What is the maximum deposit a landlord can take?

Five weeks’ rent if the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks’ rent if it is £50,000 or more. On £1,200 a month that is £1,384.61.

Can I still ask for rent in advance?

For tenancies from 1 May 2026, only after the agreement is signed, and then at most one month’s rent (or 28 days’ rent if it is not paid monthly) before the tenancy starts.

How long do I have to protect a deposit?

30 days from receiving it, and in the same 30 days you must give the tenant the prescribed information about the scheme.

Can I take a pet deposit on top?

No. A separate pet deposit would push the total over the cap. The pet has to be covered by the one capped deposit.

Deposit and rent in advance calculator

Enter the rent to see the most you can take as a holding deposit, a tenancy deposit and rent in advance, check a deposit you have in mind against the cap, and get the date it has to be protected by.

Updated 16 October 2026

Deposit and rent in advance calculator

England

Maximum tenancy deposit

£1,384.61

5 weeks’ rent, because the rent is £14,400 a year, which is under £50,000. A week’s rent is £276.92.

Holding deposit: £276.92; One week’s rent, to reserve the home before signing.
Rent in advance: £1,200; One month’s rent, only after the agreement is signed and before the tenancy starts.

Up front, before the tenancy starts, that is at most £2,584.61: the deposit and the first rent. A holding deposit is normally put towards one of them, not taken on top.

Every deposit and its scheme, on record.

TenantTool records each tenancy’s deposit, the scheme protecting it and the certificate, and flags any tenancy without one.

See how it works

For assured tenancies in England starting from 1 May 2026. The rent in advance limit does not apply to tenancies agreed before then. A guide, not legal advice. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

The deposit cap on an average rent

ONS, August 2026

On England’s average rent of £1,459 a month, the most you can take as a deposit is £1,683.

Region	Average rent	5-week deposit
London	£2,332	£2,690
South East	£1,426	£1,645
East of England	£1,289	£1,487
South West	£1,245	£1,436
West Midlands	£982	£1,133
North West	£969	£1,118
East Midlands	£922	£1,063
Yorkshire and The Humber	£865	£998
North East	£788	£909
England	£1,459	£1,683

Sources: rents from the ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

How it works

The deposit cap

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps the tenancy deposit at five weeks’ rent when the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks’ rent when it is £50,000 or more. A week’s rent is the annual rent divided by 52. Anything over the cap is a banned payment: the tenant can recover it, and the council can fine you.

This guide covers England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so check the requirements for where your property is.

Rent in advance after the Renters’ Rights Act

For tenancies from 1 May 2026, you cannot ask for, encourage or accept any rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. Between signing and the start date you can take at most one month’s rent, or 28 days’ rent if it is not paid monthly. Asking a tenant for six or twelve months up front, once common for students, overseas tenants or anyone without a guarantor, is no longer allowed.

The limit does not apply to tenancies agreed before 1 May 2026.

Holding deposits

A holding deposit to reserve the home is capped at one week’s rent. Unless you agree otherwise in writing, the agreement should be signed within 15 days of taking it. With the tenant’s agreement it can go towards the first rent or the deposit; otherwise you return it within 7 days of the tenancy agreement being signed. You can keep it only if the tenant pulls out, fails a Right to Rent check, or gave you false information.

Protecting the deposit

Within 30 days of receiving a deposit you must protect it in a government-approved scheme and give the tenant the prescribed information about it. Miss the deadline and the tenant can claim compensation of one to three times the deposit, and the court will not order possession.

Deposit Protection Service (DPS)
MyDeposits
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)

Deposits on record

TenantTool keeps each tenancy’s deposit amount, the scheme protecting it and the certificate, and flags any tenancy that has a deposit but no protection recorded.

Common questions.

What is the maximum deposit a landlord can take?: Five weeks’ rent if the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks’ rent if it is £50,000 or more. On £1,200 a month that is £1,384.61.
Can I still ask for rent in advance?: For tenancies from 1 May 2026, only after the agreement is signed, and then at most one month’s rent (or 28 days’ rent if it is not paid monthly) before the tenancy starts.
How long do I have to protect a deposit?: 30 days from receiving it, and in the same 30 days you must give the tenant the prescribed information about the scheme.
Can I take a pet deposit on top?: No. A separate pet deposit would push the total over the cap. The pet has to be covered by the one capped deposit.