Deposit Cap Calculator
Deposit Cap Calculator
Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords in England and Wales cannot charge more than five weeks’ rent as a tenancy deposit if the annual rent is under £50,000. For properties with an annual rent of £50,000 or more, the cap is six weeks. Enter your monthly rent to find the maximum your landlord can legally charge. If you have been given a deposit figure, enter it in the second field to check whether it is within the legal limit.
How to use this tool
- Enter your monthly rent in pounds.
- If you have been quoted a deposit amount, enter it in the second field. The calculator will tell you whether that figure is within the legal cap.
Understanding your results
The deposit cap is based on weekly rent, not monthly rent. Weekly rent is calculated by dividing the annual figure (monthly rent multiplied by 12) by 52. This means the cap is not simply five times the monthly rent. For example, a monthly rent of £1,200 gives an annual rent of £14,400, a weekly rent of £276.92, and a five-week cap of £1,384.62.
If the deposit you have been quoted exceeds the cap, you can tell the landlord or letting agent that the amount is above the Tenant Fees Act 2019 limit and ask for it to be reduced. You do not need a solicitor to make this request. If the landlord insists on an amount above the cap, you can report the violation to Trading Standards.
A holding deposit is a separate payment made before signing a tenancy agreement. It is capped at one week’s rent and is different from the tenancy deposit covered by this calculator. If you are unsure which type of deposit you have been asked for, check the paperwork or ask the agent to clarify before paying.
Save this result — create a free account to save your calculation and access it later.
Legal context
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 applies to assured shorthold tenancies and assured tenancies in England and Wales from 1 June 2019. The deposit cap rules do not apply in Scotland (where the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (Scotland) Regulations 2011 apply) or Northern Ireland (which has separate rules). If your property is in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the rules specific to your jurisdiction.
The deposit cap covers cash deposits only. Deposit replacement products, where you pay a smaller non-refundable fee instead of a cash deposit, are not subject to the same cap rules and the Tenant Fees Act does not regulate them in the same way. If you are considering a deposit alternative, check what you would and would not be covered for before agreeing.
Your landlord must protect a cash tenancy deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days of receiving it. The three approved schemes are: Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits, and Tenancy Deposit Scheme. If your deposit is not protected within 30 days, you can apply to court for compensation of between one and three times the deposit amount.