Lodger or Tenant? Renting a Room in a London Flatshare

Answer first: Your rights in a London flatshare depend on who your landlord is and where they live. If you live with your landlord and share a kitchen, bathroom or living room with them, you are usually a lodger, with far fewer rights. If your landlord does not live with you and you have your own room, you are usually a tenant, often on an assured periodic tenancy with the protections that started on 1 May 2026. If you rent from a tenant who does not live with you, you are a sub-tenant, and your position depends on whether their landlord allowed the sublet. Of 12,074 London room listings RentReboot saw first from 12 to 30 September 2026, the median asking rent was £950 pcm per room.

Ask about your status before you pay anything. It decides your notice, your deposit protection, and whether the 2026 changes apply to you.

General information, not legal advice. Your status depends on the facts, not only on what the agreement calls you. Check GOV.UK, or contact Shelter or Citizens Advice, before you act on your own case. Sources were checked on 1 October 2026.

Lodger, tenant or sub-tenant?

Lodger

Shelter says you are a lodger if you rent a room in your landlord's home and share other rooms, such as the bathroom or kitchen, with them. Citizens Advice adds that you are still a lodger if your landlord is a friend or relative, or if you only share spaces like corridors and stairs with them.

What that means:

• Notice. On a rolling agreement, Shelter says you should get "reasonable notice". This should be at least 7 days but could be more. A fixed-term agreement usually lets you stay until its end date.
• Eviction. Shelter says a lodger can be evicted without a court order once the agreement or notice has ended.
• Rent rises. On a rolling agreement, your landlord can raise the rent at any time. Shelter says they might ask you to leave if you do not agree.
• Your room. Citizens Advice says your landlord should not go into your room without permission, unless you agreed services like cleaning, or for repairs or an emergency.
• The 2026 changes. The government's information sheet says the new Renters' Rights Act rules will not usually apply to lodgers.

Shelter advises asking for a written agreement, so it is clear what you agreed.

Tenant in a flatshare

If your landlord does not live in the home, the home is your main residence and you have your own room, GOV.UK says you usually have an assured periodic tenancy. That is true even if you share the kitchen or bathroom with flatmates. These tenancies got the 1 May 2026 changes: no Section 21 evictions, rent rises only once a year by formal notice, and the right to leave with 2 months' notice. Our Renters' Rights Act guide explains them.

Flatshares come in two shapes:

• A joint tenancy. Everyone signs one agreement. Shelter says you are all responsible for the whole rent, even if you pay different amounts. If a flatmate stops paying, the landlord can ask the rest of you for the shortfall. GOV.UK says one joint tenant can usually end the tenancy by giving notice without the others agreeing. A tenant who wants to stay needs the other tenants and the landlord to agree.
• A tenancy for your room. Citizens Advice says each person can have their own agreement for their own room and share the other facilities. You pay your own rent, not your flatmates'.

Sub-tenant

Citizens Advice says you are a sub-tenant if you rent your home from a tenant, who is then your landlord. If that tenant lives in the same building, you are more likely to be a lodger.

As a sub-tenant you will usually have an assured tenancy with the tenant. The big question is whether the sublet is lawful:

• Lawful usually means the head landlord gave permission, or their agreement with the tenant did not mention subletting. Citizens Advice says a lawful subtenancy is rare. If it is lawful and the tenant's own tenancy ends, you automatically become the head landlord's direct tenant.
• Unlawful means the head landlord did not allow it. Citizens Advice says the head landlord can then evict you when the tenant's tenancy ends, without a court order.

Before you pay, ask to see the head landlord's written permission to sublet.

What to check before you pay

1. Who is the landlord, and do they live there? This decides whether you are a lodger, a tenant or a sub-tenant.
2. See the room in person. Shelter advises that you do not pay a holding deposit without seeing the home.
3. Get the agreement in writing. Check whose names are on it, whether it is joint or for your room, and how much notice you must give.
4. Check the holding deposit. It can be no more than 1 week's rent. At £950 pcm that is £219.23 (£11,400 a year divided by 52).
5. Ask which scheme will protect your deposit. For a tenancy, the landlord must protect it within 30 days. A lodger's deposit does not need protection.
6. Check for banned fees. GOV.UK guidance says the Tenant Fees Act ban covers tenants in shared houses and licences such as lodgers. Admin, referencing and credit check fees are banned.
7. For a sublet, see the permission. Ask for the head landlord's written consent.
8. For a bigger shared house, check the licence. GOV.UK says a home rented to 5 or more people from more than 1 household who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet needs a licence as a large house in multiple occupation (HMO). Your council may also license smaller shared homes, so check with the council.
9. Get receipts. Shelter advises getting a receipt and a written record of what each payment is for.

Our deposits and fees guide has the full list of allowed payments and how to get money back.

Deposits in a flatshare

Joint tenancy. Shelter says you normally pay one deposit for the whole tenancy. Ask the landlord or agent to write on the tenancy agreement how much each person paid. If you leave and the others stay, Shelter says the remaining tenants and your replacement need to start a new joint tenancy. Your replacement pays their deposit, and the landlord can then return your share. If the deposit was repaid to the lead tenant and they do not pass on your share, you can write to them and, if needed, make a small claim in court.

