ToolsTenancy deposit calculator
Tenancy deposit calculator
Work out the maximum deposit you can take under the Tenant Fees Act. Enter the rent for the figure, and check a deposit you already have in mind.
Maximum permitted deposit
£—
5 weeks' rent under £50,000 a year, 6 weeks' at or above.
- Annual rent
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- Weekly rent
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- Weeks applied
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A compliant deposit is one detail to get right. A full reference checks the tenant can afford the rent and confirms their history, then gives you a recommendation to send the landlord.
Start a referenceHow the deposit cap works
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 caps the security deposit you can take on an assured shorthold tenancy in England. The cap depends on the annual rent, and there are two bands.
Annual rent under £50,000
The deposit is capped at five weeks’ rent. Take the annual rent, divide by 52 for the weekly figure, then multiply by five. A £1,200/month rent is £14,400 a year, so £276.92 a week, and five weeks is £1,384.61.
Annual rent of £50,000 or more
The cap rises to six weeks’ rent. The same weekly figure applies, multiplied by six instead of five. The threshold is annual rent, so a monthly rent of about £4,167 is where the cap moves up.
Maximum deposit at common rent levels
Here is the cap at a range of rents, rounded down to the penny so the figure is always safe to take.
| Monthly rent | Annual rent | Weeks | Maximum deposit |
|---|---|---|---|
| £1,000 | £12,000 | 5 | £1,153.84 |
| £1,500 | £18,000 | 5 | £1,730.76 |
| £2,000 | £24,000 | 5 | £2,307.69 |
| £2,500 | £30,000 | 5 | £2,884.61 |
| £4,200 | £50,400 | 6 | £5,815.38 |
Most tenancies sit in the five-week band. The six-week band only applies once the annual rent reaches £50,000, which is a high rent in most of the country.
What the cap does not cover
The five or six week figure is the security deposit only. Two other things sit outside it.
- The holding deposit. This is separate and capped at one week’s rent. It goes towards the first rent payment or the security deposit once the tenancy goes ahead.
- Deposit protection. A security deposit has to be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receipt, with the prescribed information given to the tenant.
England, Wales and Scotland
This tool follows the Tenant Fees Act 2019, which applies to England. Wales bans letting fees and caps the holding deposit at one week’s rent under the Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019, but that Act leaves any cap on the security deposit to regulations, and none has been made — so there is currently no fixed five or six week security-deposit cap in Wales. Scotland works differently again, capping the deposit at two months’ rent, so check the local rule if the property is outside England.
Related reading
- Deposits and the Tenant Fees Act
- How deposit replacement schemes work
- The Tenant Fees Act and cleaning charges
- Rent affordability calculator
- Guarantor affordability calculator
This is a guide to the statutory deposit cap, not legal advice. Check the current rules and apply your agency’s own policy before you take a deposit.