Weekly rent is still allowed under the Renters' Rights Act, because rent periods only have to be 28 days or shorter, or monthly. A practical routine is two steps: take the first week once the agreement is signed, by card, Apple Pay or pay by bank, then have the tenant set up a direct debit for every week after. Weekly tenants must also be given a rent book, and you can't charge them for paying by card.
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The short version
- Weekly rent is allowed under the Renters' Rights Act because rent periods only have to be 28 days or shorter, or monthly.
- You can take up to 28 days' rent between signing and the start date, which is £480 at most on £120 a week, and nothing before signing.
- Send a payment link by WhatsApp or SMS once the agreement is signed, so the tenant pays the first week by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay by bank.
- Ask for the direct debit straight after the first payment, leaving a few working days for notice, with the collection day set to the rent due day.
- You can't charge weekly tenants a card fee, and you must give them a rent book, which a payment confirmation email doesn't replace.
What the rules say about weekly rent
A room let at £120 a week produces 52 payments a year. Each one is a payment to request, receive and match, which is why weekly lets reward a routine that runs without someone chasing every Friday. These rules are in force for assured tenancies in England.
You can let by the week. Any rent period of 28 days or shorter is allowed, so weekly, fortnightly and four-weekly rent are all fine.
You can't take rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. For a contractor arriving on Sunday night, the agreement has to be signed before the first payment request goes out, even if both happen on the doorstep.
You can take up to 28 days' rent between signing and the start date, because the rent period is shorter than a month. On £120 a week that's £480 at most, and once the tenancy starts you can't enforce any term requiring rent ahead of its due date.
You can't charge the tenant for paying by card, or any other payment or processing fee. Under the Tenant Fees Act, the cost of taking payment sits with you.
You must give a weekly tenant a rent book. This applies to landlords and agents, and failing to do it is a criminal offence.
How to take the first payment on arrival
Contractors and new arrivals may not have a UK bank account ready for direct debit on day one, but they will have a phone and a card. Taking the first week straight away avoids starting the tenancy with arrears.
Once the agreement is signed, send a payment link by WhatsApp or SMS. The tenant pays by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or pay by bank from their phone. Pay by bank is the better default where the tenant can use it, because the payment reaches you the same day and its fee is capped.
On Adfin's published pricing, a £120 payment costs £1.40 by standard card, pay by bank or direct debit (1% plus 20p). Premium cards cost more, and that cost can't be passed to a residential tenant.
How to move the tenant onto direct debit
The second step comes right after the first. The tenant is asked to set up a direct debit for future payments once the first payment has gone through, so the mandate is in place before the second week is due. Your own bank doesn't have to approve you for a direct debit facility first.
A few timing points keep weekly direct debit running smoothly:
- An automatic notice reaches the tenant at least three working days before every collection, so leave a few working days between the mandate and the first collection.
- Set the collection day to the rent due day in the agreement. If the tenant is paid weekly, a due day just after their payday gives the collection the best chance.
- A failed collection is retried at no cost to you, and if it keeps failing the tenant is offered a link to pay by card or pay by bank instead.
On £120 a week, direct debit costs £1.40 a collection, or £72.80 over a full year. Fees are invoiced separately rather than taken from the weekday payout, so each week's rent matches its invoice in Xero or QuickBooks without fee deductions to unpick.
When a week goes unpaid, Adfin's AI Customer Agents can message the tenant by WhatsApp, SMS or email on the terms you've agreed, and chasing can be paused for a tenant whose situation calls for it. On weekly rent, a Ground 8 claim needs 13 weeks' arrears at notice and at the hearing, so the job is keeping arrears to a week or two with a reminder the day after a missed payment.
What to have ready on arrival day
- A signed tenancy agreement stating weekly rent and the due day, signed before any payment request.
- The first payment link, ready to send by WhatsApp or SMS.
- The direct debit set-up, which the tenant is asked for once the first payment succeeds.
- A rent book with the landlord's name and address and the information prescribed for assured tenancies.
- A record of what's been paid in advance, so it never exceeds 28 days' rent before the start date.
A payment confirmation email, which the tenant gets when a payment succeeds, is a useful record, but it doesn't replace the rent book. Lets where board forms a substantial part of the rent are the exception.
Common questions
Is weekly rent allowed under the Renters' Rights Act? Yes. Rent periods must be 28 days or shorter, or monthly, so weekly rent is allowed.
How much rent can I take before a weekly tenancy starts? Up to 28 days' rent between signing and the start date, and nothing before signing. On £120 a week, that's £480.
Can I charge a weekly tenant a card fee? No. The Tenant Fees Act lists the only payments you can take from a tenant, and a card fee isn't on the list.
Do I need to give weekly tenants a rent book? Yes, under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, unless the rent includes board that makes up a substantial part of it. Not providing one is an offence.
Can the first payment and the direct debit set-up happen together? They happen one after the other. The tenant makes the first payment, then sets up the direct debit for the weeks that follow.
How much notice does a tenant get before each weekly direct debit? With Adfin, at least three working days before each payment date and amount.
Sources
- 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
- legislation.gov.uk - Landlord and Tenant Act 1985: Provision of rent books (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/70/crossheading/provision-of-rent-books
- GOV.UK - Tenant Fees Act 2019: statutory guidance for enforcement authorities (accurate as of October 2026) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tenant-fees-act-amended-by-the-renters-rights-act-2025/tenant-fees-act-2019-statutory-guidance-for-enforcement-authorities
- Adfin Help Center - Encourage direct debit usage (accurate as of October 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/12600720-encourage-direct-debit-usage
- Adfin Help Center - Getting started with direct debits (accurate as of October 2026) https://support.adfin.com/en/articles/10192945-getting-started-with-direct-debits
- Adfin - Pricing (accurate as of October 2026) https://adfin.com/pricing
