Press Release: TDS Charitable Foundation Awards £293,000 of Funding

The TDS Charitable Foundation has published its 2018/2019 Annual Review, which revealed how the charity has distributed over £293,000 of grants to nine different organisations across England and Wales in the last financial year. 

The Foundation, which is funded by donations from The Dispute Service (TDS) and operates in England and Wales, awards grants to encourage best practice in the management of private rented housing and education of landlords on their obligations.  It also seeks to promote the rights and responsibilities of tenants.

To date, the Foundation has awarded £753,375 of funds to a range of different ventures.

Professor Martin Partington CBE QC, Chair of the TDS Charitable Foundation, said: “By contributing to the work being carried out by so many worthwhile organisations, we hope these projects will have a real impact and help more people understand not only how the PRS works but what their roles and responsibilities are.”

The charity opens up bidding rounds three times a year and welcomes applications that aim to advance education in housing rights and promote knowledge in conflict resolution and legal requirements of landlords and tenants.

In Scotland, The Dispute Service is a partner in the SafeDeposits Scotland Charitable Trust, which works towards similar goals in the Scottish private rented sector and is funded by donations from SafeDeposits Scotland, the country’s largest tenancy deposit scheme.

Full details on the grants awarded in the 2018/2019 period are provided in the Charitable Foundation’s Annual Review, which can be read and downloaded for free: TDS Charitable Foundation Review

For those who wish to apply for a grant in the next round, the deadline for the submission of applications is 5pm on Monday 20th January 2020. Funding will be capped at a maximum of £10,000 for each successful project, enabling the charity to maximise its support to deserving organisations around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Further details can be found on the TDS Foundation website.

The Review is now available to read here: http://tdsfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/TDS-Charitable-Foundation-Annual-Review-2019_Final_Interactive.pdf

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• ·         The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) is a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme in England and Wales operated by The Dispute Service Ltd.
• ·         TDS protects more than 1.4 million deposits in England and Wales.
• TDS is the only not-for-profit scheme and uses its surpluses to continue to improve its already multi-award-winning service and technology solutions.
  • The Housing Act 2004 requires landlords and letting agents to protect deposits on assured shorthold tenancies (ASTs) in a scheme such as the TDS scheme. TDS provides both Insurance-backed tenancy deposit protection and free Custodial tenancy deposit protection with free, impartial dispute resolution if disagreements arise over how the money should be divided at the end of a tenancy.