Pro rata rent

[wheretogetit]

Hi everyone,
I’m not sure if this is the right place to post, but I’m hoping to get some advice – thank you in advance!

I’m renting a property from a friend and want to make sure everything is fair and above board. A tenancy agreement is being put in place to protect both sides.

The rent is £3,000 per month, and the start date of the tenancy is the 20th of September.
The agreement states that I should pay one month’s rent (£3,000) in advance plus a £3,000 deposit.

Am I right in thinking that the rent for September should be pro-rated? Since the tenancy starts on the 20th, which is more or less halfway through the month, it doesn’t seem right to pay the full £3,000 for that period.

Calculation:
£3,000 ÷ 30 days = £100 per day
£100 × 11 days = £1,100

pro-rata rent for September would be £1,100
, plus the £3,000 deposit

is pro rata rent or the idea above used by estate agents / landlords in England?

Would really appreciate your thoughts—thank you!

Surely you just pay the rent on the 20th of every month?

Agree, you pay a month in advance each 20th.

🤔 yes that is a good point thanks -
draft/current tenancy as it is now states rent payment is 1st of every month. I am just reading the tenancy and trying to figure out points to raise with so that it can be redrafted.

Discussing this with my niece and she sent me this saying she checked on AI 🙄🤦🏾‍♀️. I prefer human input in things

✅
Option 1: Pro-rata for September, then rent due on the 1st of each month

• Tenancy starts: 20th September
• Rent due date: 1st of each month
• What you pay upfront:
• Pro-rata rent for 20–30 Sept: £1,100
• Deposit: £3,000
• Then £3,000 due on 1st October, and on the 1st of each month after that.

Pros:

• Aligns with the landlord’s existing rent cycle (many landlords prefer rent due on the 1st).
• September is fairly priced (you’re only paying for days you live there).

Cons:

• October 1st payment comes quickly (just 11 days after you move in).
• You need to budget for a big payment soon after move-in.

✅
Option 2: Full £3,000 paid upfront on 20th Sept, then rent due on the 20th of each month

• Tenancy starts: 20th September
• Rent due date: 20th of each month
• What you pay upfront:
• Full September–October rent (20 Sept–19 Oct): £3,000
• Deposit: £3,000
• Then £3,000 due on 20th October, and so on.

Pros:

• Clean and consistent rent cycle — always due on the same day you moved in.
• Gives you a full month before your next rent is due.

Cons:

• You pay a full £3,000 for 11 days in September, which isn’t fair value unless the landlord adjusts something later.
• Not standard if the agreement says rent is due on the 1st — would require rewriting the rent clause.

🔍 Which is better?

Fairness-wise, Option 1 (pro-rata September, then rent due 1st) is more reasonable — you only pay for what you use. But it requires a quick follow-up payment.

Option 2 is simpler if the landlord wants to keep payments tied to your move-in date, but it’s only fair if the £3,000 covers from 20 Sept to 19 Oct, not just part of September.

Just suggest the date is a mistake (which it probably is, leftover from a template), and ask for it to be changed to the 20th. Present it more like a typo, rather than an problem iyswim, a minor detail that just needs adjusting. This is a delicate issue with your LL as your friend, so 1) you don't want to seem accusatory at all if it is an error, but 2) you need to see now whether they genuinely expect £3000 for 11 days rent - maybe because they don't actually understand what a month upfront means - which means there's a lot more about LL-ing they probably don't get (or take the piss with) too.

ETA I've stopped renting now but I always paid rent on 22nd of the month. It wasn't even a point of discussion - the day the tenancy starts is the day the payment cycle starts, and that's what was on the agreement.

I can't get beyond the £3000 rent. A 3 bedroom 1930s house in our street is up for rent at £1500 (and we're in the Bristol area, which is an expensive place to live).
Have a look at Shelter's website.

The day you pay rent and your rental period can be different. I expect it's payment on the 1st but for the period 20th - 19th.

So if you pay on 1st of September it's for the rental period 20th of August to 19th of September. If so, when you eventually leave you need to remember to give notice based on your rental period, so one months notice would need to be on/before the 20th, not the 1st.