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The agent is sitting on your holding deposit: the 7-day rule tenant walkthrough (2026)

A holding deposit is the small payment - capped at one week's rent - that a renter hands over to a letting agent to take a property off the market while referencing runs. In a clean transaction it rolls into the first month's rent. In a messy one, the deal falls through and the agent goes quiet. This walkthrough covers the two clocks (the 15-day deadline for agreement and the 7-day refund clock), the four lawful retention categories under the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the three patterns that drive most unlawful retentions, the chase letter template, and the three escalation routes (Trading Standards, small claims, redress scheme).