Free tool · Money
Deposit limits calculator
In England the Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps the tenancy deposit at five weeks' rent, or six weeks if the annual rent is £50,000 or more, and the holding deposit at one week's rent. Enter the rent to see your limits.
The rules in plain English
- A week's rent is the annual rent divided by 52.
- Tenancy deposit: no more than five weeks' rent if the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks' rent if it is £50,000 or more.
- Holding deposit: no more than one week's rent.
- Rent in advance: you cannot ask for, encourage or accept any rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. After it is signed, the most you can ask for in advance is one month's rent.
- Protecting the deposit: put it in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it, and give your tenant, and anyone who paid it for them, the prescribed information within the same 30 days.
Sources, read on 22 October 2026: Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1, paragraphs 2 and 3, on legislation.gov.uk; Housing Act 2004, section 213; GOV.UK Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants (rent in advance) and overview for landlords. England only. Practical information, not legal advice.
Want the paperwork done properly? The RentRight Kit toolkits give you editable Word documents for England, in the order you use them: checklists, the tenancy agreement, letters and a filing log.