Winterbrook Lettings & Property Management is committed to transparency about the costs involved in renting a property through us. Under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, landlords and their agents may not charge tenants any fees in relation to the granting, renewal or continuance of a tenancy, except for the payments set out below.
Holding Deposit
To reserve a property, we may ask for a holding deposit of up to one week's rent. This is deducted from your first rent payment or security deposit once the tenancy is signed, or refunded if your application is unsuccessful through no fault of your own.
Tenancy Deposit
A refundable security deposit is payable at the start of the tenancy, capped at five weeks' rent (six weeks' rent where the total annual rent is £50,000 or more). This is protected in a government-approved scheme for the duration of the tenancy.
Rent Paid in Advance
We are unable to request or accept any rent payment before your tenancy agreement is signed. Once the agreement is signed, we may collect rent covering the period between signing and your move-in date, capped at one calendar month's rent. You are welcome to choose to pay rent further in advance once your tenancy is underway, but this can never be a condition of the tenancy.
Late Payment of Rent
Where rent is more than 14 days in arrears, interest may be charged on the outstanding amount at 3% above the Bank of England base rate, calculated on a daily basis until the arrears are cleared.
Lost Keys or Security Devices
If keys, fobs or other security devices are lost and need replacing, you will be responsible for the reasonable costs actually incurred by the landlord, evidenced by receipts or invoices on request.
Changes to Your Tenancy
Where you request a change to the tenancy during its term — for example, adding or removing a joint tenant, or securing consent to keep a pet or run a business from the property — a fee of £50 (inc. VAT) applies. Where our reasonably incurred costs of arranging the change exceed £50, we will charge the higher, evidenced amount instead.
Utilities & Services
Council tax, utilities (gas, electricity, water), TV licence, and communication services (broadband/phone) if required by the agreement.
Company Lets
Tenancies granted to a company (rather than an individual occupying as their main residence) fall outside the scope of the Tenant Fees Act 2019. For these tenancies only, the following fees apply: tenancy set-up and referencing, £480; renewal, £150; new agreement following a change of company name, £300.
We are members of The Property Ombudsman and Propertymark Client Money Protection.
All fees quoted include VAT at 20% unless stated otherwise. This page reflects the Tenant Fees Act 2019 as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025.
