Rent increase notice: can my landlord increase my rent?

What is a rent increase notice?

It is Form 4A, “Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent”, sometimes called a section 13 notice after the part of the Housing Act 1988 it comes from. It states the new rent and the date it starts. Your landlord can give it to you in person, by post, or by email if your tenancy agreement allows notices by email.

Is a section 13 notice the same thing?

Yes. Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 is the part of the law that lets a landlord propose a new rent, so a rent increase notice is often called a section 13 notice. Since 1 May 2026 the process has to be used for every increase on an assured periodic tenancy, and the notice has to be on Form 4A.

How much notice does my landlord have to give?

At least two months. The new rent can’t start until two months after you receive the notice, at the earliest.

How often can my rent go up?

Once a year. And not at all in the first year of a new tenancy, so the earliest a new tenancy’s rent can rise is after its first 12 months.

Is there a limit on how much my rent can go up?

There is no percentage cap, and it isn’t tied to inflation. The limit is the market: if you think the new rent is higher than the landlord would get by letting the home on the open market, you can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide.

Work out the increase in pounds and percent — what it costs you a month and a year.

How do I know if my rent increase notice is valid?

Check four things: it is on Form 4A; it gives at least two months’ notice; the tenancy has run for at least a year; and your rent hasn’t already gone up in the last year. If any of these fails, the notice may not be valid — get advice before you pay the new rent.

Free advice: Shelter or Citizens Advice.

My tenancy agreement has a rent review clause. Does it still apply?

No. Since 1 May 2026, rent can only be increased through the Form 4A process. Rent review clauses, and other ways of raising the rent written into an agreement, are no longer permitted.

Other terms in older agreements that no longer apply.

Do I have to agree to a rent increase?

You don’t have to sign anything. If the notice is valid and you don’t challenge it, the new rent applies from the date it gives. If you think it is above the market rent, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal instead — but you must apply before the new rent is due to start.

We agreed a new rent by text. Is that enough?

Agreeing an amount is not the same as the rent lawfully changing. On an assured periodic tenancy the section 13 process has to be followed for each increase, on Form 4A with at least two months’ notice, even where you have already said yes to the figure. If you are asked to pay more without that notice, ask for it before you change your standing order.

How do I challenge a rent increase?

Apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) on form MR1 before the start date in the notice. The fee is £47, with help available if you have a low income or few savings. The tribunal decides the open market rent for the home, using evidence from you and your landlord.

• You will never pay more than your landlord proposed: the tribunal can’t set a higher rent.
• The new rent isn’t backdated. It starts on the date in the notice or, if the tribunal decides after that date, from the next rent day after its decision.
• If paying from that date would cause you hardship, you can ask the tribunal to delay it by up to two more months.

Apply for an open market rent determination on GOV.UK.

What do I pay while the tribunal decides?

Keep paying your existing rent as normal. Challenging the increase does not put the tenancy on hold, and stopping or underpaying creates arrears, which is a ground your landlord can use against you. Pay the old rent until the new one lawfully starts, and keep the record of every payment.

What evidence helps show the rent is too high?

Rents for similar homes nearby are usually the most useful evidence: the same size and type of property, in the same area, advertised now. Compare like with like, because bedrooms, condition, furnishings, outdoor space and whether bills are included all move the figure. The home’s condition matters too, including repairs your landlord hasn’t done. Official averages for the area are useful background.

Average rent by postcode gives the official figure for your area and home size. Complete RenterCheck compares your rent with similar homes advertised nearby. An advert shows what a landlord asked for, not what a tenant agreed to pay, so it is evidence rather than proof — which is why a long-advertised home at a high price tells you something too.

Can my landlord evict me for challenging a rent increase?

Since 1 May 2026, landlords can’t use section 21 “no fault” evictions. To end a tenancy they need a legal ground, such as selling the home or serious rent arrears, and must follow the court process. If your landlord threatens to evict you for challenging an increase, get advice straight away.

What if my notice was served before 1 May 2026?

A notice given on the old Form 4 before 1 May 2026 still takes effect, with the notice period and rent it states, even if the new rent starts after that date. You can still challenge it at the tribunal, and the £47 fee is waived for notices dated before 1 May 2026.

Does this apply to me?

It covers most private tenants in England, whose tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. Different rules apply to lodgers, social housing tenants, regulated (pre-1989) tenancies, and to renters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Should I move instead?

Compare the new rent with what similar homes cost, and remember the cost of moving itself: a deposit of up to five weeks’ rent and the first month’s rent upfront. If the increase still leaves you paying less than moving would, staying and budgeting for it may be the better choice.

How much rent can I afford? · The money you’d need upfront to move