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Tenancy Setup Process in London: From Offer to Key Collection

Posted by luciaturok on 21st August 2026

Updated: 24 August 2026

This guide explains the tenancy setup process in London for most private tenancies in England. It follows the process used by CENTURY 21 London Central through Goodlord, from submitting your offer and completing referencing to signing the agreement, paying the move-in balance and collecting your keys.

Once you have found the right home, the next stage can move quickly. Knowing what will be requested – and when each payment becomes due – helps prevent avoidable delays and makes your move-in much smoother.

The tenancy setup process in London works best when every applicant is prepared, responds promptly and discloses any possible referencing or Right to Rent issue at the beginning.

Tenant receiving keys after completing the tenancy setup process in London — From accepted offer and Goodlord referencing to signing and collecting the keys.

Important: Right to Rent

If you do not have the Right to Rent in the UK, you must disclose this before submitting an offer and paying a holding deposit. Every proposed adult occupier must complete the required check before moving into a privately rented home in England.

The tenancy setup process in London at a glance

This visual guide shows the complete journey in the order it normally happens. The detailed sections below explain what is required at every stage.

Tenancy setup process in London from accepted offer to key collection — The ten-stage tenancy setup process, from offer acceptance to key collection.

1. Submit a complete rental offer

Your offer should give the landlord enough information to make a properly informed decision. A clear, complete application is usually more helpful than a rushed message with missing details.

Please provide:

the full property address;
your proposed rent, which must not be above the advertised amount;
your preferred tenancy start date;
the full names of every proposed adult occupier;
your employment, income or student status;
whether you expect to require a guarantor;
details of any children or dependants who will live at the property;
any pet request; and
all requested conditions, works or furniture changes.

Do not leave important information until after the landlord accepts your offer. Your affordability, move-in date, occupiers, pet request and special conditions can all affect the landlord’s decision and the tenancy documents.

An accepted offer is normally subject to contract, satisfactory referencing, completed Right to Rent checks, receipt of the required payments and signature by all parties. If you are applying through a business, read our separate company-let guide for tenants and employers, as the legal structure and referencing requirements are different.

2. Pay the holding deposit – one week’s rent

Once the landlord has agreed to proceed, a holding deposit is required to reserve the property and begin the referencing process. The maximum holding deposit is one week’s rent for the whole proposed tenancy, not one week per tenant.

Until the holding deposit has been paid, the landlord may continue to consider and accept other offers. Once it has been received, the application will proceed in accordance with the written holding-deposit terms.

The standard deadline for reaching the tenancy agreement is 15 calendar days from receipt of the holding deposit, unless a different period is agreed with you in writing. Complete every request promptly so the application can progress within the agreed timetable.

When might the holding deposit not be refunded?

The holding deposit may be retained in the limited circumstances permitted by law, including where an applicant:

withdraws from the proposed tenancy;
fails a Right to Rent check;
does not take reasonable steps to enter into the tenancy; or
provides false or misleading information that materially affects their suitability.

For tenancies arranged through CENTURY 21 London Central, if the tenancy proceeds, the one-week holding deposit is always credited towards the first month’s rent. This is recorded in the written holding-deposit terms, so you pay only the remaining balance of the first month’s rent before moving in. Keep your payment confirmation and the written terms. You can also review the current GOV.UK Tenant Fees Act guidance.

3. Goodlord referencing in the tenancy setup process in London

Each prospective tenant will receive a separate invitation from Goodlord. Referencing commonly includes:

identity verification;
credit checks;
residential history checks;
income and employment verification; and
a previous-landlord or managing-agent reference, where required.

Goodlord may request further information or documentation. This can include Open Banking or Trusted Sources, which help verify information directly with your bank, employer, HMRC or another relevant organisation.

Use your full legal name consistently, check your dates carefully and respond as soon as you receive a request. If your circumstances are unusual – for example, you are self-employed, have recently changed jobs, receive overseas income or have limited UK rental history – explain this at the beginning. A clear explanation is much easier to assess than information discovered late in the process.

Documents you may be asked to provide

Employees: employment contract, payslips, employer details or payroll verification.
Self-employed applicants: tax calculations, tax-year overviews, accounts, an accountant’s letter or bank statements.
Students: evidence of enrolment and, where required, a suitable guarantor.
Existing tenants: current landlord or managing-agent details and residential history.
Overseas applicants: additional identity, income or immigration evidence, depending on the circumstances and referencing criteria.

If a suitable personal guarantor is not available, applicants referencing through us may be eligible for the optional Goodlord professional guarantor service. Eligibility and fees are determined by the provider, and tenants are not required to purchase a professional guarantor product.

4. Complete the Right to Rent check

Right to Rent is a legal immigration-status check and is separate from financial referencing. Every prospective adult occupier must complete the appropriate check before occupying a privately rented property in England, regardless of nationality.

British and Irish citizens normally provide eligible identity evidence or use an approved digital identity route. Many other applicants can provide their date of birth and a Right to Rent share code.

