Rental bidding ban: what it means for tenants

Can I offer more than the asking rent to get the home?

You can say it, but the landlord cannot accept it. The law bars accepting an offer above the advertised rent, not just asking for one, so even an offer you make without being asked cannot lawfully be taken. A higher bid no longer buys you anything a landlord can lawfully give you.

What can make your application stand out instead, within the rules:

• Having your references, proof of income and ID ready to send the same day.
• Being flexible about the move-in date.
• Answering the agent’s questions quickly and in writing.

Offering months of rent up front is capped too: no rent before you sign, and one month at most after.

What counts as rental bidding?

GOV.UK lists five things a landlord or agent cannot do: ask or encourage you to pay more than the advertised rent, accept a bid above it, publish a price range and ask for bids within or above it, say there are other bids to push up your offer, or act in any way that makes you think you need to offer more.

In practice, these are the phrases to screenshot:

• “Best and final offers by Friday.”
• “Offers over £1,200 a month” or “£1,200 to £1,350”.
• “Someone else has offered £100 more. Can you beat it?”
• “The landlord will go with the highest offer.”

Telling you a home is popular or that other people have applied is not, on its own, bidding. It becomes a problem when it is used to get you to offer more than the advertised rent.

Does the advert have to show the rent?

Yes. Any written advert or offer must state the rent as one specific amount; a range is not allowed. GOV.UK counts online listings, printed adverts, social media posts, emails and texts as written adverts. The only exception is a “to let” board outside the property.

You can report an advert that leaves the rent out, as well as one that invites bids. A listing that says “rent on application” or “price on request” falls short.

What should I do if I am asked to bid?

Reply in writing that you are offering the advertised rent, and that since 1 May 2026 a landlord or agent cannot ask for or accept more. Keep the advert and every message. You do not have to decide whether to report it straight away: you can report it later, even if you go on to rent the home.

• Screenshot the advert with its rent and the date, before the listing comes down.
• Save the emails, texts or WhatsApp messages that asked for, or mentioned, higher offers.
• Write down any phone call: the date, who called and what they said.
• Reply in writing: “I’d like to offer the advertised rent of £[amount]. I understand offers above the advertised rent can’t be asked for or accepted under the Renters’ Rights Act.”

How do I report rental bidding?

Report it to the council for the area the home is in. GOV.UK says the council may ask for the original advert, evidence of the bidding, a statement from you, or the tenancy agreement. If it is satisfied that the rules were broken, it can fine the landlord or agent up to £7,000, and fine them again for a repeat within five years.

Find the council for a postcode on GOV.UK. Look for its private housing, housing standards or trading standards team.

I already agreed to pay more than the advertised rent. What now?

You can still report it. GOV.UK says you can report a landlord or agent even if you bid, including when you bid after being asked to and when the landlord accepted a bid above the advertised rent. We could not find anything in the Act that lets you claim the extra rent back yourself, so get free advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice about your own tenancy.

Your rent can now only go up once a year, through a formal notice that you can challenge at a tribunal. A tenancy that began above the advertised rent does not change that. How a rent increase notice works.

Does the ban cover every kind of rental?

It covers private assured tenancies, which is nearly every home rented from a private landlord or letting agent in England. The Act excludes social housing and supported accommodation. Lodgers living with their landlord usually do not have an assured tenancy, so the ban is unlikely to cover them.

Is being asked to bid a sign of a scam?

Not necessarily, but scammers use the same pressure: a deadline tonight, a rival who will pay more, a deposit to “secure” the home before you have viewed it. Whether the request comes from a real agent breaking the rules or a fake one, do not pay until you have seen the home and checked who owns it.

How to spot a rental scam, and what “let agreed” means before you pay a holding deposit.