How Much Deposit Can a London Landlord Ask For?

Answer first: In England, a holding deposit to reserve a home can be no more than 1 week's rent. A tenancy deposit can be no more than 5 weeks' rent when the annual rent is under £50,000, or 6 weeks' rent when it is £50,000 or more. Your landlord or letting agent must protect the tenancy deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days and give you the required information about it within the same 30 days. Most other fees, such as admin, referencing and credit check fees, are banned under the Tenant Fees Act 2019.

These rules come from English law, so they cover most London rentals. This guide shows how to work out the caps, which payments are allowed, and how to get money back if something goes wrong.

General information, not legal advice. Your rights depend on your tenancy and your facts. Check GOV.UK, or contact Shelter or Citizens Advice, before you act on your own case. Sources were checked on 1 October 2026.

How to work out the caps

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 measures both caps in weeks of rent. One week's rent is the annual rent divided by 52.

For a monthly rent, the steps are:

1. multiply the monthly rent by 12 to get the annual rent;
2. divide the annual rent by 52 to get one week's rent; and
3. multiply by 5 (or by 6 if the annual rent is £50,000 or more).

An annual rent of £50,000 is about £4,167 pcm. Below that, the tenancy deposit cap is 5 weeks. At that level or above, it is 6 weeks.

The first two rents in the table are RentReboot medians, not limits. Of 12,074 London room listings first seen from 12 to 30 September 2026, the median asking rent was £950 pcm per room. Of 69,069 London whole-home listings first seen in the same window, the median asking rent was £2,500 pcm. The caps are maximums. A landlord can ask for less.

The holding deposit: up to 1 week's rent

A holding deposit is money you pay to reserve a home before you sign the tenancy agreement. The rules under the Tenant Fees Act 2019:

• The cap is 1 week's rent for the whole home. GOV.UK guidance says that if three joint tenants share a weekly rent of £240, the landlord cannot take £240 from each of them. The most it can take is £240 in total.
• One at a time. A landlord or agent must not take more than one holding deposit for the same home at once.
• A deadline to agree. The deadline for agreement is usually 15 days after the landlord or agent receives the holding deposit, unless you both agree a different date in writing.
• A 7-day refund. The landlord or agent must usually return it within 7 days after you sign, after they decide not to rent to you, or after the deadline passes without an agreement.

They can usually keep it only if you give false or misleading information, fail a Right to Rent check, pull out, or do not take all reasonable steps to sign before the deadline.

Shelter advises that you do not pay a holding deposit before you have seen the home. Get a receipt and a written note of what each payment is for.

The tenancy deposit: 5 or 6 weeks' rent

The tenancy deposit is security against unpaid rent or damage. The cap is 5 weeks' rent when the annual rent is under £50,000, and 6 weeks' rent when it is £50,000 or more. Any amount above the cap is a banned payment.

You may also be asked for rent in advance. Since 1 May 2026, a landlord or agent cannot take rent before you sign. After you sign, if you pay monthly, they can usually ask for no more than 1 month's rent in advance. Our Renters' Rights Act guide explains this and the other 1 May 2026 changes.

Deposit protection: the 30-day deadline

If you rent on an assured periodic tenancy, your landlord must put your deposit in one of the government-approved tenancy deposit protection schemes. GOV.UK lists the three schemes for England. The rules:

• Protect it within 30 days. The landlord or agent must put the deposit in a scheme within 30 days of getting it.
• Tell you within 30 days. In the same 30 days, they must give you the "prescribed information": the address, the amount, how it is protected, the scheme's name and contact details and its dispute service, their own name and contact details, the reasons they could keep some of it, and how to get it back.
• It applies even if someone else paid. The deposit must be protected even if a parent or a rent deposit scheme paid it.

A holding deposit does not need protection while it is only a holding deposit. GOV.UK says that once you become a tenant, the deposit must be protected.

Check your deposit on each approved scheme's website. In a joint tenancy, Shelter says the deposit is often registered in a lead tenant's name, so search under that name if you cannot find it.

Which fees are banned?

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans most fees linked to a tenancy in England. Shelter lists these examples of banned fees:

• references;
• administration;
• check-out inspections;
• credit and immigration checks; and
• renewing your tenancy.

The ban applies to private landlords and letting agents. GOV.UK guidance says it also covers student lets, tenants in shared houses (HMOs) and licences such as lodgers.

Which payments are allowed?

Schedule 1 of the Act lists the payments a landlord or agent can ask for:

Default charges such as a late-rent fee or a lost-key fee must be in your tenancy agreement before you can be charged.

How to get money back

If a deposit deduction is unfair

At the end of the tenancy, your landlord must return your deposit within 10 days of you both agreeing how much you get back. If you disagree about deductions, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is settled. Each scheme offers a free dispute resolution service. If you cannot contact your landlord, you can raise a dispute with the scheme.

