Private rented housing

9 min read

This page provides information and advice about private rented housing and accommodation.

With social housing in such short supply, the majority of households are able to resolve their housing situation within the private rented sector.

On this page:

Where to find private rented accommodation

If you are already renting from a private landlord and you feel your home is no longer suitable for your needs, or you are ready to live independently, you could consider looking for alternative private rented accommodation. You can do this through:

  • your current landlord or letting agent
  • other letting agents
  • local newspapers
  • lettings websites such as RightMove
  • shop windows/notice boards
  • local social media platforms

Please be aware of scams, especially through social media sites.

Renting from landlords and letting agents

When speaking to a landlord or letting agent keep in mind that their priorities will be the rent being paid and the property being looked after. You will be promoting yourself as a tenant, as much as they will be promoting the home to you. Therefore:

  • you should present yourself as clean and tidy at viewings or any office visits – first impressions are important
  • you will need to reassure the landlord or letting agent that you are not a financial risk, for example, by showing evidence of regular rent payments over a sustained period of time (even rent paid to family or friends)

Most landlords and letting agents will check to see what they think you can afford. This may include a credit check.


It is illegal for landlords and letting agents to discriminate based on children in the household, or who might visit, or those who receive, or may require benefits.  If you have been prevented from making enquiries or viewing a property and you believe this may be discriminatory practice, please contact the Homelessness Prevention Team. The landlord or letting agent may be issued a Civil Financial Penalty if this can be evidenced.

Renting from a landlord

When renting directly from a landlord, you handle everything with them on your own. This can make it easier to agree a tenancy and raise or explain any issues, instead of a letting agent discussing this on your behalf. However, it is important for you to know that a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO), which is a house with tenants who share communal areas must be licensed. You can check with the local council if the property is licensed.

Renting from a letting agent

Before renting a property through a letting agent, you should:

Landlord Database

Later in 2026, landlords and all properties must be registered on a Landlord Database.  It is expected that the database will allow prospective tenants to view necessary gas and electrical safety certificates and access information regarding any previous enforcement activity against the landlord.  The property cannot be marketed if the landlord and the property are not listed in the database, and this would be an offence according to the Renters Rights Act 2025.   Further information will be provided, including the launch date for the database once this has been confirmed.

Private Sector Ombudsman

Later in 2026 it will be mandatory for all landlords to register with the Private Sector Ombudsman, providing a redress service for tenants.  Further information will be provided, including the launch date once this has been confirmed.

Using a guarantor

You may have to provide a guarantor before you are offered a tenancy if any of these apply:

  • you are a student
  • you are unemployed
  • you are renting for the first time
  • you have a poor credit history
  • you have a low income
  • you have moved from overseas

The guarantor agrees to pay your rent if you fail to do so, and will need to sign an agreement accepting their responsibilities. It is likely that the guarantor will need to earn over a certain amount of money to qualify to be one.

Tenancy agreements

Prior to 1 May 2026, all tenancies in the private sector were assured shorthold tenancies. From 1st May 2026 all new and current tenancies will convert to an assured periodic tenancy, unless a landlord served a section 21 notice prior to the 1 May 2026.

An assured periodic tenancy is an agreement with no fixed period which runs from month to month (unless you pay your rent weekly).

The assured periodic tenancy cannot include a break clause and if a landlord or letting agent attempts to let a property with a fixed term, this is a breach of the Renters Rights Act 2025 and the local authority can impose a Civil Financial Penalty. If this happens please contact the local authority as soon as possible, and if the property is in Reading contact the Homelessness Prevention Team.

If you want to end your assured periodic tenancy, you can give the landlord two months notice in writing. The notice must expire the day before your rent is due. You will need to keep paying your rent until the day the notice expires.

Section 8 notice

This can be issued when the landlord requires the property for their own, or family use, intend to sell the property, or there has been a breach of the tenancy agreement, such as:

  • rent arrears
  • persistent late rent payments
  • antisocial behaviour

For the landlord to issue a section 8 notice they must:

  • list the grounds that the notice has been served on (there are a prescribed set of grounds for possession)
  • be able to prove that the grounds apply in court

Depending on the ground for possession stated in the notice, the landlord must give you the required amount of notice which ranges from 4 months to 2 weeks. They will not be able to apply to the court for possession until this period has passed.

If you receive a notice it is important that you check the notice is valid online.

You should also contact your local authority homeless prevention team for advice. More advice if you reside in Reading can be found on our at risk of losing your home web page.

Licence agreement

A licence is a personal permission for someone to occupy accommodation. This does not give the licensee a legal interest in any land or property. A licence can be for a fixed term of periodic and applies when:

  • there is no intention of to enter into a legal relationship
  • there is no right to exclusive occupation
  • the arrangement is for tied accommodation (accommodation that comes with work)

You are likely to receive a licence, sometimes without a written agreement, for the following situations:

  • living with friends with their agreement
  • living with parents with their agreement
  • living in a room of the property owners (lodging)
  • living in a hostel
  • living in a hotel
  • when required to live in accommodation under an employment contract, for the better performance of the employee’s duties

Ending a licence agreement

To end a licence agreement, the landlord should provide at least 28 days notice. That is unless there are concerns that involve a risk to you or your landlord if you were to remain in the property.

