How renting a flat works, step by step

In this guide

1. The steps
2. The holding deposit, explained
3. Until you sign, it isn’t yours
4. What the checks look at
5. Why we built Flat Reviews

In short

• Renting often takes 1 to 3 weeks from offer to keys: offer, holding deposit, checks, signing, paying, moving in.
• A holding deposit (at most 1 week’s rent) reserves the home while the landlord checks you. It isn’t a contract.
• Until you both sign the tenancy agreement, the landlord can still change their mind. You get your holding deposit back, but nothing more.
• If you change your mind, you usually lose the holding deposit, so read the agreement before you pay it.

These steps are for England, where most of the rules come from the Tenant Fees Act 2019 and, since May 2026, the Renters’ Rights Act. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland work in a similar way, but some rules differ.

The steps

1. 1. Search and checkLook at the rent, the area and the energy rating, and read reviews from people who lived there. Search Flat Reviews by postcode or building.
2. 2. View itIn person, or by video with someone you trust if you can’t go. Take our viewing checklist with you.
3. 3. Make an offerAt the advertised rent: in England, landlords and agents can’t accept offers above it. You can still ask for things, like a move-in date, a repair or some furniture.
4. 4. Pay a holding depositAt most 1 week’s rent, to take the home off the market while the landlord checks you. Ask for the tenancy agreement and read it before you pay.
5. 5. Checks (referencing)Your income, previous landlord, credit and right to rent in the UK. Many agents look for a yearly income of about 30 times the monthly rent, or a guarantor: see renting without a UK guarantor.
6. 6. Sign the tenancy agreementYou and the landlord both sign. Only now is it a contract, and only now is the home yours.
7. 7. Pay before you move inThe deposit (at most 5 weeks’ rent) and at most 1 month’s rent in advance. No rent can be taken before you sign. The holding deposit is usually taken off this.
8. 8. Move inCheck the inventory, take dated photos, read the meters, and make sure your deposit is protected in a government scheme within 30 days. See how to get your deposit back.

The holding deposit, explained

A holding deposit reserves the home while the landlord or agent does their checks. It can be at most 1 week’s rent: about £323 for a £1,400-a-month flat. The landlord can hold the home for you for 15 days, unless you both agree a different date in writing (GOV.UK).

What happens	Your holding deposit
You sign the agreement	Usually taken off your first rent or your deposit.
The landlord decides not to go ahead	Returned in full, within 7 days.
You change your mind	The landlord can keep it.
You give false information, fail a right-to-rent check, or stop replying	The landlord can keep it, but must tell you why in writing within 7 days.

Until you sign, it isn’t yours

This is the part many renters only learn the hard way. Paying a holding deposit doesn’t give you the home. Until you and the landlord have both signed the tenancy agreement, the landlord can still change their mind, even on the day you were meant to move in. Maybe another applicant came along, or they decided to sell, or to let it to family. They return your holding deposit, and they lose nothing.

If you change your mind, it works the other way round: you usually lose your holding deposit.

It can be a real shock. You may have given notice on your current home, booked a van and taken time off work, and suddenly you have nowhere to live. It isn’t fair, but it’s how renting works when far more people are looking for homes than there are homes to rent. Knowing it in advance is your best protection.

What the checks look at

• Income: many agents look for a yearly income of about 30 times the monthly rent, so about £42,000 for a £1,400-a-month flat (how agents work it out). It’s a habit, not a law, and agents vary.
• Your previous landlord: did you pay on time and leave the home in good condition?
• Credit: a check of your UK credit history. If you’re new to the UK, say so early.
• Right to rent: in England, landlords must check you’re allowed to rent in the UK (GOV.UK).

Can’t show UK income? See renting without a UK guarantor.

Why we built Flat Reviews