Other fees

When you sign up for a house you’ll pay a deposit, but the 2019 Tenant Fees Act has helped ban most letting fees and caps tenancy deposits paid by tenants in the private rented sector in England. Agencies can no longer charge for things like non-refundable registration, viewings and bookings, and general administration fees. To be safe, before agreeing to a tenancy, make sure you ask the landlord or agent for a list of all the fees included.

From 1 June 2019, the only payments that landlords or letting agents can charge to tenants in relation to new contracts are:

• Rent
• A refundable holding deposit (to reserve a property) capped at no more than one week’s rent. 
• A refundable tenancy deposit capped at no more than 5 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is less than £50,000, or 6 weeks’ rent where the total annual rent is £50,000.
• Payments in respect of utilities, communication services, TV licence and Council Tax.
• A default fee for late payment of rent and replacement of a lost key/security device giving access to the housing, where required under a tenancy agreement