As UK rents soar - 21 renters' rights & tips

Use rent to boost your credit. Cheaper broadband, council tax, water & energy. Help if you're struggling to pay

Rents are rising at an eye-watering rate, with renters hit hard by a decrease in available properties and some landlords having to pass on increased mortgage costs. Average rent is now £1,200/mth in the UK (£2,000/mth in London).

Add to that the huge inflationary hits to food, energy bills, utilities, insurance and it's a perfect storm for many. We can't lower your rent, but our 50+ MoneySaving tips for renters can help you save elsewhere. Here are our top 21 tips, right now, as a deposit...

1. There are ways to ensure that paying rent on time boosts your ability to get credit in the future. It's long been a bugbear of many renters: that paying on time, diligently, doesn't help their finances. Things are starting (but only starting) to change. See rent on your credit filefor full info, but in brief...

   
   - Rental Exchange Initiative (Experian)*. Here, bigger private landlords (500+ properties), council and social housing landlords sign up. It's free for them and you. Their incentive is it helps encourage on-time rental payments.
   
   - Canopy. Here, the tenant signs up, and it's free to get Canopy to report to Experian (or £4/mth for all three credit reference agencies).
   
   - CreditLadder. Another tenant sign-up, then you can choose which of Experian, Equifax or TransUnion that it reports to for free (so use Canopy for Experian and this for one of the others).
   

2. Broadband is your choice - so can you switch and save £100s? Millions pay £40+/mth (£500/yr) for slow broadband, when faster speeds are available for under half that.
   
   Unless your tenancy agreement explicitly bans switching broadband, or you don't pay the bill, you can do it without a landlord's permission as most homes are already connected to Openreach - the system used by most providers. Switching's normally very simple (though if switching to or from cable - usually Virgin - you will tend to need permission).
   
   Our broadband comparison uses your postcode to find the full range of deals available in your area, including Shell's 38Mb, equivalent to £19.38/mth and Vodafone's 67Mb, equivalent to £20.63/mth.
   
   On Universal Credit or other benefits? Our comparison includes special social broadband tariffs that may be cheaper.
   
   
3. Struggling to pay rent? Help, worth £1,000s, may be available. If you're finding it hard to pay your rent, first talk to your landlord to let them know you're struggling, and see if you can agree a payment plan to ease pressure. Then look at the three main avenues of help...
   
   - Always check if you qualify for Universal Credit. If you've total income below £40,000, do a 10-min benefit check-up. Jane tried it and emailed: "We completed the 10-min checker and have been amazed at the support. The rent help and council tax reduction saved us an incredible £3,400/yr. It means so much to us - thank you so much."
   
   - Apply for a discretionary housing payment. If you receive the housing element of Universal Credit, or Housing Benefit, you may be due help from your council. See Shelter's info for England | Wales | Scotland or info for N Ireland.
   
   - Apply for a charity grant. Some charities may offer help - search for grants available in your area via Turn2us.
   
   - Facing eviction? There's still hope - see eviction help.
   
   

4. In a house- / flat-share? Use a free app to split the bills. Keeping track of bills can be a complete nightmare, especially if there are a few of you. The Splitwise app can help.

5. Furnish your home for FREE & spruce up your space. If you've rented unfurnished or part-furnished, online giveaway sites can help you find what you need for nowt. eBay's also worth checking for cheap stuff too - see our 40 eBay buying tips.
   
   Plus while you can't usually make permanent changes to the decor or layout if you're renting, we've 25 tips and tricks to boost storage and make the most of where you live.

6. Renting privately in London? Check your home's properly licensed, if not you could be owed £1,000s... if your landlord hasn't followed the rules. Use the property licence checker to find out. 

7. You don't need buildings insurance but should consider contents insurance (from £5/mth). Your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance, but you need to consider insurance for your contents (an easy way to think of it is the stuff that'd fall if you turned your home upside down). Our Cheap contents insurance for tenants guide takes you through it, but in short:
   
   - Speedily get quotes from comparison sites. Try Compare The Market*, MoneySupermarket* and Confused.com* to bag a decent number of quotes.
   
   Carefully check the cover offered before you buy - for example, if you're in a house-share, the policy may specify you need a lock on the door to your room to be covered.
   
