Private renting
Deposits
You may have to pay a deposit before you move in.
The maximum deposit your landlord can ask for is:
- up to 5 weeks’ rent if the rent for the year is less than £50,000
- up to 6 weeks’ rent if the rent for the year is £50,000 or more
They can also ask for a holding deposit to reserve a property. This can be up to one week’s rent.
If you cannot afford the deposit
Contact your local council if you need help paying the deposit. The council can tell you if you’re eligible for:
-
rent or deposit guarantee schemes
- a discretionary housing payment, if you get Housing Benefit or Universal Credit
- local schemes to prevent homelessness
If you’re on certain benefits you may also be able to get a Budgeting Loan, or a Budgeting Advance if you’re on Universal Credit.
Deposit protection
There are different rules for protecting deposits if you’re a tenant in a privately rented property in Wales.
In England, your landlord must keep your deposit safe using a government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme if both of the following apply:
- you have an assured shorthold tenancy (AST)
- your landlord took your deposit on or after 6 April 2007
Your landlord may still have had to protect your deposit if it was taken earlier. Find out about tenancy deposit protection rules.
Getting your deposit back
You can get your deposit back at the end of the tenancy if you:
- meet the terms of your tenancy agreement
- do not damage the property
- pay your rent and bills
If you do not, your landlord can keep some of the deposit to pay for these things. For example, they could keep the amount of rent you owe or the cost of any repairs.
It usually takes 5 to 10 days for your landlord to return your deposit.
If you cannot get your deposit back
Contact the tenancy deposit protection scheme your landlord used if you have trouble getting your deposit back.
For example, if:
-
your landlord will not give your deposit back
-
you cannot get in touch with your landlord to get your deposit
-
you disagree with your landlord about how much of your deposit they’ll pay back
If you overpaid your deposit
If you paid your landlord or letting agent more than the maximum deposit, you can ask them to give back the amount you overpaid.
If they refuse, contact your local council to report them and get help.
You can also apply to:
- the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber - Residential Property) (if you have a landlord)
- a redress scheme (if you have a letting agent)
You can get free advice on getting back your deposit from Citizens Advice.