Americans relocating to London rent under rules that changed on 1 May 2026, when the Renters' Rights Act made most new private tenancies in England rolling periodic tenancies with no fixed end date.
For a family arriving on a posting, that brings flexibility and some new protections, but also several checks and payments to prepare for before signing. This guide sets out what applies, what does not, and where the rules differ for company lets and the most expensive homes.
Right to Rent: proving your status
Before a tenancy starts, landlords or their agents in England must check that every adult occupier has the right to rent. Most US citizens moving on a UK visa now hold an eVisa, a digital record of their immigration status. Home Office guidance (updated 10 August 2026) says that people with an eVisa can prove their right to rent only through the online service: you generate a nine-character share code beginning with "R", valid for 90 days, and the landlord checks it with your date of birth. A passport alone will not do. Where permission to stay is time-limited, the landlord will need to repeat the check later. The scheme applies in England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
Money up front: deposit, holding deposit and rent in advance
- Holding deposit: up to one week's rent, to reserve a property while references and checks are done.
- Security deposit: capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, and six weeks' rent at £50,000 or more. It must be protected in a government-approved scheme.
- Rent in advance: under the new rules a landlord cannot ask for or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed, and after signing can ask for no more than one month's rent before the tenancy starts.
The cap on rent in advance matters to newcomers. In the past, tenants without a UK credit history were often asked for six or twelve months up front; that is no longer allowed for tenancies covered by the Act, so landlords and agents rely more on references, employer letters and guarantors. Rental bidding is also banned: a landlord must state a rent and cannot accept or encourage offers above it.
Periodic tenancies, notice and rent rises
Under a periodic tenancy you can leave by giving two months' written notice, which suits assignments of uncertain length. Landlords can end a tenancy only on statutory grounds, such as selling or moving in, and in most cases not during the first 12 months. Rent can be increased only once a year, using the statutory form with at least two months' notice, and tenants can challenge an increase above market rent. You can ask to keep a pet, and the landlord must consider the request and give reasons for a refusal.
Company lets and rents above £100,000 a year
Two groups of relocating tenants sit outside these rules. A tenancy granted to a company, such as an employer renting a home for a transferee, is not an assured tenancy. Nor is a tenancy where the rent exceeds £100,000 a year, which in prime London is roughly £1,920 a week. In both cases, as the law firm Farrer & Co notes, the Renters' Rights Act regime does not apply, and the terms are largely those of the contract: the length, break clauses, notice, rent in advance and rent reviews are all negotiable. The deposit cap and fee ban in the Tenant Fees Act 2019 are framed around assured tenancies and licences, so these lets may fall outside them too; ask the agent which rules they are applying, and read the break clause carefully if your posting could be cut short.
Where relocating families look
Schooling often decides the area. The American School in London is in St John's Wood, NW8, which puts St John's Wood, Maida Vale and Primrose Hill on many shortlists, with Hampstead a little further north. ACS International Schools has campuses in Cobham (Surrey), Egham and Hillingdon, which draws families to Cobham, Esher, Weybridge and Virginia Water, where houses with gardens are easier to find. Commuting time to the office and to school, rather than postcode alone, tends to settle the choice. Rents vary widely street by street, so ask for comparable lets on the specific roads you are considering rather than relying on borough averages.
Dolce Vita handles sales and lettings across the UK from Mayfair, and helps clients buy abroad through partner agencies. If you are a landlord with a home suited to relocating families, or are letting your own home while posted abroad, we can help. Request a lettings valuation; we acknowledge the same working day and return a written valuation within 24 to 48 hours.
Hanane Dawson, Founder
Sources: gov.uk, Renters' Rights Act overview for tenants, updated 1 May 2026; gov.uk, Rent payments and deposits, guidance for landlords and letting agents, updated 20 October 2026; Home Office, Right to rent checks: a guide to immigration documents, updated 10 August 2026; Farrer & Co, The Renters' Rights Act: Q&A, 2026; Shelter Legal England, Tenancy fees, updated 1 May 2026; Housing Act 1988, Schedule 1 (legislation.gov.uk); Tenant Fees Act 2019.