   - Check if deals not on comparisons can win. Use this Urban Jungle* link and the code MSE_OFFER, and you'll be sent a £15 Amazon voucher within 7mths for contents-only cover. Factor that in and see if it beats other options. And if you've time, try Direct Line, which isn't on any comparison sites, and offers good cover levels, but isn't likely to be your cheapest quote.
   
   - Check cashback websites before buying. Once you've found the right policy, check if a cashback website will pay you.

15. More bedrooms in your home than people (or the same number)? Switching to a water meter can save you £100s. If you've a six-month or more fixed-term tenancy agreement and pay the water bills yourself, you DON'T need your landlord's permission to get a water meter (though courtesy says it's worth discussing with them).
    
    Savings for some in England & Wales (Scotland & N Ireland have a different system) can be huge. Angela emailed us: "We switched to a water meter and our bills have gone from around £1,360/yr to around £325/yr - saving over £1,000/yr. Thanks for your advice."
    
    Yet for those in busy house-shares with one or two in every room, it's unlikely to save you. Martin's water-meter rule of thumb is:
    

    
    More bedrooms in your home than people, or the same number (so two rooms, two people)? If so, a water meter is likely to save you cash
    
    Use the water meter calculator to see if you'll save

16. Struggling with energy bills? Renters are eligible for help too. There are still no deals to switch and save, but...
    
    - Check if your energy provider can help. If you're falling behind, talk to your supplier about payment plans or payment breaks if you're on a standard credit meter, or emergency credit or additional support credit if you're on prepay. Plus, many firms offer help through hardship funds.
    
    - Rented homes should have an 'EPC' rating of at least E. In England & Wales, landlords can't let properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) below E, while in Scotland this was increased to below D for new tenancies from 1 April 2022.
    
    While there are a few exemptions, if you find that your home does not have an EPC, or the rating is lower than it should be, you can make a complaint to Trading Standards.
    
    - Free insulation. If you're on certain benefits and you rent, you may be able to get free insulation, which should cut your energy costs, though you will need landlord permission. Full information in Free insulation.
    
    - Switch to a smart meter to help keep track of usage. These have in-home displays to show near real-time energy costs, so you can see where to cut back. Unless your tenancy explicitly states you shouldn't change the meter or they need to be moved, you can switch - though as a courtesy discuss it with your landlord first. See our Smart meter guide.
    
    PS: If you pay your landlord for energy and they pay through a commercial contract (more common in blocks of flats), check if you can apply for a £400 energy help payment - you can only apply until 31 May, so go quick.

17. If your deposit's not protected, you could get it back... plus THREE TIMES the value. With most tenancies, your landlord/letting agent MUST put your deposit into a government-backed protection scheme by law. If they don't (or haven't), you've rights to redress. See deposit protection.

18. Are you due a council tax discount worth £100s? You could be eligible to have your council tax bill reduced - by anything from 25% to 100%. So if...
    
    

    - You live alone or with under-18s (or only others on the list below)
    - You're a full-time student
    - You're on a low income
    - You get Pension Credit or other benefits
    - You have a disability
    - You or someone you live with has a 'severe mental impairment'
    - You're a live-in carer or live with one
    
    ... check our Council tax discounts list to see if you can pay less (and if you're renting you can also use our check & challenge system to see if your home's in the wrong council tax band).

19. Beware bogus charges - letting fees are BANNED. As our guide to what they can and CAN'T charge explains, since 2019 charges for credit checks, photocopying and so on have been banned across England, Scotland & Wales (some are still allowed in N Ireland).

20. Save 60%+ on rent by becoming a 'property guardian'. If you can be flexible about where you live and are happy to move frequently, you can baby-sit empty properties to deter squatters. These can be private homes, office blocks, fire stations, churches, pubs, schools and more. Rent's usually a fraction of what you'd normally pay - for example, this week we found a room in Hull for £165 a month and a room (in a former school) in Hunstanton for £285 a month. Full info in property guardians.
    
    

21. If you're in a dispute with your landlord, help's available - and they have responsibilities, too. If you think you've been unfairly treated during your tenancy - or your landlord hasn't kept the home safe and in good working order - there are official bodies to help you complain (though they have limited powers). See landlord responsibilities and your rights.