Before you start

Passport and an eVisa share code
A UK mobile number
A Brighton and Hove address, for a traditional bank
Proof of that address — a tenancy agreement, a council tax bill or an employer letter

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital bank account on day one
Monzo, Starling, Revolut and others verify you from a passport photograph and a short video selfie, without proof of address. You get a UK sort code and account number within hours, which unlocks a tenancy, a salary and a phone contract.
Mobile appWho: YouDay 1
2
Have the deposit liquid before you start viewing
Five weeks' deposit plus up to one month's rent in advance on Brighton rents is a large sum, and lettings here move within a day. Money sitting in a foreign account that takes three working days to transfer is money you effectively do not have. Move it before you look, not when you find something.
Mobile appWho: YouBefore viewing
3
Ask HR for an address letter if you want a high-street bank
Most banks accept an employer letter confirming your address in place of a utility bill. Both universities, the hospital trust and the larger private employers issue these routinely for international staff.
Via employerWho: You
4
Register for Council Tax in your first week
The occupier pays it, not the landlord, and it is billed separately from rent, usually over ten instalments. Brighton's housing sits in higher valuation bands than the northern cities in this set, so the bill is a genuinely significant monthly line. Claim the 25% single-occupant discount or the all-student exemption if either applies — neither is applied automatically.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
5
Set up Direct Debits for everything recurring
Rent, Council Tax, utilities, broadband and your phone all run on Direct Debit here, and paying that way is usually cheaper than the alternative. The Direct Debit Guarantee gives you a strong right to reclaim an incorrect payment from your bank.
Mobile appWho: You
6
Know the legal ceiling on what you can be asked for up front
A deposit is capped at five weeks' rent, and since the Renters' Rights Act a landlord in England cannot demand more than one month's rent in advance. Letting agent fees to tenants have been banned since 2019. In a competitive market landlords still ask for more — six months up front, a guarantor plus advance rent — and in England that demand is now unlawful rather than merely cheeky.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
eVisa share code
Proof of a Brighton and Hove address, for a traditional bank
Employer letter, widely accepted as address evidence
UK mobile number

Things most newcomers don’t know

The five-week deposit cap bites hardest where rents are highest.

The cap is a proportion of rent, not a fixed sum, so five weeks in Brighton is roughly double five weeks in Liverpool. Add a month in advance and a holding deposit and a newcomer needs a substantial amount of cleared money available within days of arriving. This is the most common reason people lose a Brighton flat they had already been offered.

Source: GOV.UK — tenancy deposit protection

Council Tax is your bill, not your landlord's, and it is not in the rent.

In most countries the local property tax falls on the owner. In the UK the occupier pays it, billed separately and usually over ten instalments. Brighton's stock is in higher bands than the northern cities, so this is a bigger surprise here than almost anywhere in this set if you budgeted rent alone.

Source: Brighton & Hove City Council — Council Tax

Landlords still ask for six months up front, and they are no longer allowed to.

Before 2026, asking an overseas tenant with no UK credit history for six or twelve months' rent in advance was standard practice in competitive southern markets. The Renters' Rights Act capped advance rent at one month in England. Some agents have not adjusted their scripts. You can decline, citing the Act, without losing your place in the queue.

Source: GOV.UK — Renters' Rights Act: overview for tenants

Digital banks solved the address circularity and are now the standard route.

High-street banks want proof of an address a new arrival cannot produce, while landlords want a UK account. Monzo, Starling and Revolut open on a passport and a selfie. This stopped being a workaround years ago; it is simply how newcomers get a UK account.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving without the deposit liquid in a UK account, in a market that moves in a day.
Budgeting rent without Council Tax and being surprised by a second housing bill.
Agreeing to six months' rent up front, which is no longer lawful in England.
Not claiming the 25% single-occupant discount or the all-student exemption.
Trying a high-street bank first, before you have any proof of address.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.