If you have been asked to leave, you can access further advice on our homelessness pages.

Costs of renting privately

It is important for you to know the costs of living in private rented housing to make sure you plan your finances accordingly and are able to pay your rent.

Upfront costs

It will be easier to manage your own private rented property if you have planned and saved for it. Renting accommodation can be expensive, but you may find cheaper options in other areas.

To secure a private rented property you should expect to pay:

Holding deposit: up to 1 weeks rent

This reserves a property and should only be paid if you are serious about accepting the property. There are situations where this money will not be refunded to you. If you sign the tenancy agreement, this deposit should be returned to you within 7 days, or you could decide to put this money towards the full deposit or rent in advance.

Tenancy deposit: up to 5 weeks rent

The landlord will retain this deposit for the duration of your tenancy agreement. They must protect this deposit in a recognised deposit protection scheme and provide you with written information on which scheme they have used. If they fail to protect your deposit, they will be unable to gain possession of the property, unless certain conditions apply. Please contact us if you are concerned that your deposit has not been protected.

If you leave the property in good condition you should receive the deposit back in full. The landlord or letting agent will discuss this with you.

Rent in advance: 1 months rent

The landlord can request no more than 1 months rent in advance. If they request more than this to secure the property, they are breaching the Renters Rights Act 2025 and will be issued with a Civil Financial Penalty of up to £7,000.

If you are asked to provide more than 1 months rent in advance please contact us as soon as possible.

Furniture, essential items, and removal fees

You may already have furniture and essential items, however, these may not fit into your new home. Unless you are renting a fully furnished property or room, you should also add this to the list of expected expenses.

The amount you need to save will depend on the cost of the rent. Here are examples of the upfront costs and how these are calculated:

  • if you find a property for £1,000 per calendar month, you will need £230.72 for the holding deposit (£1,000 x 12 / 52), plus £1,153.85 for the tenancy deposit (£1,000 x 12 / 52 x 5), and a further £1,000 for the rent in advance. Without furniture and essential items this is a total of £2,384.57
  • if you find a room in a shared house for £450 per calendar month you will need £103.85 for the holding deposit (£450 x 12 / 52), plus £519.23 for the tenancy deposit (£450 x 12 / 52 x 5), and a further £450 for the rent in advance. Without furniture and essential items this is a total of £1,073.08

For tenancies that commenced after 1 June 2019, the landlord and letting agent cannot charge for things like:

  • references
  • administration
  • check out inspections
  • credit and immigration checks

If the landlord has charged you, and you have paid for a fee that has been banned, the local authority can issue the landlord with a financial penalty to up to £5,000.

Ongoing costs

You will be responsible for paying your rent on time each month (or week). The amount of rent must be stated in the advert of the property and ifs the landlord or letting agent, invites, encourages or accepts a rental amount higher than the advertised amount they are breaching the Renters Rights Act 2025 and the local authority will issue them with a Civil Financial Penalty of up to £7,000.

The rent can only be increased once a year, and the landlord or letting agent must use the correct form and provide two months’ notice of the increase. The increase can be challenged through a First Tier Tribunal if you feel that the amount it is increasing to is above the amount you would expect the pay for a similar property locally. If the landlord or letting agent attempt to increase the rent without following the proper process they are breaching the Renters Rights Act 2025 and the local authority will issue them with a Civil Financial Penalty of up to £7,000.

Once you have moved in, you will be responsible for ongoing monthly costs of running your home. Unless specified as part of your rent, you might need to pay for the following items in addition to your monthly rent:

  • water bills – usually monthly
  • service charge – mainly when living in flats and can be paid monthly or annually
  • council tax – can be paid monthly or annually
  • gas and electric bills – payments can vary from regular direct debits or a pre-payment meter

You may also have financial commitments like outstanding loans and subscriptions that you will need to budget for from your income.

There are resources online that you can access to help you budget for your new home.

Visit MoneyHelper

Securing your finances

There are different ways to save or secure funds for the upfront and ongoing costs of moving to private rented accommodation. Some of these are:

  • save for as much of the upfront costs as you can before moving
  • if you are already renting a property, you may be able to transfer the deposit from one landlord to the next
  • you may be able to borrow money from family or friends to help pay the upfront costs before the release of any current deposit, or with an agreement to pay them back at an affordable amount each month
  • avoid taking out a loan for the upfront costs, unless you are able to comfortably repay the agreed amount on top of your rent
  • if you are taking out a loan, consider a community bank, such as Boom Bank , who are a not for profit organisation
  • you may be able to get a discretionary housing payment (DHP) for the upfront costs if you are claiming housing benefit or universal credit
  • you may be able to apply for a budgeting loan if you are receiving a low income benefit, or a budgeting advance if you are receiving universal credit from DWP for the rent in advance (the amount borrowed will be deducted from your ongoing benefits and may impact your ability to afford to rent a property)
  • for ongoing rent costs, you can claim universal credit or housing benefit to help with the rent if you have a low income
Last updated on 01/05/2026