Private Rented Housing

(asked on 10th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to restrict the number of months of rent landlords can request upfront; and what assessment he has made of the effect on tenants in the private rental market of landlords being able to charge tenants six months of rent upfront on their accommodation.


Answered by
Eddie Hughes Portrait
Eddie Hughes
This question was answered on 17th June 2021

It is for landlords and tenants to agree the amount of rent that should be charged and how much should be paid in advance, according to individual circumstances. We do not expect it to be the norm that landlords ask for multiple months of rent in advance.

The Government took action through the Tenant Fees Act to prohibit rent from being 'frontloaded' at the outset of a tenancy. This prevents a situation where tenants are charged higher rent in place of letting fees.

The Act means that a landlord cannot require a tenant to pay a higher amount for one or several months then a lower amount after this.

We have not assessed the impact of the practice of multiple months of rent being paid upfront, but will continue to monitor this closely.

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