Take dated photos and keep the check-in inventory. They are useful evidence in a dispute.

If your deposit was not protected

Shelter says you may be able to get your deposit back plus compensation of up to 3 times the deposit if your landlord did not protect it within 30 days or did not give you the information about it within 30 days. You might need to go to court, where Shelter says a court can order 1 to 3 times the deposit. Before you start a claim, Shelter says you must send a formal letter before action to your landlord and their letting agent. You do not need a solicitor, but Shelter says a court fee applies to start the claim. A court decides the amount, so the outcome is not certain.

If you paid a banned fee

1. Ask the landlord or agent in writing to refund it. Keep a copy.
2. Report it to your local council's trading standards team. Councils enforce the fee ban and can fine landlords and agents.
3. Apply to the First-tier Tribunal to get the money back.
4. If a letting agent charged it, complain through the agent's redress scheme. Every letting agent must belong to one.

If a holding deposit was not refunded

Ask in writing for the refund and the reason for any part kept. A landlord or agent can keep it only in the cases listed above. If they will not refund it, use the same steps as for a banned fee.

Search before you pay anything

Most London listings sit on property portals, letting agents' own websites, landlord-direct listings and flatshare sites. Our London rental sites roundup compares those kinds of site.

RentReboot watches those kinds of London site and emails you listings that match your budget, neighbourhoods and size, with a link to the original advert. There is a free plan and an optional Premium plan. Set up London flat alerts, then use the caps above to check every payment request.

Deposit and fee FAQs

What is the maximum holding deposit in London?

One week's rent for the home. For a £2,500 pcm flat that is £576.92 (£30,000 a year divided by 52). A landlord or agent can take only one holding deposit for a home at a time and must usually refund it within 7 days.

What is the maximum tenancy deposit?

Five weeks' rent when the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' rent when it is £50,000 or more. For a £2,500 pcm flat, 5 weeks is £2,884.62. A landlord can ask for less.

How long does my landlord have to protect my deposit?

Thirty days from getting it. In the same 30 days, the landlord or agent must also give you the prescribed information about the scheme and how to get the deposit back.

What happens if my deposit was not protected?

Shelter says you may be able to get the deposit back plus compensation of up to 3 times its amount. You might need to go to court, and Shelter says to send a letter before action first. Get advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice before you start a claim.

Can a letting agent charge me an admin or referencing fee?

No. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 bans fees for admin, references, credit checks and check-out inspections in England. If you paid one, ask for it back in writing, then contact your council's trading standards team or apply to the First-tier Tribunal.

How quickly must my deposit be returned?

Within 10 days of you and your landlord agreeing how much you get back. If you disagree, the deposit stays in the scheme and you can use its free dispute resolution service.

Can a landlord ask for 6 months' rent up front?

Not for most private tenancies since 1 May 2026. A landlord cannot take rent before you sign, and after you sign can usually ask for no more than 1 month's rent in advance if you pay monthly.

More London renter guides

• What Changed for London Renters on 1 May 2026?: bidding, rent in advance, Section 21, periodic tenancies and rent increases.
• Lodger or Tenant? Renting a Room in a London Flatshare: deposits and rights when you rent a room.
• The best sites to find a flat to rent in London
• London flat alerts

Sources

Checked on 1 October 2026. The law and official guidance can change. Recheck these sources before you rely on them.

1. legislation.gov.uk: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1: permitted payments, the 5 and 6 week caps, the £50,000 threshold, the 1 week holding deposit cap, a week's rent as annual rent divided by 52.
2. GOV.UK: Tenant Fees Act 2019 statutory guidance (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025): permitted payments, holding deposit deadline and refund, one holding deposit at a time, who the ban covers, enforcement and the First-tier Tribunal.
3. GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection: the approved schemes, the 30-day deadline, the 10-day return, holding deposits, deposits paid by someone else.
4. GOV.UK: Information landlords must give tenants: the prescribed information and its 30-day deadline.
5. GOV.UK: Deposit disputes and problems: free dispute resolution and what to do if you cannot contact your landlord.
6. GOV.UK: Rent in advance and deposits: no rent before signing and 1 month after signing.
7. Shelter England: Letting agent and tenancy fees: banned fees, allowed charges, trading standards, the First-tier Tribunal and redress schemes.
8. Shelter England: If your landlord does not protect your deposit: compensation of up to 3 times the deposit.
9. Shelter England: Make a tenancy deposit compensation claim: 1 to 3 times the deposit, letter before action, no solicitor needed, court fee.
10. Shelter England: Protect yourself when handing over money: see the home first, get receipts.
11. Shelter England: Joint tenancies, paying a deposit: lead tenant registration and searching for your deposit.