Free tool
Deposit cap calculator
The most deposit you can legally take under the Tenant Fees Act — from the monthly rent, to the penny.
Monthly rent entered: £1,200.00
Maximum tenancy deposit (five weeks’ rent)
£1,384.62
Charging a penny more is a prohibited payment under the Tenant Fees Act.
| Annual rent | £14,400.00 |
| One week’s rent (annual ÷ 52) | £276.92 |
| Maximum holding deposit (1 week) | £276.92 |
Annual rent is under £50,000, so the five-week cap applies. The six-week cap only starts at £50,000 a year (about £4,167 a month).
Once you take the deposit, a separate clock starts: it must be protected in a government scheme within 30 days.
The cap is step one. HouseFile tracks the 30-day protection deadline and proves the prescribed information was served.
HouseFile keeps every document in one place, tracks expiry dates, and creates timestamped evidence tenants actually received them.
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The five-week rule, precisely
Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — which survived the Renters’ Rights Act with its caps intact — a tenancy deposit in England is capped at five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks’ rent at £50,000 or above. The calculation is fixed: annual rent divided by 52, times five. The common mistake is approximating a week as a quarter of a month — that inflates the figure by about 8%, which on a typical rent is enough to turn your deposit into a prohibited payment.
The cap bites hardest at renewal. Deposits taken before the Act often exceeded five weeks, and the excess became refundable when the tenancy renewed. If you’re still holding a pre-2019 six-week deposit on a renewed tenancy, the difference is the tenant’s money.
After the cap: the 30-day clock
Taking the right amount is the first half of deposit compliance. The second half is protecting it in a government-approved scheme and serving the prescribed information within 30 days of receiving the money — miss that and the tenant can claim one to three times the deposit as a penalty. Our deposit deadline calculator works out your exact protection deadline, and our guide to the 30-day rule covers what the prescribed information must include.
Common questions
How much deposit can a landlord charge in 2026?
Under the Tenant Fees Act, the maximum tenancy deposit in England is five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks’ rent where it is £50,000 or more. A week’s rent is the annual rent divided by 52 — so on £1,200 a month the cap is £1,384.62.
How do I calculate one week’s rent?
Multiply the monthly rent by 12 to get the annual figure, then divide by 52. Multiplying monthly rent by 12/52 directly gives the same answer. Don’t approximate with “monthly ÷ 4” — it overstates a week and can tip you over the cap.
What happens if I take more than the deposit cap?
The excess is a prohibited payment. Trading Standards can fine you up to £5,000 for a first breach, a repeat within five years is a criminal offence with an unlimited fine, and the tenant can reclaim the money through the First-tier Tribunal.
How much can I take as a holding deposit?
One week’s rent, maximum. It must be returned (or credited toward the tenancy deposit or first rent) within seven days of agreeing the tenancy — or of deciding not to proceed.
Does the deposit cap apply in Scotland and Wales?
The Tenant Fees Act cap applies in England. Scotland caps deposits at two months’ rent under its own rules, and Wales’s Renting Homes framework has no fixed statutory cap but deposits must still be protected. All three nations require protection in an approved scheme.