Renting a room is often the cheapest way to live somewhere new, whether you are starting a job, studying or saving for a place of your own. But your rights depend a lot on who else lives there. This guide explains the difference between being a lodger and renting a room in a shared house, what rooms cost, how deposits work, the checks to expect and a short checklist to use before you move in. It is written mainly for England, with a note on the rest of the UK at the end.
FindMyNextStay is new, so there may be only a few rooms listed at first. If you do not see the right place yet, you can post what you are looking for and let landlords come to you (more on that below).
Lodger or tenant: the key difference
There are two common ways to rent a room, and the law treats them very differently.
A room in your landlord’s home. Shelter says you are a lodger if you rent a room in your landlord’s home, or share rooms such as the kitchen or bathroom with them. The government’s Renters’ Rights Act guidance says different rules apply to lodgers, so most of the new protections described below do not cover you.
A room in a shared house where the landlord lives elsewhere. Shelter says most private tenants now have an assured tenancy, and that you do not have one if you live with your landlord. So if your landlord does not live in the house, you will usually be an assured tenant with the full set of rights. Shared houses like this are often houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), which have their own licensing rules (see below).
How your rights differ
If you are a lodger. GOV.UK explains that a lodger who shares a kitchen, bathroom or living room with the landlord or their family is likely to be an “excluded occupier”. The landlord only has to give “reasonable notice”, which is generally one rental period (a week if you pay weekly, a month if you pay monthly), and it does not have to be in writing. They do not need a court order to make you leave. Shelter adds that eviction must still be peaceful: harassing a lodger, or using or threatening violence, is a criminal offence. If you live in the landlord’s home but do not share living space with them, GOV.UK says you probably have “basic protection”, which means the landlord must give a written notice to quit and get a court order if you do not leave.
If you are a tenant in a shared house. Since 1 May 2026, according to the government’s guidance, section 21 “no fault” evictions have been abolished; most tenancies are now rolling (periodic) tenancies; you give two months’ written notice to leave; rent can only go up once a year with at least two months’ notice; adverts must show an asking rent and landlords cannot accept offers above it; and a landlord cannot ask for more than one month’s rent between signing and the start of the tenancy. Our guide to what changed under the Renters’ Rights Act has more detail.
One more point for shared houses: Shelter explains that if you all signed the same agreement, you probably have a joint tenancy. That means you are all responsible for the whole rent, even if you each pay a different share. Check whether your agreement is joint or just for your own room.
What rooms cost
There is no official national figure for room rents, so we use the SpareRoom Rental Index, which is based on asking rents in room adverts on SpareRoom’s own site. According to SpareRoom, the average room rent in the UK reached a record £769 a month in the third quarter of 2026, up 1.0% from £762 a year earlier. SpareRoom says its figures include bills and are based on more than 241,000 room adverts.
| Area | Average monthly room rent, Q3 2026 |
|---|---|
| Inner London | £1,002 |
| Greater London | £932 |
| England | £775 |
| Scotland | £726 |
| Northern Ireland | £600 |
| Wales | £593 |
| UK average | £769 |
These are averages of asking prices, not what people finally agreed. A room in your area may cost more or less. If you are looking in east London, our local guides to Chadwell Heath and Ilford cover those areas in more detail.
Deposits and deposit protection
Shelter says a tenancy deposit cannot be more than five weeks’ rent, and that this limit applies to lodgers as well as most private tenants (where the monthly rent is below £4,167).
Tenants. If you have an assured tenancy, Shelter says your landlord has 30 days from when you pay to protect your deposit in a government-approved scheme and give you written information about it. GOV.UK lists the approved schemes in England and Wales as the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, the Deposit Protection Service and MyDeposits. Once you agree how much you will get back, the landlord must return it within 10 days.
Lodgers. Both GOV.UK and Shelter say a live-in landlord does not have to protect a lodger’s deposit. You should still get it back when you leave, unless there is a valid reason for deductions. Shelter suggests asking for an inventory of your room and any shared rooms, which helps avoid disputes later.
Right to Rent checks
In England, landlords must check that a tenant or lodger can legally rent before the tenancy starts. GOV.UK says they must check all adults aged 18 and over who will live there, even if there is no written agreement, and must not single out people they think are not British citizens. If you only have permission to stay in the UK for a limited time, the check must be done in the 28 days before your tenancy starts. Have your documents ready, and expect the same check from a live-in landlord as from a letting agent.
