Rent reporting if you pay a letting agent or a housemate
By Sam Kane · Last checked 9 October 2026
If you pay rent to a letting agent, rent reporting works in the same way as paying a landlord. Rent paid to a housemate, a partner or a parent does not count, and we cannot use it. Your rent has to go from your own bank account to your landlord, your letting agent or your housing provider.
The short version
- Paying a letting agent: works well. It counts in the same way as paying a landlord.
- Paying your share direct to the landlord or agent: works well, even in a shared house.
- Paying a housemate, a partner or a family member: does not count, and we cannot use it.
- The payment must come from your own account. We can only report rent we can see leave your bank account.
Why the person you pay matters
To report your rent, we need to be sure the payment really is rent. A payment to your landlord, a letting agent or a housing provider is. A payment to a housemate, a partner or a family member could also be a loan repayment, a share of the bills or a gift, so we cannot report it as rent.
Which rent payments we can report
| Who you pay | What to expect | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your landlord | Works well | A regular payment to the person or company you rent from |
| A letting agent | Works well | Agents collect rent for landlords. The payment is clearly rent. |
| A council or housing association | Works well | The payment is clearly rent |
| A housemate, who then pays the landlord | Does not count | The payment goes to a person who is not your landlord |
| A partner | Does not count | The payment may be a share of household costs, not rent |
| A parent or other family member | Does not count | It may not be a tenancy at all |
Paying a letting agent
Many renters pay rent to a letting agent rather than the landlord. That is fine. The agent collects the rent on the landlord’s behalf, so your payment to the agent is your rent payment.
We look for it in the same way. You need regular rent (monthly, every 4 weeks or weekly), a tenancy at least 2 months old, and 2 similar payments to the agent in the last 90 days. See how Report My Rent works.
Living in a shared house
In a shared house, each tenant often pays their own share. If you pay your share straight to the landlord or agent from your own account, that works well. We report the amount you pay. On a joint tenancy, each tenant reports their own share, paid from their own account.
If one person collects everyone’s rent and sends it on, the others send their money to a housemate, not to the landlord. Rent paid to a housemate does not count, and we cannot use it.
If you can, ask your landlord or agent if each tenant can pay their own share directly. It makes each person’s rent easier to report.
Your payment must come from your own account
We can only report rent that leaves your own bank account. If someone else pays your rent for you, for example a parent, we cannot see it in your account. A joint account counts as your own account. If you share a joint account with a partner and the rent goes out of it, we can report it.
Common questions
Can I use rent reporting if I pay a letting agent?
Yes. A payment to a letting agent is your rent payment, and it works in the same way as paying a landlord.
Can I report my share of the rent in a shared house?
Yes, if you pay your share from your own bank account straight to the landlord or letting agent.
What if my rent comes out of a joint account?
That works. Rent paid from a joint account counts, as long as it goes to your landlord or letting agent.
Does my landlord need to agree?
No. You report your own payments from your own bank account. Read do you need your landlord’s permission.