Have this ready before you view
- Photo ID for every adult, and proof of your right to rent in the UK — a share code if you hold a digital immigration status.
- Proof of income: recent payslips, or accounts and tax returns if you are self-employed.
- Your current or previous landlord's details for a reference.
- Funds for the holding deposit, and for the first rent and deposit once you are approved.
- A guarantor's details if your income alone will not meet the affordability threshold.
What you can and cannot be charged
Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, most fees to tenants in England are banned outright. Nobody may charge you for viewings, for referencing, for an inventory or for renewing a tenancy. JDP charge tenants nothing at all.
- A holding deposit, capped at one week's rent, which goes towards your first rent or deposit.
- A tenancy deposit, capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000 (six weeks at or above it).
- Rent, and the utilities, council tax, TV licence and communications the tenancy makes yours.
- Limited default charges the legislation allows — a replacement key, or interest on rent more than 14 days late.
Referencing
Affordability is usually assessed at around thirty times the monthly rent in annual household income, though it varies. If you do not meet it, a UK-based guarantor, or paying some rent in advance, is normally the way through. Be straight about your circumstances early — most problems at this stage are surprises, not facts.
Signing and moving in
- Read the tenancy agreement before you sign, including the break clause and who is responsible for what.
- You should receive the gas safety record, the EICR, the EPC and the current How to Rent guide.
- Check the inventory carefully, photograph anything already damaged, and take meter readings on day one.
- Your deposit must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, and you should be sent the prescribed information telling you where.
During the tenancy
Report repairs in writing and keep a copy — for a managed property that means one email to us, not a chase through the landlord. Your landlord or agent must give you at least 24 hours' written notice before visiting, and come at a reasonable time. Rent increases have to follow the process in your agreement or the statutory route.
Getting your deposit back
At the end, the property is compared with the inventory. Fair wear and tear is expected; damage and cleaning are not. If you disagree with a proposed deduction, the protection scheme runs a free adjudication service — which is decided on evidence, so the photographs you took on day one matter more than anything either side says afterwards.
This guide is general information, not legal, financial or tax advice, and the law changes. Take advice on your own circumstances before acting — or ring us on 020 8226 4690 and we will tell you what we know.