Lodger. Shelter says your landlord does not have to protect your deposit, and you may need to go to court to get it back. Citizens Advice says the most a landlord can usually ask a lodger for is 5 weeks' rent.

Everyone. Take dated photos when you move in and when you leave. They help if there is a dispute about deductions.

What does a room in London cost?

RentReboot's London listing data, for listings first seen from 12 to 30 September 2026:

These are asking rents in adverts, not the rents people agreed. The median is the middle asking rent of the 12,074 room listings.

Rent is not the only cost. Ask whether bills are included. Under the Tenant Fees Act, a landlord can ask you to pay council tax, utilities, a TV licence and phone or internet, if your agreement says you pay them.

At the £950 pcm median, the most a landlord can take up front is usually:

• a holding deposit of up to £219.23 (1 week);
• a tenancy deposit of up to £1,096.15 (5 weeks, because the annual rent of £11,400 is under £50,000); and
• for an assured tenancy, up to 1 month's rent in advance (£950) after you sign.

Where room listings appear

Of the 12,074 London room listings in the window above, flatshare sites carried 8,405 (69.6%). The rest appeared on property portals, letting agents' own websites, landlord-direct listings and other kinds of site. Our London rental sites roundup compares them.

RentReboot watches those kinds of London site and emails you the listings that match your budget, neighbourhoods and size. You choose whether you want rooms in a flatshare as well as whole flats. There is a free plan and an optional Premium plan. Set up London flat alerts.

Flatshare FAQs

Am I a lodger or a tenant?

Usually a lodger if you live with your landlord and share a kitchen, bathroom or living room with them. Usually a tenant if your landlord does not live there and you have your own room, even if you share the kitchen with flatmates. The facts decide, not only what the agreement says. Contact Shelter or Citizens Advice if you are not sure.

Does a lodger's deposit have to be protected?

No. Shelter says a landlord does not have to protect a lodger's deposit. If it is not returned, you may need to go to court. If you are a tenant, the deposit must be protected within 30 days.

Do the 1 May 2026 Renters' Rights Act changes apply to lodgers?

Not usually. The government's information sheet says the new rules will not usually apply to lodgers. Lodgers on a rolling agreement should get reasonable notice, which Shelter says is at least 7 days, and can be evicted without a court order once the notice ends.

If my flatmate leaves, do I have to pay their rent?

In a joint tenancy, possibly. Shelter says joint tenants are all responsible for the whole rent, even if they pay different amounts. If you each have a tenancy for your own room, you are responsible for your own rent.

Is it legal to rent a room from someone who is renting the flat?

It can be. Citizens Advice says a sublet is lawful if the head landlord gave permission, or their agreement did not mention subletting, and that lawful subtenancies are rare. If the sublet is unlawful, the head landlord can evict you when the tenant's tenancy ends without a court order. Ask for written permission before you pay.

How much does a room in a London flatshare cost?

In RentReboot's data, the median asking rent was £950 pcm across 12,074 London room listings first seen from 12 to 30 September 2026. Ask whether bills are included, and budget for a deposit of up to 5 weeks' rent.

More London renter guides

• What Changed for London Renters on 1 May 2026?: bidding, rent in advance, Section 21 and rent increases.
• How Much Deposit Can a London Landlord Ask For?: deposit caps, banned fees and how to get money back.
• 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. RentReboot figures come from RentReboot's London listing data for listings first seen from 12 to 30 September 2026.

1. Shelter England: Lodgers: definition, reasonable notice, eviction without a court order, deposits, rent rises, written agreements.
2. Citizens Advice: Check your rights as a lodger: who is a lodger, entering your room, the usual 5-week deposit maximum.
3. Citizens Advice: Check your rights if you're a subtenant: who is a sub-tenant, lawful and unlawful sublets, what happens when the main tenancy ends, Section 21 notices from 1 May 2026.
4. Citizens Advice: Check your rights if you share accommodation: joint tenancies and tenancies for individual rooms.
5. GOV.UK: Assured periodic tenancies, a guide for tenants: who has an assured periodic tenancy, including shared kitchens and bathrooms.
6. GOV.UK: How to end your tenancy: notice in a joint tenancy.
7. GOV.UK: The Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet 2026: the new rules do not usually apply to lodgers.
8. GOV.UK: House in multiple occupation licence: HMO definition, the large HMO licence and council licensing of smaller homes.
9. GOV.UK: Tenancy deposit protection: the 30-day protection deadline.
10. GOV.UK: Tenant Fees Act 2019 statutory guidance: the ban covers shared houses and lodgers; permitted payments including bills.
11. legislation.gov.uk: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1: the deposit caps and a week's rent as annual rent divided by 52.
12. Shelter England: Joint tenancies: joint responsibility for the whole rent.
13. Shelter England: Joint tenancies, paying a deposit: one deposit, the lead tenant, writing down each share.
14. Shelter England: Joint tenancies, getting your deposit back: your share when you leave and a small claim.
15. Shelter England: Return of a lodger's deposit: lodger deposits are not protected; court may be needed.
16. Shelter England: Protect yourself when handing over money: see the home first, get receipts.