Tenant fees & deposits

Everything you will and won't pay when you rent through S J Smith Lettings. No admin fees, no application fees, no referencing charges — those have been banned since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and we don't work around them.

Before you move in

These are the only payments we can ask for before a tenancy starts.

Holding deposit
Reserves the property while we complete referencing and right-to-rent checks. Refunded in full, or put towards your first rent or deposit, if the tenancy goes ahead. We must repay it within 15 days unless you withdraw, fail a right-to-rent check, or give false information.
Capped at 1 week's rent
Security deposit
Protected in a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days of receipt. Returned at the end of the tenancy less any agreed deductions.
Max 5 weeks' rent 6 weeks if annual rent is £50,000+
First rent payment
Due once both you and the landlord have signed the tenancy agreement — never before. In the first year, rent is spread evenly; we cannot ask for a large lump sum up front.
As stated on the listing

During your tenancy

These only apply if the situation arises and only where your tenancy agreement provides for them.

Late rent
Interest on rent more than 14 days overdue, charged from the date it was due. Nothing is charged in the first 14 days.
Max 3% above Bank of England base rate
Lost keys or security devices
The actual cost of replacement only. We provide written evidence of what was spent.
Reasonable costs, evidenced
Changing the tenancy at your request
For example adding, removing or swapping a tenant, or varying a term. Only where you ask for the change.
£50 inc. VAT, or reasonable costs if higher
Ending the tenancy early at your request
Capped at the rent the landlord would have received to the end of the tenancy, or the reasonable loss incurred — whichever is lower.
No more than the landlord's actual loss
Utilities, council tax and TV licence
Payable by you where your agreement says so, either direct to the supplier or authority, or through the rent.
At cost

What we never charge

These are prohibited payments under the Tenant Fees Act 2019. If any agent asks you for one, it is unlawful.

  • Application or admin fees
  • Referencing or credit check fees
  • Inventory or check-in fees
  • Check-out fees
  • Tenancy agreement or contract fees
  • Renewal fees
  • Professional cleaning as a condition of the let
  • Pet fees or pet deposits
  • Guarantor arrangement fees
  • Viewing fees
  • Fees to take out insurance or a loan
  • Rent before the agreement is signed

Your deposit

Protected, not held by us Every deposit we take is registered with a government-approved tenancy deposit scheme, and you are sent the prescribed information within 30 days of it being received. At the end of the tenancy it is returned to you in full, less only deductions that are agreed or independently adjudicated. Ask us which scheme your deposit sits in at any time.
If something goes wrong Speak to the branch first — most things are sorted the same day. If we cannot resolve it, we are a member of a government-approved redress scheme and of a client money protection scheme, and you can ask us for those details and our certificate at any time.

S J Smith Lettings Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 11002195. Registered office: Aruna House, 2 Kings Road, Haslemere, Surrey GU27 2QA. All fees shown include VAT. Deposit caps are set by the Tenant Fees Act 2019 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. This page is provided for information and does not form part of any tenancy agreement.