewal
8. Click Progression
9. Click Edit Tenancy
10. You can now make changes to the deposit scheme
    1. Deposit Scheme - In the dropdown menu, click the appropriate scheme
11. Click Save
12. Click Actions
13. In the dropdown menu, click Finalise Renewal
14. Click OK to finalise the renewal
15. Click Actions
16. In the dropdown menu, click Charge
17. The Charges For This Tenancy window opens. Click Edit
18. Click Delete Charge on any unwanted charges
19. Click Close