Rent in advance under the Renters' Rights Act: what landlords in England can ask for

The Renters' Rights Act limits rent in advance to one month (or 28 days for shorter rental periods), and only after the tenancy agreement is signed. Here is what GOV.UK says, and what it means for your onboarding process.

<pThe Renters' Rights Act 2025 changes what a landlord or letting agent in England can ask for as rent in advance. This post sets out only what the Government's own guidance says, with links so you can check every point yourself.</p

<h2What the Act does</h2 <pGOV.UK states that the Act amends the Tenant Fees Act 2019 to <strongprohibit landlords or letting agents from requiring or accepting any payment of rent in advance of the tenancy being entered into</strong.</p <pOnce a tenancy agreement has been signed, and before it commences, a landlord may require <strongup to one month's rent</strong — or <strong28 days' rent</strong where the rental periods are shorter than one month.</p <pThe Act also amends the Housing Act 1988 so that, once a tenancy has started, a landlord <strongcannot enforce a term requiring rent to be paid in advance of the agreed due date</strong. Tenants remain free to pay early if they choose; a landlord cannot require it.</p

<h2Who it applies to</h2 <pGOV.UK says the restrictions apply to <strongall assured tenancies in England</strong, except tenancies of social housing and tenancies created so a council can discharge its homelessness duties. Housing is devolved: the rent in advance prohibitions <strongapply only in England</strong.</p

<h2Enforcement</h2 <pLocal councils can require a landlord to repay a prohibited payment of rent in advance to the tenant, and can impose a civil penalty of <strongup to £5,000</strong for breaches — on landlords and on anyone acting directly or indirectly on their behalf.</p

<h2When it starts</h2 <pGOV.UK has not published a commencement date for the rent in advance provisions. Its stated position is that it will "allow time for a smooth transition" and is engaging with the sector on implementation. Treat any date you see quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed until the Government publishes one.</p

<h2What to change in your process</h2 <ul <liRemove any pre-agreement request for multiple months' rent from your advertising and application forms.</li <liCheck tenancy templates for clauses requiring rent earlier than the agreed due date.</li <liKeep a record of what was requested and when, so you can evidence compliance if a council asks.</li </ul

<pFor the full phased picture of what changes and when, see our <a href="/renters-rights-act-2025-landlord-checklist"Renters' Rights Act 2025 landlord checklist</a.</p

<h2Official sources</h2 <ul <li<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-renters-rights-act/guide-to-the-renters-rights-act" rel="nofollow"GOV.UK — Guide to the Renters' Rights Act</a</li <li<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/contents" rel="nofollow"legislation.gov.uk — Renters' Rights Act 2025</a</li <li<a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/contents" rel="nofollow"legislation.gov.uk — Tenant Fees Act 2019</a</li </ul <p<emEngland only. General information, not legal advice.</em</p

Sources: - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-the-renters-rights-act/guide-to-the-renters-rights-act - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/contents - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/4/contents

Published: 2026-08-10.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-30.

General summary; not legal advice.