Renting in London without a UK credit history

The problem, and what the rules do about it

A newcomer arrives with a job offer and a passport, but no UK credit file and no UK landlord reference. A landlord may ask for a guarantor, and the rules cap how much money a landlord may ask for upfront.

London makes it expensive. The Office for National Statistics put the average private rent in London at GBP 2,332 a month in August 2026, up 3.5% on a year earlier. The UK average was GBP 1,400 (up 3.8%) and Scotland’s was GBP 1,013 (up 1.1%) (ONS, 16 Sep 2026).

What a landlord may ask you to pay

The government’s guidance for tenants lists the payments a landlord or agent may ask for, and sets caps (gov.uk, updated 7 July 2026):

Payment	The cap in England
Holding deposit	1 week’s rent
Tenancy deposit	5 weeks’ rent if the yearly rent is under GBP 50,000, 6 weeks if it is GBP 50,000 or more (gov.uk)
Rent in advance	1 month’s rent, after you have signed the agreement, before the tenancy start date

Our arithmetic at the ONS London average of GBP 2,332 a month: a week’s rent is about GBP 538, a five-week deposit about GBP 2,691, and the month in advance GBP 2,332. That is about GBP 5,023 for the deposit and the first month, plus the holding deposit if the landlord does not credit it. Ask the landlord to say in writing whether it will.

The Renters’ Rights Act brought two more rules on 1 May 2026 (gov.uk overview):

• a landlord must put a specific price in any written advertisement or offer, and must not accept or encourage offers above it, so you cannot be asked to bid;
• a landlord can raise the rent once a year, not in the first 12 months, using Form 4A with at least two months’ notice.

The holding deposit

A landlord can hold a holding deposit for 15 days, unless you agree a longer or shorter time in writing. You should always get it back unless you give false or misleading information to get the tenancy, change your mind, do not reply to requests for information or documents, or fail a right-to-rent check. Do not pay one until you have read what it covers.

Right to rent

Landlords in England must check that tenants can legally rent. If you are not a British or Irish citizen, you prove it with a share code that you get online from the Home Office, or by showing original immigration documents (gov.uk, share code). The landlord has to check all adults who will live in the home, keep copies, and cannot discriminate on nationality (gov.uk, document checks).

Get your share code before the viewings. A failed check is one of the four reasons a landlord may keep a holding deposit, and without acceptable proof you cannot rent the property.

Guarantors and references

The government’s guidance says plainly that a landlord may ask you to provide a guarantor. Whether a landlord accepts a guarantor who lives abroad, or what credit checks it runs, is not in the guidance we read, and we found no official rule on it. That is where your questions belong:

1. Which documents do you need from me, in writing?
2. Will you accept an employment contract, payslips or a bank statement from my home country?
3. Is a guarantor required, and what do you need from the guarantor?
4. Will the holding deposit be credited to the first month’s rent?

Your deposit once you are in

Your landlord must protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme within 30 days. In England and Wales there are three: the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits and the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. The deposit must be returned within 10 days of you and the landlord agreeing how much comes back (gov.uk, deposit protection).

If you would rather have help

Relocation agencies sell home search. One London agency lists three levels at GBP 2,000, GBP 2,500 and GBP 2,800, excluding 20% VAT, and says a comprehensive package runs up to GBP 6,000, excluding the move itself (Simply London Relocation, recorded 5 October 2026). A second agency lists accompanied or remote home search from GBP 2,500 (London Relocation). Ask what a package includes: viewings, help with the guarantor question and the paperwork, and when the fee is due.

What we could not source

We did not find an official statement on what a landlord may ask for when you have no UK credit history, so we have not given one. We also did not cover Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, or the rules for shared houses and student lets.