HMO licensing basics
GOV.UK describes an HMO as a property rented out by at least three people who are not from one household (for example, a family) and who share facilities such as the kitchen or bathroom. A large HMO, rented to five or more people from more than one household, must have a licence from the council. Councils can also require licences for smaller shared houses in their area, so check your council’s website. A licence lasts up to five years, and renting out an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine. For lodgers, GOV.UK notes that a home may count as an HMO if the owner lets rooms to more than two people.
Bills and council tax
Ask whether bills are included in the rent, and get it in writing. GOV.UK says a live-in landlord can build bills into the rent, but can only charge what they paid for gas and electricity, plus VAT. For council tax, a live-in landlord is responsible and can include part of it in your rent. In a shared house let room by room, the landlord is often responsible. Wandsworth Council, for example, says the landlord pays where the property is an HMO with residents paying rent separately, but joint tenants who rent a whole property are usually responsible themselves. If you are unsure who pays, ask the council before you sign.
For live-in landlords: the Rent a Room scheme
If you let a furnished room in your own home, GOV.UK says you can earn up to £7,500 a year tax-free under the Rent a Room scheme. The limit is halved to £3,750 if you share the income with someone else, such as a partner. If you earn less than the limit, the exemption is automatic. If you earn more, you need to fill in a tax return. The scheme does not apply to homes converted into separate flats. GOV.UK also says you must tell your council if having a lodger means you are no longer entitled to a single person discount on council tax.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The rules above are for England, and Right to Rent checks apply in England only. In Scotland, Shelter Scotland says people whose landlord does not live with them usually have a private residential tenancy if they moved in on or after 1 December 2017. If you live with a resident landlord, you have less protection: the landlord does not need a court order, but must give proper notice, which Shelter Scotland says is usually at least 28 days if no notice period was agreed. In Wales, the Welsh Government says the Renting Homes (Wales) Act replaced tenancies with “occupation contracts”, and landlords must give a written statement of the contract. In Northern Ireland, NI Direct says a landlord must protect a deposit in an approved scheme within 28 days. If you are renting outside England, check the official advice for that nation.
This is a summary, not legal advice.
A short checklist before you move in
- View the room in person, or by live video if you cannot get there, and meet the people you will live with.
- Ask whether the landlord lives there. This tells you whether you will be a lodger or a tenant.
- Check what the rent covers: bills, council tax, internet and cleaning.
- Make sure the deposit is no more than five weeks’ rent. If you are a tenant, ask which scheme will protect it.
- For a shared house, ask whether it needs an HMO licence and check your council’s public register.
- Get the agreement in writing, ask for an inventory and check the notice period on both sides.
- Do not send money to someone you have not met for a room you have not seen. Our guide on how to spot a rental scam lists the warning signs.
For owners and live-in landlords
If you have a room to let, you can list it on FindMyNextStay for free. Say clearly whether you live in the home, what the rent includes and how much the deposit is. Include the asking rent in your advert, and check whether your property needs an HMO licence. Clear photos and an honest description get more replies. If you are new to the site, our step-by-step guide shows how posting works.
Looking for a room?
Tell landlords what you need: your budget, the area, when you want to move and anything else that matters to you, such as whether you would prefer to live with the owner or in a shared house. Your request appears in the tenants looking section, so owners can get in touch.
Sources: Shelter, Lodgers; Shelter, Assured tenancies; Shelter, Joint tenancies; Shelter, Tenancy deposit protection rules; Shelter, Paying your tenancy deposit; GOV.UK Housing Hub, Private renting is changing; GOV.UK, Rent a room in your home; GOV.UK, Rent, bills and tax; GOV.UK, The Rent a Room scheme; GOV.UK, Tenancy deposit protection; GOV.UK, Checking your tenant’s right to rent; GOV.UK, House in multiple occupation licence; Wandsworth Council, Who pays council tax; SpareRoom, UK Quarterly Rental Index Q3 2026; Shelter Scotland, Eviction if you live with your landlord; Welsh Government, Renting Homes (Wales) Act guidance; NI Direct, Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Checked October 2026. Rents and rules change, so please confirm the details before you decide.