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Moving into your first London room: the checklist

From setting a budget to your first week: a step-by-step checklist for renting your first room in London, with the payments, documents and rights to know.

  • By GladStay
  • Updated
  • 4 min read

The short answer

Set a budget for the full monthly cost and keep about two months’ rent ready to move in (£1,854 for an average GladStay room). View the room before paying anything, have your Right to Rent documents ready, and read the agreement before you sign. Once you move in, record the room’s condition and expect your deposit protection details within 30 days.

Holding deposit
Max 1 week
Rent in advance
Max 1 month
Deposit details
30 days
On this page9 sections

1. Before you search: set your budget

  • Decide the most you can pay each month, including travel to work or study.
  • Compare like for like: a bills-included rent already covers energy, water, council tax and Wi‑Fi. See what “bills included” covers.
  • Plan the money you need up front: a holding deposit of up to one week’s rent (up to £213 for a £927 room), then the deposit and the first month’s rent.
  • Remember the legal caps: deposits are limited to 5 weeks’ rent (annual rent under £50,000), and rent in advance to one month after signing.
  • Read how much a room costs in London for live prices by area.

2. At the viewing

  • See the room at a viewing before you pay anything. A viewing should never cost you money: viewing fees are banned.
  • Check the room itself: light, noise, heating, storage and the furniture you’ll get.
  • Check the shared spaces: kitchen, bathrooms and how they are kept.
  • Look for a smoke alarm on every floor. Landlords must fit one on each storey used as living accommodation.
  • Ask who else lives there and how the house is run: cleaning, shared spaces and who to call when something breaks.
  • Ask exactly what the rent includes and the earliest move-in date.

Avoid rental scams

Don’t send money for a room you haven’t seen, and get every term in writing before you pay. The advertised rent is the rent: since 1 May 2026 landlords cannot ask you to bid above it.

3. Before you pay anything

  • Get the rent, the deposit and what’s included in writing.
  • A holding deposit can be no more than one week’s rent, and it should come back within 7 days unless you withdraw, fail a check or give misleading information. See holding deposits explained.
  • No fees for viewings, references or admin: they are not allowed under the Tenant Fees Act.
  • No rent before you sign. A landlord cannot ask for or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed.

4. Get your documents ready

  • Right to Rent: your passport, or a share code from GOV.UK if you have an eVisa or settled or pre-settled status. See Right to Rent checks explained.
  • References: these may include affordability checks and/or a reference from a previous landlord. Have your employer’s or your previous landlord’s details to hand.
  • An email address and phone number you check often: the next steps arrive by email.
  • Your original ID for check-in, where legally required.

5. When you sign the agreement

  • Read the written terms before you sign. Since 1 May 2026, landlords must give new tenants certain written information about the key terms of the tenancy.
  • Check the rent, the date it is due and that it is paid monthly or weekly as you expect.
  • Check the bills included are listed in the agreement.
  • Check the notice you would need to give to leave: the most a landlord can ask for is 2 months.
  • Check the deposit amount and how it will be protected.

At GladStay the tenancy agreement arrives via DocuSign once your checks are approved, and keys are released only when it is fully signed. Rent is due only after signing.

6. On moving day

  • Go through the check-in record of the room’s condition, and add your own dated photos.
  • Collect every key and check they all work.
  • Test the smoke alarm. Landlords must check alarms work on the day a new tenancy starts.
  • Get the Wi‑Fi details and find out how to report a repair.
  • Meet your housemates, and join the house WhatsApp group if there is one.

At GladStay

We record the condition of the room with photos or video, hand over the keys and stay available 24/7 if something breaks or you need help.

7. In your first weeks

  • Expect your deposit protection details within 30 days of paying the deposit: the scheme, how it is protected and how to get it back. See deposit protection explained.
  • Keep the gas safety record: landlords must give it to new tenants before they move in, and the electrical safety report before they occupy the home.
  • Register with a GP near your new address.
  • Update your address with your bank, your employer and anywhere else that writes to you.
  • Consider contents insurance for your belongings. It is your choice: a landlord cannot make you buy it.

Questions and answers

How much money do I need to move into a room in London?

At GladStay, roughly two months’ rent: the first month plus a one-month deposit. For an average room at £927 that is £1,854, and the holding deposit you paid to reserve counts towards it.

What documents do I need to rent a room?

Proof of your right to rent, such as a passport or a GOV.UK share code, and references, which may include affordability checks and/or a landlord reference.

Should I pay before viewing a room?

No. View the room first and get the terms in writing. Viewing fees are not allowed, and a holding deposit can be no more than one week’s rent.

Can I be asked to pay rent before I sign?

No. Since 1 May 2026 a landlord cannot ask for or accept rent before the tenancy agreement is signed. After signing, they can ask for at most one month in advance.

How much notice do I have to give to leave?

Check your tenancy agreement. Under the Renters’ Rights Act, the most notice a landlord can ask a tenant to give is 2 months, given in writing.

When should I get my deposit protection details?

Within 30 days of your landlord receiving your deposit.

Sources

Checked against these official sources on 25 October 2026:

  1. Renters’ Rights Act overview for tenantsGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  2. Assured periodic tenancies: rent in advance and depositsGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  3. Assured periodic tenancies: how to end your tenancyGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  4. Tenant Fees Act 2019: guidance for tenantsGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  5. Private renting: your landlord’s safety responsibilitiesGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  6. Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors: guidanceGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  7. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidanceGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  8. Tenancy deposit protection: information landlords must give tenantsGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
  9. Prove your right to rent in EnglandGOV.UK (opens in a new tab)

About this guide

Written by the GladStay team: 1,500+ tenants helped since 2013. We check our guides against the official sources above and update them when the rules change. This is general information for England, not legal advice: for your own situation, use the official sources or get independent advice.

Ready for your first London room?

Verified, fully furnished rooms with bills included, and real people on hand 24/7.

Find a roomHow renting works

Ready for your first London room?

Verified, fully furnished rooms with bills included, and real people on hand 24/7.

Find a roomHow renting works
  • Bills, council tax and Wi‑Fi included
  • Deposit protected by the DPS
  • Real human support, 24/7

For tenants5 min readLive prices

How much does a room cost in London?

A room with GladStay costs £650 to £1,645 a month with bills included, £927 on average. Live prices by area and room type, plus what you pay to move in.

For tenants5 min read

Right to Rent checks explained

Every adult renting a home in England must prove their right to rent before the tenancy starts. Which documents work, how share codes work and what to expect at GladStay.