What is the maximum tenancy deposit in England?

Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 the deposit is capped at five weeks' rent where the total annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more.

How do you calculate five weeks' rent?

Multiply the monthly rent by 12 to get the annual rent, divide by 52 to get the weekly rent, then multiply by five. Rounding up beyond that figure risks taking a prohibited payment, so always round down to the penny.

What is the holding deposit cap?

A holding deposit is capped at one week's rent. It must be repaid or applied to the rent or deposit within 15 days unless the tenant withdraws, fails a right-to-rent check, or provides false information.

When must the deposit be protected?

Within 30 days of receipt, in one of the government-approved schemes — Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The prescribed information must be served on the tenant in the same 30-day window.

What happens if I take too large a deposit?

The excess is a prohibited payment. It must be returned, you can be fined up to £5,000 for a first offence, and you cannot serve a valid section 21 notice until the overpayment has been repaid or applied to rent with the tenant's consent.

Do the same caps apply in Wales and Scotland?

Wales applies its own Renting Homes (Fees etc.) (Wales) Act 2019 with a five weeks' rent cap. Scotland caps deposits at two months' rent and requires protection within 30 working days. This calculator reflects the England position.

Tenancy deposit cap calculator

Work out the maximum deposit you can legally take under the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — five weeks' rent, or six weeks where the annual rent is £50,000 or more — plus the one week holding deposit cap.

By the NestIQ Wealth editorial teamPublished August 2026Last reviewed August 2026

Rent

Monthly rent

Total rent for the property

Deposit you plan to take

We will check it against the legal cap

Legal caps

£1,384.61

Deposit cap (5 weeks)

£276.92

Holding deposit cap

Over the cap by £115.39

Anything above the cap is a prohibited payment. Reduce the deposit before the tenancy starts — an overpayment also blocks a valid section 21 notice.

Annual rent£14,400

Weekly rent£276.92

Cap basis5 weeks' rent

England only. Wales applies a five week cap under its own fees legislation and Scotland caps deposits at two months' rent.

Assumptions & sources

Every figure above is calculated from the inputs you entered using the rules below. Tap a reference to read the primary source.

Deposit cap[1]
5 weeks' rent where annual rent is under £50,000, or 6 weeks' rent at £50,000 or more (weekly rent = monthly x 12 / 52).
Holding deposit cap[1]
Capped at one week's rent and must be repaid or applied within 15 days.
Protection deadline[2]
Deposits must be protected in an approved scheme within 30 days of receipt.
Prescribed information[2][3]
Scheme details must be served on the tenant within the same 30-day window.

[1]Tenant Fees Act 2019, Schedule 1legislation.gov.uk — Deposit and holding deposit caps
[2]Housing Act 2004, sections 213-215legislation.gov.uk — 30-day protection and prescribed information duties
[3]Tenancy deposit protectionGOV.UK — Approved schemes and landlord obligations

Read how we verify and refresh these figures in our data methodology.

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About the publisher

This page is published by NestIQ Wealth, a UK property management and compliance platform used by self-managing landlords to track statutory deadlines, store certificates with full version history, and evidence compliance per property. Our guidance is written by the team that builds those compliance rules into the product, so the dates, cycles and penalties here are the same ones the software enforces.

•Researched from primary sources. Every rule is checked against legislation.gov.uk, GOV.UK guidance and the responsible regulator — never rewritten from other blogs. See how we source our data.
•Reviewed as the law changes. Pages carry a visible review date and are revisited when legislation, deadlines or penalty levels move.
•No hidden commission. We are not paid to refer you to contractors, brokers or agents. Costs quoted are illustrative market ranges, not quotes or offers.
•Guidance, not regulated advice. Nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. For decisions specific to your circumstances, speak to a solicitor, accountant or qualified adviser.

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