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Complain about a Landlord
Advice if a Landlord charges you something they shouldn't
Use this advice to complain about a landlord that has charged you for something they shouldn't, known as a prohibited payment.
Prohibited payments are any payment that isn't permitted. Prohibited payments include:
- a deposit above the capped level
- rent in advance before a tenancy is signed
- a banned fee
Permitted payments include:
- rent payments
- tenancy deposits, up to a maximum of five or six weeks’ rent
- holding deposits, up to a maximum of one week’s rent
- damages for breach of agreement
- fees in connection with tenant’s request for a variation, assignment, or surrender of a tenancy
- fees in respect of council tax, utilities, communication services and TV licence
- fees in the event of a relevant default, such as the loss of a key or rent payments which are more than 14 days overdue
For more information about permitted payments, visit Shelter's website.
If your landlord asks you to make a prohibited payment you need to report it to Trading Standards. Advice about how do to this is available on the Citizens Advice website.
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