How it works

The professional guarantor process, written down.

Q: Are there any add-on fees?

No. The £20 eligibility fee and the one-month-rent guarantor fee are the only charges. No monthly charges, no document fees, no recurring costs.

Five steps from application to documented cover. Eligibility you can read before you apply. Pricing that fits on a single line.

5 step process £20 eligibility check 1 month's rent on approval 12 month cover

Five steps. From application to cover.

Section 01 · Process · OPN-HW-01

Apply online in minutes.

A short application captures the essentials, employment, savings or student route, and the property you want to take. The form is the same whether you are a tenant or referred by your agent. £20 non-refundable eligibility fee.

TimeUnder 10 minutes ResumableYes, your progress is saved Fee£20 eligibility check

Soft check, no impact on credit file.

We assess affordability and credit footprint with a soft check. It does not appear on your credit file and does not affect your score. Where we need a document, we ask once, in writing, with a clear list.

Credit impactNone, soft search only DocumentsAsked once, listed clearly

Decision in hours, on a published framework.

Most tenants receive a decision within hours. Our eligibility framework sits below this section and is written for tenants and agents to read before applying. Fewer wasted applications, fewer ambiguous outcomes.

Median decisionSame working day FrameworkPublished, see Section 03

Cover documented and filed with the lease.

On approval, the guarantor cover is documented and issued to the agent or operator, with a copy to the tenant. It sits alongside referencing in the lease pack, not in place of it. The fee is paid once, at the start, by the tenant unless the operator is on a portfolio contract.

DocumentationFiled alongside the lease Backingopndoor as named guarantor FeePaid once, on approval

Twelve months of cover. Renewal options at the end.

The standard product covers an initial twelve-month period from move-in. Most tenancies continue without a guarantor at that point. Where a guarantor is still required, renewal options are agreed in writing at the right time, never auto-billed.

Cover period12 months from move-in Recurring feesNone during cover RenewalAgreed in writing, never auto-billed

One fee. Twelve months of cover. No surprises.

Section 02 · Pricing · OPN-HW-02

Standard tenant fee

1 mo

One month's rent on the property you are moving into, paid once on approval. £20 non-refundable eligibility fee paid up front.

Indicative pricing. Final fee confirmed at decision; varies by property type and tenant tier.

Start application → Operator pricing

Professional guarantor cover from opndoor for the initial twelve-month period
Guarantee documents issued direct to your agent or landlord
Same-day decision in most cases
No impact on the credit file
No monthly fees, no recurring charges
Renewal options available at the end of the cover period

Estimator · OPN-HW-EST

See your fee on a real tenancy

Live

How is the rent quoted?

PCM

£500£10,000

Monthly rent £1,500

Annual rent £18,000

opndoor fee · 1 month's rent £1,500

Maximum tenancy rent £10,000 PCM (£120,000 PA). Fee equals one month of rent on the tenancy. £20 eligibility fee paid separately at application.

Why one month's rent?

The fee scales with the tenancy it is covering. A £750 studio in Sheffield pays a fee proportional to that rent; a £4,000 flat in Zone 2 pays a fee proportional to that one. Same logic, same proportional cost, no fixed slab to argue over.

The standard product covers tenancies up to £10,000 PCM (£120,000 PA). Beyond that, talk to us about a bespoke route. Build-to-rent and PBSA operators on portfolio contracts have a different fee structure entirely.

Talk about portfolio pricing →

Eligibility, published. So no one wastes time.

We would rather tell you up front than collect your details for a no. The list below is the working framework; the full eligibility routes are in your application paprwork.Section 03 · Eligibility · OPN-HW-03

Typically a yes In scope

UK employed, salaried or self-employed, with affordability evidenced
International students with enrolment, sponsor letter or savings route
Tenants without a UK family network or homeowner guarantor
Renters with limited credit history, including new arrivals to the UK
Some adverse credit profiles, assessed on a wider footprint than a standard search
Joint tenants, with combined affordability across the household

Currently a no Out of scope

Live IVAs and undischarged bankruptcies
Very recent CCJs, typically within the last 12 months
Tenancies outside the United Kingdom
Commercial leases and houses in multiple occupation without a per-room arrangement
Cases where the rent materially exceeds documented affordability
Tenants who decline reasonable evidence requests

In context

How this compares to the alternatives tenants are usually offered.

opndoor

Rent in advance

Family guarantor

Cash tied up

One-time fee

Up to one month, post-RRA

None, but a relative is on the hook

Available to most renters

Yes

Capped by law on assured tenancies

Only if you have one

Landlord protection

Professional guarantor

One month buffer

Personal guarantee

Decision time

Hours

Instant if liquid

Days, often weeks

Ongoing cost

None

Awkward conversations

Footnote. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, in force from 1 May 2026, landlords on assured periodic tenancies in England may take a maximum of one month's rent in advance after the agreement is signed. The historic six-months-upfront route remains only for tenancies that fall outside the assured regime, typically rents above £100,000 per annum, which are common-law tenancies.

Frequent questions

The questions tenants and agents ask.

A short selection. The full set lives on the FAQs page.

Is the application fee refundable if my tenancy does not go ahead?

The £20 eligibility fee is non-refundable, it covers the soft check and decision. If we issue a decision and you do not proceed with the tenancy, refund terms on the guarantor fee apply per our terms of service, typically a partial refund within a defined window, less administrative costs. Full detail is in your application paperwork before you pay.

Can the agent or landlord pay the fee instead of the tenant?

Yes. Some BTR and PBSA operators contract with us at portfolio level and absorb the fee into their let-up costs. Speak to the operator team if that is what you are considering.

What happens at the end of the twelve months?

The cover period ends. Most tenancies continue without a guarantor at that point. If a guarantor is still required by your landlord, you can speak to us about renewing; pricing for renewals is published when offered.

Are there any add-on fees?

No. The application fee and the guarantor fee on this page are the only charges. We do not charge for documents, for renewing references during the cover period, or for routine queries.