Question:
Is there Zakat on a tenancy deposit?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The Answer:
Deposits on assured shorthold tenancies (AST’s) must be protected with a government approved scheme. Under the Housing Act 2004 the landlord or agent must protect the deposit and issue prescribed information to the tenant within 30 days of receiving it.
A tenancy deposit is a sum of money which a landlord requires a tenant to pay at the start of the tenancy or which the landlord holds over from a previous tenancy with the same tenant. The money is security in case the tenant does not meet their obligations in connection with the tenancy[1].
Zakat is not binding on a security deposit as it is not in the possession of the tenant – neither constructively nor physically[2].
And Allah Ta’ālā Alone Knows Best
Mufti Faraz Adam
www.darulfiqh.com
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