These Regulations may be cited as the Tenancy Deposit Schemes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 and shall come into operation on 1 November 2012.

In these Regulations:—

• “approved tenancy deposit scheme” means a scheme which has been approved by the Department for the purposes of safeguarding deposits paid in connection with private tenancies;

• F1"bankruptcy restrictions order” means an order made under Schedule 2A of the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 or Schedule 4A of the Insolvency Act 1986,

• F2“debt relief restrictions order” means an order made under Schedule 2ZB to the Insolvency (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 or Schedule 4ZB to the Insolvency Act 1986;

• “designated account” means an account which cannot contain any sums other than:—

  1. a

     the whole or any part of tenancy deposits paid into it;

  2. b

     such sums of money belonging to the scheme administrator as may be necessary for the purpose of opening the account;

  3. c

     such sums of money as may be necessary to replace any sum which by error has been withdrawn from the account; and

  4. d

     interest;

• “dispute regulation mechanism” means the mechanism for resolving disputes specified in regulation 30;

• “the Order” means the Private Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 (N.I. 10);

• “working day” means a day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday.