Since 1 May 2026, landlords and agents in England can't take any rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, can take at most one month's rent between signing and the start date, and can't enforce a clause requiring rent in advance once the tenancy begins. Rent periods must be monthly or shorter, so a tenancy that paid quarterly or six-monthly moves to monthly once the period running on 1 May 2026 ends. Across a rent roll, that adds up to many more, smaller payments to collect and match each year.
In this article
The short version
- Since 1 May 2026 in England, you can't take rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and only one month's rent between signing and the start date.
- Once the tenancy starts, a clause requiring rent in advance can't be enforced, although a tenant can still choose to pay early.
- Quarterly, six-monthly and annual rent periods move to monthly once the period running on 1 May 2026 ends, so diarise each end date.
- On a 60-tenancy rent roll where 15 tenancies paid six months ahead, rent payments rise from 570 to 720 a year.
- Check agreements, adverts and offer emails for rent in advance wording, record each section 13 date, and have monthly direct debit collection ready for each changeover.
What you can and can't take now
All of these are in force for assured tenancies in England from 1 May 2026.
You can't ask for, accept or encourage any rent before both sides sign the tenancy agreement. A holding deposit of up to one week's rent is still allowed, but the first rent request goes out after signing, never with the offer.
Between signing and the start date, you can take up to one month's rent, or 28 days' rent if the rent period is shorter than a month. The tenant who used to offer six months up front to get past referencing can now be asked for one month at most before the start, so the risk a lump sum used to cover needs covering another way, such as a guarantor.
Once the tenancy starts, a clause requiring rent in advance of the due date can't be enforced. A tenant can still choose to pay early, but your collection plan has to assume rent arrives on each due date.
Weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly and monthly rent periods are all fine; quarterly, termly, six-monthly and annual ones are not. Trading standards can fine up to £5,000 for a first breach of the rent in advance rules and up to £30,000 for a repeat.
What happens to tenancies that paid quarterly or six-monthly
A longer rent period that was already running on 1 May 2026 runs to its end, and the tenancy moves onto monthly periods from the next day. Quarterly periods running on 1 May have all ended by now, but a six-monthly or annual period that began before then may still be running, so diarise the date each one ends and have the monthly collection ready to start the day after.
The Act sets how the new monthly amount is worked out from the old rent, so check each figure with your adviser before you send a tenant a new schedule.
Rent increases also follow the new process: once a year, by section 13 notice on Form 4A, with at least two months' notice. So each tenancy's rent can change at most once a year, and your schedule needs updating on the date it does.
How monthly-only rent changes your collection month
Take an agent managing 60 tenancies, 15 of which paid six months in advance. Those 15 made 30 payments a year between them. On monthly rent they make 180, and the whole portfolio goes from 570 rent payments a year to 720.
Each of those can arrive late, carry the wrong reference or need matching to a tenant in Xero or QuickBooks. With standing orders, you only find out a payment is missing when it doesn't arrive, and a tenant who used to pay twice a year now has twelve chances a year to fall behind.
Direct debit suits monthly-only rent because you set the collection date. The tenant gets advance notice, you collect on the due date, and you're told if a payment fails instead of discovering the gap in rent week.
How to set up monthly rent so it collects itself
Before the next tenancy goes out, check:
- The tenancy agreement states monthly (or weekly) rent with a due date, and no clause asks for rent in advance.
- Adverts, referencing letters and offer emails no longer mention rent paid months up front.
- Nothing but a holding deposit is requested before signing, and no more than the first month before the start date.
- Every existing longer rent period has a diarised end date and a monthly schedule ready.
- Each tenancy's section 13 date is recorded, so the schedule changes when the rent does.
Adfin lets you set up a recurring monthly rent schedule for each tenant, or import a whole rent roll from a CSV, and the tenant can sign a direct debit mandate when they sign the tenancy, with no direct debit facility needed from your own bank. Alternatively, the tenant pays the first month by card, Apple Pay or pay by bank once the agreement is signed, then sets up the direct debit for the months after.
Each collection is announced to the tenant three or more working days ahead, and a failed one is retried for free. Tenants who'd rather keep a standing order pay to their own bank details, so nothing depends on a reference. If someone falls behind, Adfin's AI Customer Agents can chase over email, SMS or WhatsApp within the rules you set, and you can exempt any tenant whose circumstances call for it. Collecting a £950 rent this way costs £4.20, with the 1% capped at £4.
Common questions
Can I still take six months' rent in advance from a tenant with no UK credit history? No. Since 1 May 2026, the most you can take before the tenancy starts is one month's rent, and after it starts you can't enforce a requirement to pay in advance.
Can a tenant choose to pay several months early? Yes. A tenant can choose to pay any amount early once the tenancy has started, but you can't require it or make it a condition of the tenancy.
Do the rent in advance rules apply to tenancies signed before 1 May 2026? The government's guidance for councils says the rent in advance rules apply to agreements signed after 1 May 2026. Rent periods longer than a month in existing tenancies still convert to monthly, so check older agreements with your adviser.
Are there exceptions to the one month limit? Yes, where the tenancy was agreed by the local council because the tenant was legally homeless, or the property is let as social or supported housing.
Can I take a holding deposit before the tenancy is signed? Yes, up to one week's rent. It's a holding deposit, not rent, and the rules on when it must be returned or credited still apply.
Is anything else in the Act still to come? Yes. The private rented sector database is due to open on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands, and compulsory landlord sign-up to the new ombudsman is expected in 2028. Neither is in force yet.
Sources
- GOV.UK - Renters' Rights Act: an overview for landlords (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/guidance/renters-rights-act-an-overview-for-landlords
- GOV.UK - Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for landlords: Rent in advance and deposits (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/assured-tenancy-agreements-a-guide-for-landlords/rent-in-advance-and-deposits
- GOV.UK - Asking for rent in advance: guidance for local authorities (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asking-for-rent-in-advance-guidance-for-local-authorities/asking-for-rent-in-advance-guidance-for-local-authorities
- legislation.gov.uk - Renters' Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6 (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/26/schedule/6
- GOV.UK - Stronger protections and greater confidence for renters (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stronger-protections-and-greater-confidence-for-renters
- Adfin - Property management (accurate as of October 2026) https://adfin.com/for/property-management
