Before you start

Passport and an eVisa share code
A UK mobile number
A Portsmouth 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
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. The university, the hospital trust, the port and the larger private employers issue these routinely for international staff — ask rather than waiting for a bill you cannot yet generate.
Via employerWho: You
3
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 or twelve instalments. Portsmouth's stock is mostly Bands A to C, so the bill is lower here than in the South East generally — but it is still a second housing bill. Claim the 25% single-occupant discount or the all-student exemption if either applies; neither is applied automatically.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
4
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
5
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. Landlords still ask overseas tenants with no UK credit file for six or twelve months up front; in England that demand is now unlawful rather than merely cheeky, and you can decline it citing the Act.
OnlineWho: You
6
Check the property's licensing status before you pay a holding deposit
Portsmouth licenses shared houses widely and requires planning permission for any new HMO under a city-wide Article 4 direction. The council publishes an HMO database you can search. A house that should be licensed and is not tells you something about the landlord, and it is a two-minute check.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

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

Things most newcomers don’t know

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. Portsmouth's saving grace is its banding — a dense city of small Victorian terraces sits mostly in Bands A to C — so the bill is genuinely lower here than in Brighton or Reading for a similar life.

Source: Portsmouth City Council — Council Tax

The five-week deposit cap is a proportion of rent, which is why Portsmouth is an easier landing than the rest of the South coast.

Five weeks of a Portsmouth rent plus one month in advance is a materially smaller sum than the same rules produce in Brighton or Reading. For a newcomer arriving with a fixed amount of savings, that difference decides how quickly you can stop paying for temporary accommodation.

Source: GOV.UK — tenancy deposit protection

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 in competitive 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

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.
Paying a holding deposit on a share house without checking it is licensed.
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.