One week pro rata rent computation

lb00

Hi everyone,

I’m in an AST from July 2024 to July 2025 but served my break clause in December, agreeing to end my tenancy on February 16, 2025.

My rent is £2487 per month, and my rental period runs from the 10th to the 9th. Since I’m only staying 7 days in my final period (Feb 10 - Feb 16), my landlord is prorating my rent based on 28 days (Feb 10 - Mar 9), charging me £621.75 (7/28 of £2487).

Is this correct? Obviously if this were a 31-day month, I’d be paying less (£561.61). I read on the Openrent website the Tenant Fees Act 2019 states that one week’s rent should be calculated as:

(Monthly Rent} x 12) divided by 52

Using this method, my weekly rent would be £573.92, meaning for 7 days, I’d owe exactly that—£573.92, which is £47.83 less than my landlord’s calculation. But I am unsure whether this applies to my case or just when the landlord serves a S21 notice.

Would love to hear your thoughts—thanks so much!

PRAISETHESUN

Typically, when you serve notice to end your tenancy you should be providing notice such that it ends on the final day of a full tenancy period - what does the exact wording of your break clause say? Anything other then that is up to the discretion of the LL to accept or not. You can query the calculation with them, but if they are adamant they are correct then I'm not sure they are obliged to accept your calculation.

doodling

Hi,

In general rent is indivisible so if you are staying for only a week out of a whole month then the whole month is still due, unless you have agreed something else with the landlord, either beforehand in the tenancy agreement or at the point of handing in your notice.

In your case you have agreed something different with the landlord so that takes precedence.  It does however sound like you didn't agree things in sufficient detail for your liking.  Was the agreement to pro-rata the rent part of the tenancy agreement or something agreed ad-hoc with the landlord.

If the pro-rata-ing was specified in the tenancy agreement then any ambiguity should be interpreted in your favour.

It it was an ad-hoc agreement when you handed in your notice then you can either accept that you agreed something ambiguous and live with it, or you can attempt to go back on your previous agreement and hope that the landlord is happy to give you a better deal rather than exercising their right to charge you the whole month's rent.

Mr.Generous

I'd have done monthly rent x 12 / 365 x 7 but thats the same anyway as Openrent would get it to. I once calculated it wrong for a tenant leaving mid month, he pointed it out and I corrected it. If the landlord is reasonable enough to let you go an extra wek over (or 3 short) then they will surely be open to reason.

Maybe point out the rent isn't month specific - you didn't pay more in Jan and less in feb etc.

lb00

Mr.Generous said:

I'd have done monthly rent x 12 / 365 x 7 but thats the same anyway as Openrent would get it to. I once calculated it wrong for a tenant leaving mid month, he pointed it out and I corrected it. If the landlord is reasonable enough to let you go an extra wek over (or 3 short) then they will surely be open to reason.

Maybe point out the rent isn't month specific - you didn't pay more in Jan and less in feb etc.

Openrent website seems to go the landlord's way
https://blog.openrent.co.uk/how-to-calculate-pro-rata-rent/

Is there a source that supports the other computation you were suggesting: monthly rent x 12 / 365 x 7?

Thanks so much!