Renting deposits and Right to Rent — your first tenancy | Ages 16–18 guide

Age band: 16–18+
Reading time: 10–12 min read
Topic: First tenancies
UK relevance: UK-wide
Tax year: 2026/27
Last reviewed: 2026-05-11

What this guide covers

In England, your landlord must protect your deposit within 30 days in one of three approved schemes (DPS, MyDeposits, TDS). They can't take more than 5 weeks' rent as deposit on rents under £50k/yr. Holding deposits are capped at 1 week's rent. Most other "admin fees" are banned. Know this before you sign anything.

①The five things you pay before move-in

Cost	Typical amount	Notes
Holding deposit	Up to 1 week's rent	Reserves the property while paperwork runs. Refundable if landlord pulls out.
Tenancy deposit	Up to 5 weeks' rent	Returned at end of tenancy if no damage / unpaid rent.
First month's rent	1 month	Usually paid on move-in day.
Referencing fee	£0	Banned under Tenant Fees Act 2019. Landlord pays.
Inventory fee	£0	Banned. Landlord pays.
Total upfront	~6 weeks' rent	For £1,200/mo rent = ~£1,800

If a letting agent or landlord asks for any "admin fee", "credit-check fee", "referencing fee", or "professional-cleaning fee" up-front, they're breaking the law. Refuse and report.

②Tenancy deposit protection — the 30-day rule

In England and Wales, every deposit on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (the standard private rental) must be protected in one of three government-approved schemes within 30 days of being paid:

Deposit Protection Service (DPS) — depositprotection.com
MyDeposits — mydeposits.co.uk
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) — tenancydepositscheme.com

Within 30 days the landlord/agent must also give you the "Prescribed Information" — a one-page document showing where the deposit is held and how to challenge deductions at the end of tenancy.

If they don't protect the deposit within 30 days, you can sue for 1-3× the deposit amount in compensation. The landlord also can't legally evict you under the standard Section 21 process until they protect or return it.

In Scotland: equivalent schemes (SafeDeposits Scotland, LPS, mydeposits Scotland). In Northern Ireland: TDS Northern Ireland, MyDeposits NI, LPS NI.

③Right to Rent checks — what landlords must do

In England (not Scotland/Wales/NI), the Immigration Act 2014 requires landlords and letting agents to check every adult tenant's right to live in the UK before granting a tenancy. This is called a Right to Rent check.

If you're a British or Irish citizen, you show:

Passport (current or expired), OR
Birth/adoption certificate plus photo ID (driving licence) plus NI number

If you have settled / pre-settled status or a visa, you generate an online "share code" from gov.uk and give it to the landlord. They check it on the Home Office system. The whole thing should take 5-10 minutes.

If you're under 18. Right to Rent doesn't apply to under-18s, but you usually can't hold a tenancy in your own name anyway. Most under-18 renters need a parent on the tenancy. From 18, you're fair game for any standard AST.

④Guarantors — when you need one and what they sign

A guarantor is someone (usually a parent) who agrees to cover your rent and damages if you can't pay. They sign a separate legal document, the Deed of Guarantee.

You'll often be asked for one if:

You're a student with no salary
You earn less than 2.5× the annual rent
You're under 21 or in your first job
You don't have a credit history yet

The guarantor's liability can be joint and several with your housemates' guarantors — which means a parent who's guaranteed your rent can find themselves liable for the housemate's rent too, even though they don't know that person. Make sure the guarantor agreement is for your share only. Read every clause. Push back if it covers more than your portion.

If you genuinely have no guarantor, some letting agents will accept 6 months' rent paid up-front instead.

⑤Tenant Fees Act 2019 — fees that are now illegal

The 2019 Tenant Fees Act made most letting-agent fees illegal in England. Here's the short list:

❌ Referencing fees
❌ Credit-check fees
❌ Admin fees
❌ Inventory check-out fees
❌ Renewal fees when you sign another year
❌ Cleaning fees (unless it's in the tenancy agreement and reflects actual cost)
❌ Charging more than 1 week for a holding deposit
❌ Charging more than 5 weeks for a tenancy deposit (or 6 weeks if rent is over £50,000/yr)

What you CAN be charged for:

✅ Rent
✅ Holding deposit (capped at 1 week)
✅ Tenancy deposit (capped at 5 weeks)
✅ Utilities, council tax, TV licence (if specified in agreement)
✅ Reasonable fee for changing the tenancy (e.g. £50 to add a new tenant)
✅ £50 cap for lost keys (or actual cost, evidenced)
✅ Late rent interest (capped at 3% above Bank of England base rate)

If a letting agent in England demands anything from the banned list, refuse, get the demand in writing (email is fine), and report them to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133.

NCNational Curriculum links

England — PSHE Association KS4 L19 (income, debt, financial products)
England — Citizenship KS4 (operation of the economy, consumer rights, the law)
England — Maths KS4 (financial calculations)
Wales — Curriculum for Wales Progression Step 5 (HWB, Humanities AoLE)
Scotland — Curriculum for Excellence HWB 4-19a (decision making), 4-21a
NI — LLW KS4 Personal Finance, Local & Global Citizenship

Full mapping in the curriculum map.

Cite this guide
UK Tax Drag (2026). Renting deposits and Right to Rent — your first tenancy. Ages 16–18 deep guide. Available at: https://kids.uktaxdrag.co.uk/ages-16-18-renting-deposits-and-right-to-rent.html
Curriculum mapping: see UK Financial Education Curriculum Map (Version 1.0).

Not financial advice. This guide explains how the UK system works for educational purposes. Always check current rates and rules at gov.uk and consider talking to a qualified adviser before making real financial decisions, especially before age 18.