Working from home: can your landlord charge you more?

Renters in England have reported landlords asking for larger contributions towards household bills because they work from home. Property and mortgage experts explain the rules to Newspage.

Discussions on online forums, including Reddit, have revealed landlords are asking them to pay more rent because they spend more time at home using electricity, heating and internet services.

Since the Renters' Rights Act took effect on 1 May 2026, landlords in England can only raise rent once a year, and tenants can challenge any increase above market rent. Landlords can also charge set payments such as utilities, but any bills included in the rent must reflect the actual costs.

More than a quarter of working adults in Great Britain were hybrid workers between January and March 2025, according to the ONS, and the average UK private rent reached £1,406 a month in September 2026.

Can a landlord charge more rent because you work from home? 

Working from home can increase household energy use, but one expert questions whether that gives landlords the right to charge tenants more rent.

Mark Alexander, Founder at Norwich-based Property118.com, commented: “My view is that a tenant’s success is something to welcome. It improves their ability to pay the rent; it does not make the landlord a business partner. Actual use matters. Quiet laptop work raises different issues from customer visits, staff or stock storage. Where tenants pay their own energy bills, they already fund the extra consumption. 

"In England, a separate home working fee is not a permitted tenancy charge. An assured tenancy rent increase must follow the statutory process and can be challenged if above market rent.”
 

Can a landlord make you pay a bigger share of the bills?

Landlords should not use working from home as an excuse to impose additional charges, according to one mortgage expert.

Harry Goodliffe, Director at Winchester-based HTG Mortgages, commented: “A tenant at home all day is a great tenant. They heat the place, spot the leak on day one and keep it lived in, and as a landlord myself, I’d take that over an empty house. 

"Rent goes up once a year and can be challenged if it’s above market, bills can only be charged at what they cost, and a working-from-home fee isn’t a permitted payment. Landlords asking for one are counting on tenants not knowing that. Ask for it in writing, pay what the contract says, and I’d expect most of these requests to disappear.”

Is working from home the same as running a business from a rental?

For many home workers, working remotely is different from running a business from a rental property.

Tracey Dixon, Buy-to-Let Mortgage Specialist & Owner at Cardiff-based Pure Mortgage and Protection, commented: "Landlords should budget for a home being occupied, rather than price it on the assumption their tenant disappears for nine hours a day. 

"Working patterns vary, and a bills-inclusive tenancy needs to account for reasonable household use. If tenants pay their own energy bills, they already cover the extra consumption. In England, a separate working-from-home fee is not a permitted tenancy charge, and rent increases must follow the proper legal process.

“Where landlords recover utility costs, the tenancy terms and actual bills matter; an arbitrary surcharge is no substitute for evidence. From a mortgage perspective, answering emails at home raises different questions from running a business with customer visits, stock or alterations. 

"Check the mortgage and insurance conditions against the actual activity. Tenants should request any demand and its cost breakdown in writing, check their agreement and seek advice from Shelter or Citizens Advice while continuing to pay their existing rent."

How much does working from home add to energy bills?

Landlords should not impose extra charges without evidence, one expert said.

Nouran Moustafa, Practice Principal & IFA at Roxton Wealth, commented: "Since when did opening a laptop in your living room become an optional extra that landlords can charge for? I'm all for protecting landlords' rights, but let's not confuse recovering genuine costs with inventing another income stream.

“A 50W laptop used for eight hours costs roughly 11p in electricity. Additional heating could cost considerably more, but that needs to be evidenced, not guessed.

"Under England's rules, landlords cannot simply invent a working-from-home fee. Rent increases must follow the statutory process, while separately charged utilities must reflect actual costs.

“Ordinary remote working is also different from operating a business with customers visiting the property. My advice to tenants? Request a written breakdown, check your tenancy agreement and challenge unjustified charges. A tenant's kitchen table isn't a commercial office simply because there's a laptop sitting on it."

What should you do if your landlord asks for more?

With a host of new regulations stemming from the Renters' Rights Act, and the potential for fines, one expert says any landlord request should be in writing.

Harvey Dhillon, Founder & CEO at Zmartly, commented: "The best yardstick is HMRC's own: £6 a week, or £26 a month, for the extra household costs of working from home. An employer can pay that tax-free without proof. Anything more has to be backed by the actual bills. 

"Even when employees could claim tax relief on it themselves, rent was excluded, because the home is used privately too. So for an employee, a rent rise blamed on home working fails the tax office's own test. Where the energy account is in the tenant's name, they already pay for every extra unit.

“Since April, employees can't claim that relief at all, so a renter whose employer pays nothing carries that cost alone. If you're asked for more, get the request and the figure in writing, then check whose name the bills are in. 

"If you work from home by arrangement with your employer, ask them to pay the £6 tax-free. If it's a rent rise, insist on the formal notice: in England rent can only rise once a year, and a rise above market rent can be challenged."