Tell us before you pay: if you do not currently have the Right to Rent, cannot produce the required evidence or expect your status to change before move-in, disclose this before submitting the offer and holding deposit. A failed Right to Rent check can affect both the tenancy and the refund of the holding deposit.

Visa application pending?

If you have an outstanding visa application, appeal or other Home Office matter and cannot provide acceptable evidence or a share code, tell us immediately. Where the official criteria are met, we can request verification through the Home Office Landlord Checking Service. This is not an exemption from the Right to Rent requirement. The Home Office normally provides a clear yes or no response within two working days, and the tenancy can proceed only if the required confirmation is received.

5. Reference approval and preparation of the agreement

Once all applicants have completed the required checks and the references are approved, the tenancy agreement can be prepared. The agreement should reflect the accepted offer, including:

the correct tenants and permitted occupiers;
the property address and tenancy start date;
the monthly rent and payment date;
the tenancy deposit;
responsibility for Council Tax and utilities;
any agreed pet terms; and
any agreed special conditions or works.

Raise any discrepancy immediately. Requests introduced after the offer was accepted may need fresh landlord approval and can delay preparation of the agreement.

6. Pay the tenancy deposit – normally five weeks’ rent

For the tenancies we commonly arrange, a tenancy deposit equal to five weeks’ rent is payable after the references have been approved and the agreement has been prepared. The legal cap is generally five weeks’ rent where the annual rent is below £50,000 and six weeks where it is between £50,000 and £100,000.

The deposit is separate from the holding deposit and first month’s rent. It is held as security for the tenancy and must be protected in a government-approved tenancy-deposit scheme, with the required information provided to the tenant.

This stage of the tenancy setup process in London separates the security deposit from the rent due for your first rental period.

Payment summary

Holding deposit, tenancy deposit and move-in rent payment timeline — When each tenancy payment is normally due during the application.

Payment	When it is paid	How it is treated
Holding deposit One week’s rent	After the offer is accepted and before referencing begins	Always credited towards the first month’s rent if the tenancy proceeds through CENTURY 21 London Central
Tenancy deposit Normally five weeks’ rent	After reference approval and preparation of the agreement	Protected in a government-approved scheme
Move-in rent First month less the holding deposit	After the agreement is signed and before key release	Applied to the first rental period

7. Tenants sign through Goodlord

Once the tenancy deposit has been received and cleared, every prospective tenant will be invited to sign the tenancy agreement electronically through Goodlord.

Read the complete agreement before signing. Check the names, address, rent, due date, start date, occupiers, bills, deposit, pet terms and any special conditions. Each named tenant must complete their own signature; one tenant cannot sign for another unless a legally valid arrangement has been expressly approved.

Prompt signatures help keep the tenancy setup process in London on schedule, especially when several tenants are signing separately.

8. Landlord signing and tenancy execution

The landlord will sign after all prospective tenants have completed their signatures. Once every party has signed, Goodlord will issue a fully executed copy of the tenancy agreement to the tenants and landlord.

Keep the executed agreement safely. It records the binding terms of the tenancy and will be required if there is ever a query about rent, notice, occupiers or another tenancy condition.

Execution is the point at which the tenancy setup process in London moves from an agreed application to a binding contract.

9. Pay the move-in monies

After the agreement has been signed, the remaining balance due before move-in is the first month’s rent, less the one-week holding deposit paid at the beginning of the process. For tenancies arranged through CENTURY 21 London Central, the holding deposit is always deducted from the first month’s rent when the tenancy proceeds.

All move-in monies must be received and cleared in the Goodlord account before keys can be released. A payment confirmation or screenshot does not mean the funds have cleared.

If you are making an international payment, allow at least seven working days for the funds to arrive. International transfers can be delayed by intermediary banks, currency conversion, compliance checks, weekends or bank holidays.

Use the payment instructions and reference shown in Goodlord. If you receive an unexpected request to pay a different account, verify it using a trusted telephone number before transferring any money.

In the tenancy setup process in London, cleared funds – not proof that a transfer was initiated – determine when the financial requirement has been met.

Tip: prepare a fast way to pay

Have at least the one-week holding deposit ready before you make an offer. In a competitive market, the property is not reserved until the holding deposit has been received. If several applicants are interested, a delay of even a few hours or until the next day can make it difficult for the landlord to keep the property available. We have also seen overseas transfers take a week to arrive.

Consider preparing a suitable GBP payment account in advance. Options may include Wise, Revolut or Monzo, depending on your country, eligibility, fees and personal circumstances.

Lucia personally uses Wise because it allows her to hold multiple currencies. For example, if your main currency is euros, you can add euros, convert them into pounds and hold a GBP balance with UK account details. An eligible domestic GBP transfer may arrive much faster than a traditional international bank transfer and can sometimes arrive within seconds, although timing is never guaranteed. Depending on the provider, amount and exchange rate, it may also reduce transfer and currency-conversion costs.

Check Lucia’s Wise referral offer. This is a referral link. If you use it, Lucia may receive a benefit, and you may receive the offer displayed by Wise. Always review the current fees, exchange rate, eligibility and terms before opening or using any account.

