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What must a lettings assistant never do under the Renters’ Rights Act?

From 1 May 2026, in England, anyone acting for a landlord, including a letting agent and anything that answers renters on the agent’s behalf, must not ask for or accept an offer above the advertised rent, must not do anything that makes renters with children or on benefits less likely to rent, must state one rent in every written advert, and must not ask for more than one month’s rent in advance. An assistant that answers renters has to be built so it cannot do any of these.

GOV.UK guidance puts these breaches at up to £7,000 each, and agents acting for the landlord can be fined, not only the landlord. An assistant that asks every renter the same questions, never mentions other bids, quotes only the advertised rent and leaves referencing and decisions to a person stays inside the rules. This guide is not legal advice; check your own case with a lettings specialist.

Updated Oct 5, 2026

How it works

  1. One rent: the advertised one

    Every written advert, including a WhatsApp or email reply, must state the rent. GOV.UK lists what is banned: publishing a price range, publishing another advert with a higher price for the same letting, and inviting, encouraging or accepting a higher offer. The assistant quotes only the rent in the advert, or none.

  2. No hint of competing bids

    Telling someone they have received other bids to push them above the advertised price is banned, as is acting in any way that leads a person to believe they need to bid more. The assistant never mentions other offers or demand to move the price.

  3. The same questions for every renter

    It is illegal to do anything that makes someone less likely to rent because they have children or receive benefits, including stopping them from getting information about a property or from viewing it. The assistant never asks about children or benefits as a filter, and offers viewings to everyone on the same terms. Affordability checks stay with a person, who must count all forms of income.

  4. No more than one month in advance

    Landlords and agents cannot ask for more than one month’s rent in advance. The assistant never asks for money; holding deposits and rent are handled by the agency.

  5. A person makes the decisions

    Choosing a tenant, referencing and answering a request to keep a pet (the landlord has 28 days to consider it) stay with a person. Since 5 February 2026, UK data law lets organisations make significant decisions by software alone only with safeguards, including a person to turn to; an assistant that records and passes on, and never decides, stays clear of that.

What it costs to run

This guide is about rules, not running costs. What breaking them costs is set out in GOV.UK’s civil penalty guidance: up to £7,000 per breach for rental bidding or discrimination, with starting points of £6,000 for discriminating against renters with children or on benefits, £4,000 for inviting or accepting offers above the advertised rent and £3,000 for a written advert with no rent. Running costs for a WhatsApp assistant are on the UK estate and letting agents page.

When it is not worth it

  • If your agency only sells and does not let, these lettings rules do not apply to your enquiries.
  • Outside England: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own tenancy law, which this guide does not cover.

Questions

Can the assistant ask whether a renter has children or pets?

Not about children as a filter: anything that makes renters with children less likely to rent is banned. About pets, the assistant can note a pet for the landlord, who must consider a tenant’s request; it never refuses on the landlord’s behalf.

Can it say how many people have enquired?

Saying a viewing slot is taken is fine. Telling someone that others have offered more, to encourage a higher offer, is banned. The safe assistant says neither how many people are interested nor what they offered.

Who is fined if the assistant breaks a rule?

GOV.UK: penalties for rental discrimination and rental bidding “may be imposed on any prospective landlord, and any person acting or purporting to act on their behalf, who is responsible”. For an agency, that means the agency can be fined for what its assistant says.

Does the assistant have to say it is automated?

No UK law found requires a chatbot to announce itself, but the ICO asks organisations that use AI on personal data to be upfront about it. Ours says so in its first message.

Sources

Want to see an assistant for your agency that follows these rules?

See the service: WhatsApp assistant for UK estate and letting agentsLet’s talk

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