Tenants guide
Contents
Fees and upfront costs
A landlord or agent can only ask you to make certain payments as part of your tenancy; they can no longer ask you to pay a fee to set up the tenancy.
The only payments they can ask you to make are:
- the rent - if you and the landlord have signed the tenancy agreement, capped at one month’s rent, or 28 days if the tenancy is not monthly
- a refundable tenancy deposit, capped at 5 weeks’ rent (or 6 weeks rent if the annual rent is £50,000 or above)
- a refundable holding deposit to reserve a property, capped at 1 week’s rent
- payments to change the tenancy requested by you, capped at £50
- payments associated with early termination of the tenancy when requested by you
- payments for any utilities, council tax, TV licence and communication services that are provided as part of the tenancy; and
- a default fee for late payment of rent and replacement of a lost key
A request for payment for anything else is not lawful. If this happens, you should follow the steps outlined in the Government’s Tenant Fees Act 2019: Guidance for tenants.
The deposit must be protected within 30 days of the tenancy start date. The landlord will need to provide you with any information relating to your deposit and the scheme it is protected in.
For more information, see the Government's tenancy deposit protection.
Help with tenancy deposits
If you can’t afford to pay the tenancy deposit, you may be able to get help with Emergency Assistance, subject to qualifying criteria.
If your landlord or agent asks you to pay rent in advance and a tenancy deposit at the same time, make sure it is clear how much is for rent, and how much is the deposit.
Guarantors
If you are on a low income or your ability to afford the rent leaves you with a small margin of flexibility in your income, a landlord might require a guarantor.
A guarantor is someone who does not live in your household and has sufficient income to cover the rent or any shortfall in the rent if you are not able to. This is a legal arrangement between the landlord and the person willing to guarantee your rent.
Rent in advance
Many landlords and agents will ask you to pay a period of rent up-front (rent in advance). They can only ask you to pay this once the tenancy has been signed by both you and the Landlord, this is called the ‘pre-tenancy period’. The amount they ask for must equate to that period of rent – they can’t include any other fees to disguise them as part of the rent in advance. If you have paid a holding deposit this can be used towards the rent in advance.
If you have been asked to pay rent before the tenancy has been signed, or a higher amount, you can report the issues on the Concerns before your tenancy starts page.
If you are struggling to pay the rent in advance and you get help with housing costs through Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, you may qualify for Discretionary Housing Payment.
Rental Bidding
Under the Renters’ Rights Act, landlords and letting agents must state the rent in an advert for the property available to let. It is illegal for them to ask you to submit a bid for the rent, encourage you to offer a higher amount than the stated rent to secure the property, or accept an offer of higher rent from you.
If you have been asked to bid for or offer more rent, you can report the issues on the Concerns before your tenancy starts page.
Tenancy deposit
Landlords and agents will usually ask for a tenancy deposit. When you pay a deposit the landlord is required by law to protect it in one of the Government’s Tenancy Deposit Schemes. Details of the scheme should be detailed on your tenancy agreement.
Page last reviewed: 22 April 2026
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