Letting agent and tenancy fees

Most tenancy related fees are banned.

Landlords and letting agents cannot charge for things like:

• references

• administration

• check out inspections

• credit and immigration checks

• renewing your tenancy when your fixed term contract ends

If your tenancy started on or after 1 June 2019, these fees are banned. This includes tenancy renewals after this date.

If your tenancy started before this date, the ban only applies to charges on or after 1 June 2020. Landlords and agents do not have to refund fees taken before this.

Which types of tenancy are covered?

The tenancy fees ban covers fees charged to:

• assured shorthold tenants

• property guardians

• student lettings

• people with a room in a shared house

• lodgers living with a private landlord

The tenancy fees ban also covers fees charged to guarantors.

If you've been charged a banned fee

Your landlord cannot give you a section 21 notice if they've charged a banned fee unless they refund your money. This will not apply if it was an agent who charged the fee.

Report it to trading standards

Trading standards are part of your council.

They can look into the situation and fine your landlord or agent.

If your landlord or agent breaks the rules more than once, the council can take legal action. This could mean the landlord or agent gets banned from renting out properties in the future.

Report a rogue landlord or agent in London on the London Assembly website.

Find your local trading standards team on the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) website if you're outside London.

Complain to a letting agent redress scheme

All agents must belong to a letting agent redress scheme.

You can complain to the redress scheme. The scheme can look into the situation and tell the agent to apologise or give you compensation.

Get the fee back through a tribunal

You can apply to the first tier tribunal to get your money back if the landlord or agent does not refund the fee.

Trading standards can help with the process.

What you can still be charged for

Fees can only be charged in the following situations.

Late rent payments 

You can only be charged a late payment fee once you’re 14 days late with rent.

The late payment fee must be mentioned in your agreement and you cannot be charged more than 3% APR above the Bank of England base rate.

You can only be charged by either your landlord or agent, not both.

Lost keys or fobs

You can be charged the reasonable costs of a replacement if this is mentioned in your tenancy agreement.

Ending your tenancy early

Your landlord or agent can charge you if they agree to let you end your tenancy early or leave without notice. This can only cover loss of money or reasonable costs from the agent.

Changing or transferring your tenancy

You can be charged up to £50 to change a term in your tenancy or transfer it to someone else. This includes the situation where you find a replacement tenant who then signs a new agreement with landlord. 

You can only be charged more than £50 if the landlord can show the change costs them more than this.

Other costs of renting

There are limits on how much you can be charged for a:

• holding deposit - up to 1 week's rent

• tenancy deposit - up to 5 weeks' rent

There's no limit on how much rent in advance a landlord can ask for. But it's illegal to hide extra fees by calling it rent in advance.

Your landlord can charge you for gas, electricity and water if they provide these. They cannot charge you more than they pay the supplier.

If you cause damage to your home, your landlord could keep your deposit or try and claim the costs back through the courts.