How to rent a flat in the UK from abroad
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If you can, stay somewhere temporary for your first weeks and rent once you can view homes yourself. If you rent from abroad, have someone you trust view the home, read the tenancy agreement and pay by card. In England, expect a holding deposit, a deposit and up to 1 month's rent before you move in.
Should I rent before I arrive or after?
After, if you can. A few weeks somewhere temporary lets you view homes in person, open a UK bank account and get your first payslip, which makes the letting agent's checks easier to pass.
Report Fraud, previously called Action Fraud, says you or someone you trust should view a property in person before you sign any contract or pay. If you're arranging a home from overseas, it says to ask the employer or university you're coming to for advice.
Some employers offer temporary housing for your first weeks. Our guide to renting with no UK credit history has a message you can send HR to ask about this and other help.
What can I do while I'm still abroad?
Most of the preparation, and even agreeing a tenancy in principle, can happen before you travel. Don't sign or pay until you're sure the home is real and you've read the agreement.
- Work out your budget. Letting agents usually want your yearly salary to be at least 30 times the monthly rent. Our guide to rent on a Skilled Worker salary shows what that allows in each city, and our salary vs rent calculator shows what you'd have left after rent and council tax.
- Get your documents ready: your offer letter or contract, an employer reference and bank statements, in place of UK payslips. The guide to renting with no UK credit history lists them.
- Find out how the right to rent check works. In England, a landlord checks it with a share code before you move in, and can agree the tenancy in principle while you're abroad. Our guide to right to rent checks explains when to send it.
- Arrange a viewing. Ask someone you trust to view the home in person. If no one can, a live video viewing shows you more than photos, but it doesn't show that the person can rent the home to you, so check the agent too.
How much do I pay before I move in?
In England, you usually make three payments: a holding deposit of up to 1 week's rent while the agent checks you, a deposit of up to 5 weeks' rent, and up to 1 month's rent once you've signed. GOV.UK's guidance for tenants sets out the two deposits. The deposit limit of 5 weeks' rent applies when the yearly rent is under £50,000.
The holding deposit doesn't add to the total. If you agree, it can go towards your deposit or your first month's rent, the law says. The same Act counts a week's rent as the yearly rent divided by 52.
For example, on a rent of £1,200 a month:
| Payment | Up to |
|---|---|
| Holding deposit | £276.92, which can go towards the payments below if you agree |
| Deposit | £1,384.61 |
| First month's rent | £1,200 |
| Total before you move in | £2,584.61 |
In England, an agent can't ask for, encourage or accept any rent before you both sign the tenancy agreement, GOV.UK says. The other countries of the UK have their own limits:
| Where you rent | What you can be asked for |
|---|---|
| Scotland | A deposit of up to 2 months' rent and up to 6 months' rent in advance. A holding deposit must be refundable, mygov.scot says. |
| Wales | A holding deposit of up to 1 week's rent, which must be refundable, the Welsh Government says. A landlord can also ask for rent in advance, its guidance for tenants says. |
| Northern Ireland | A deposit of up to 1 month's rent, nidirect says. Rent paid up front doesn't count as a deposit. |
Your landlord must protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme. In England and Wales, GOV.UK says they must do it within 30 days of getting it.
How do I spot a rental scam?
Watch for anyone who asks you to pay before you or someone you trust has seen the home. Report Fraud says rental fraud happens when fraudsters trick people into paying an upfront fee for a property that doesn't exist or isn't available to rent, and then stop replying once they're paid.
Report Fraud advises you to:
- view the home in person, or have someone you trust view it, before you sign any contract or pay
- search online for the address and photos in the listing, to see what else you can find about the home
- avoid paying by bank transfer where you can, because a credit or debit card gives you more protection
- tell your bank as soon as possible if you've already paid.
Some requests are warning signs because the law doesn't allow them. In England, an agent can't ask for rent before you sign, or for a holding deposit of more than 1 week's rent. Don't pay if an agent there asks for several months' rent before you've signed anything.
In England, for a right to rent check, you give the landlord a right to rent share code and your date of birth, the Home Office's guide for landlords says. Don't give anyone the password to your UKVI account.
If a rent looks far below others nearby, compare it with the average for the area in our salary vs rent calculator.
What should I check before I pay anything?
Check that the home is real and that the agent is who they say they are. Before you pay, make sure that:
- you, or someone you trust, have viewed the home
- you have a copy of the tenancy agreement and have read it
- in England, the letting agent belongs to a government-approved redress scheme, which GOV.UK says has been a legal requirement since 2014
- you know which scheme will protect your deposit
- the amounts are within the limits above
- you're paying by card where you can.
To ask an agent for all of this from abroad, change the parts in square brackets:
Hello, I'm moving to [city] for work on [date] and I'd like to rent [address]. As I'm abroad, could someone I trust view the home in person for me, or could we do a live video viewing first? Before I pay anything, could you send me a copy of the tenancy agreement and tell me which redress scheme you belong to and which scheme will protect the deposit?
Frequently asked questions
Can I sign a tenancy before I arrive in the UK?
Yes. In England, the landlord can agree the tenancy in principle before you travel and check your right to rent before you move in. See the home, or have someone you trust see it, and read the agreement before you sign.
Is it safe to pay a holding deposit from abroad?
Only once you're sure the home is real and available. Report Fraud advises seeing a home in person, or having someone you trust see it, before you pay, and paying by card rather than bank transfer where you can.
Can an agent ask me for six months' rent up front?
Not in England. Since 1 May 2026, an agent there can't ask for any rent before you sign, and only a limited amount after that. A landlord in Scotland can ask for rent in advance at the start of a tenancy, up to a limit.
Will my deposit be protected?
In most cases, yes. Landlords in all four countries of the UK must protect a tenant's deposit in a government-approved scheme. In England and Wales, GOV.UK says that if you and your landlord disagree about what comes back at the end, the deposit stays protected in the scheme until the dispute is settled.
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