10. Prepare for move-in

Before the tenancy begins, you should receive or be able to review the relevant tenancy and safety information. Depending on the property, this may include:

the fully executed tenancy agreement;
deposit-protection information and prescribed information;
a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC);
a current Gas Safety Record where the property has gas;
a satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR);
the required written tenancy information;
the inventory or schedule of condition; and
check-in and key-collection instructions.

Arrange removals, utilities and broadband with enough flexibility for the agreed tenancy start time. Do not assume that keys can be released early, particularly where the check-in inspection is still being completed.

For a smooth tenancy setup process in London, treat the confirmed key-release time as the point from which your moving plans should begin.

11. Check-in and key collection

Key-collection details will be confirmed before the tenancy starts. Keys can only be released when:

Checklist before rental property keys can be released — The checks, signatures and cleared payments required before key collection.

all required references and Right to Rent checks are complete;
the tenancy deposit has cleared;
all tenants and the landlord have signed the agreement;
the move-in rent has cleared in the Goodlord account; and
the agreed tenancy start date and key-release time have arrived.

Bring suitable photographic identification if requested. At check-in, confirm the number of keys, fobs, permits or access devices you receive. Take meter readings, test the alarms and carefully review the inventory before unpacking. Report any error or omission within the stated inventory-review period and keep date-stamped photographs.

The tenancy setup process in London is complete once the agreement is executed, every required payment has cleared and the keys have been formally released.

How to avoid delays

Disclose Right to Rent, income, guarantor and credit issues before paying the holding deposit.
Use the same full legal name and accurate dates throughout the application.
Complete every Goodlord request promptly and monitor your junk-email folder.
Tell your employer, accountant and current landlord that a reference request may arrive.
Review the draft agreement as soon as it is issued.
Have at least the holding deposit ready and set up a suitable GBP payment method before submitting your offer.
Allow at least seven working days for a traditional international transfer.
Do not book removals on the assumption that pending funds will clear at a particular time.

Frequently asked questions about the tenancy setup process in London

When is the property reserved for me?

The landlord may continue to consider and accept other offers until the agreed holding deposit has been received. Once it is paid, the property is treated as reserved while the application progresses under the written holding-deposit terms.

Is the holding deposit refundable or deducted from my rent?

If the tenancy proceeds through CENTURY 21 London Central, the one-week holding deposit is always credited towards the first month’s rent. It may be retained only in the limited circumstances permitted by law and explained in the written holding-deposit terms, such as withdrawal, a failed Right to Rent check, failure to take reasonable steps to enter the tenancy, or materially false or misleading information.

How long does Goodlord referencing take?

The timing depends on how quickly each applicant responds and how quickly employers, landlords or other sources verify the information. Complete applications can progress quickly, but missing documents, inconsistent information or delayed third-party replies can extend the process.

Does every adult occupier need a Right to Rent check?

Yes. Every prospective adult occupier must complete the appropriate Right to Rent check before occupying a privately rented home in England, even if they are not the person paying the rent.

What if my visa application is still pending?

Tell us before submitting the offer and paying the holding deposit. If you have an outstanding Home Office application, appeal or other qualifying matter and cannot provide acceptable evidence or a share code, we may be able to request a check through the Home Office Landlord Checking Service. The Home Office normally responds within two working days. This is verification, not an exemption, and the tenancy remains subject to the required Home Office confirmation.

Can I pay six or twelve months’ rent in advance?

For most assured periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026, rent cannot be accepted before the agreement is signed and the usual maximum before a monthly tenancy begins is one month’s rent. Different rules may apply to certain excluded arrangements and genuine company lets.

Can the keys be released if my payment is still pending?

No. All required move-in monies must be received and cleared in the Goodlord account before keys can be released. A transfer receipt or pending bank payment is not cleared funds.

What if I am paying from an overseas account?

Prepare early. A traditional international transfer can take at least seven working days. A suitable GBP account or multi-currency service such as Wise, Revolut or Monzo may allow a faster domestic GBP payment, subject to eligibility, fees and the provider’s processing time. No transfer time is guaranteed.

What happens if one tenant has not signed?

The tenancy cannot be fully executed until every named tenant and the landlord have completed the required signatures. One outstanding signature can therefore delay the move-in process.

Ready to begin your tenancy application?

If your offer has been accepted through CENTURY 21 London Central, follow each Goodlord request carefully and contact us as soon as you identify a possible issue. Clear communication helps the tenancy setup process in London progress without preventable delays.

If you are still looking for the right home, read our expert guide to finding the best rental property in London, browse our available London rental properties or contact us for personal assistance.

Legal note: This general guide concerns most private tenancies in England and is accurate to 24 August 2026. It describes the usual CENTURY 21 London Central and Goodlord process but is not legal advice. Requirements may differ for company lets, lodgers, holiday lets, social housing, purpose-built student accommodation, annual rents above £100,000 and tenancies outside England. Always follow the written terms issued for your own application and check current official guidance.

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