Rent Increases
At a Glance
From 1 May 2026, landlords of assured periodic tenancies in England must follow a specific legal process whenever they want to increase the rent.
Your landlord must normally use Form 4A, give you at least two months’ notice and wait until at least one year after the tenancy began or the previous rent increase took effect. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements can no longer be used to introduce new increases.
If you believe the proposed rent is higher than the property’s open market rent, or the notice has not been completed correctly, you may be able to challenge it through the First-tier Tribunal. You must act before the date on which the new rent is due to begin.
How Can My Landlord Increase My Rent?
For an assured periodic tenancy in the private rented sector, your landlord must use the statutory section 13 process each time they want to increase your rent.
They must give you a completed Form 4A: Landlord’s Notice Proposing a New Rent.
The form should include:
- Your current rent.
- The proposed new rent.
- How often the rent is payable.
- The date the new rent is intended to begin.
- Details of your landlord and any managing agent.
- Details of certain bills or fixed charges included within the rent.
Your landlord must follow this process even where you have already discussed the proposed increase or indicated that you are willing to accept it. An informal conversation, text message or ordinary letter does not replace the requirement to serve Form 4A.
Can My Landlord Use a Rent Review Clause?
No. Rent review clauses can no longer be used to introduce new rent increases for assured periodic tenancies from 1 May 2026.
This applies even if your tenancy agreement was signed before that date and contains a clause saying the rent will increase annually or according to a particular formula.
Your landlord must instead use Form 4A and follow the section 13 process every time they propose an increase.
When Can My Rent Be Increased?
Your landlord cannot increase your rent during the first year of your tenancy.
The first increase cannot take effect until at least 52 weeks after the tenancy began. After that, further increases must normally be at least 52 weeks apart.
There are detailed rules for weekly tenancies to prevent the increase date gradually moving earlier each year. In some cases, 53 weeks may need to pass between increases.
The new rent must also begin at the start of one of your tenancy periods. For example:
- If your monthly tenancy began on the 20th, the new rent should normally begin on the 20th of a later month.
- If your weekly tenancy runs from Monday to Sunday, the new rent should begin on a Monday.
Your landlord cannot avoid the annual limit by issuing several notices or describing part of the increase as an additional fixed charge.
How Much Notice Must I Receive?
Your landlord must give you at least two months’ notice before the proposed new rent can begin.
The notice may be given:
- In person.
- By post.
- By email, where your tenancy agreement allows documents to be served electronically.
The landlord should be able to prove that the notice was served correctly.
The two-month period is a minimum. Your landlord can give you more notice, but the proposed start date must still comply with the rules governing the first year, annual increases and the beginning of a tenancy period.
How Much Can My Rent Increase By?
There is no fixed percentage cap on an individual rent increase.
However, the proposed amount can be challenged if it is higher than the property’s open market rent.
This means the rent the landlord could reasonably expect to receive if the property were offered to a new tenant on the open market on the same terms.
A landlord does not have to limit an increase to inflation, changes in mortgage costs or a particular percentage. Equally, rising costs do not automatically justify any figure the landlord chooses.
The important question is whether the proposed rent reflects the property’s genuine market value.
What Is the Open Market Rent?
The open market rent is the amount the property could reasonably achieve if it were let to a new tenant on the same tenancy terms.
Relevant factors may include:
- The property’s location, size and type.
- Its overall condition.
- The number of bedrooms.
- Furnishings supplied by the landlord.
- Facilities such as parking, outdoor space or included utilities.
- Repairs, defects or disrepair affecting the home.
- Rental prices for genuinely comparable properties nearby.
Advertised rents can be useful evidence, but an asking price does not necessarily prove what a property is actually worth. The closest comparisons will normally be homes of a similar size, condition and location offered on similar terms.
Is the Rent Increase Notice Valid?
A Form 4A notice may be invalid if, for example:
- The landlord gave you less than two months’ notice.
- The increase is due to begin during the first year of the tenancy.
- Fewer than 52 weeks have passed since the previous increase.
- The new rent does not begin at the start of a tenancy period.
- The landlord used the wrong form.
- Important information is missing or incorrect.
- The form has not been properly signed.
- The notice was not served using a permitted method.
Do not assume that an error automatically cancels the notice. The landlord may dispute your interpretation, and some mistakes may be treated differently depending on the circumstances.
The First-tier Tribunal can consider the legal validity of a section 13 notice. A tenant who only wants to challenge the validity of the notice must currently use the paper MR1 application form rather than the online market-rent application.
What Can I Do If I Disagree?
Start by reading the entire Form 4A and checking the proposed start date.
You can then:
1. Speak to your landlord
Explain why you believe the increase is too high or why the notice may be invalid. You may be able to negotiate a lower amount or agree to delay the increase.
Any revised agreement should be recorded in writing.
2. Gather evidence
Look for comparable properties in the same area and consider differences in size, condition, furnishings and facilities.
Keep copies of:
- The Form 4A.
Your tenancy agreement. - Rental listings.
- Photographs showing the property’s condition.
- Repair reports and correspondence about unresolved defects.
- Any written discussions with your landlord.
Apply to the First-tier Tribunal
You can ask the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the open market rent.
You can also raise concerns about whether the landlord’s notice complies with the legal requirements.
The tribunal must receive your application before the proposed new rent start date shown on Form 4A. It is not enough to post or begin the application on the final day if it does not reach the tribunal in time.
You should also tell your landlord that you have made the application.
Is There a Fee to Challenge the Increase?
For most private tenants challenging a notice served on or after 1 May 2026, the application fee is currently £47 (July 2026).
You may qualify for help with some or all of the fee if you receive certain benefits, have a low income or have limited savings.
There is no fee where the rent increase notice was served before 1 May 2026, and different arrangements apply to social housing cases.
How Does the Tribunal Decide?
The tribunal will decide the rent the landlord could reasonably expect if the property were let on the open market on the same terms.
It may consider:
- Evidence submitted by you and your landlord.
- Comparable local rents.
- The condition of the property.
- The terms of the tenancy.
- Furniture, services and facilities included.
- Its own knowledge and experience of the local rental market.
The rent determined by the tribunal could be lower or higher than the figure it considers appropriate based on the evidence. However, you cannot be required to pay more than the amount originally proposed by your landlord on Form 4A.
The tribunal is not deciding what rent you can personally afford. Its primary task is to determine the property’s open market rental value.
What Happens While I Wait for a Decision?
If you make a valid tribunal application before the deadline, you do not have to begin paying the proposed new amount while you wait for the decision.
You should continue paying your existing rent in full and on time.
The rent determined by the tribunal will usually take effect from the start date stated in the landlord’s notice. This means you may have to pay a backdated difference once the decision is made.
For example, if:
- Your existing rent is £900.
- The notice proposes £1,000 from 1 September.
- The tribunal decides in November that the correct rent is £960.
You may then owe the additional £60 per month from 1 September.
The tribunal may delay the effective date where requiring the tenant to pay from the notice date would cause undue hardship, but you should provide clear financial evidence if you want it to consider this. For a section 13 application, the date can generally be delayed up to the date of the tribunal’s decision.
It is therefore sensible to set aside some money while the case is pending where possible.
What If I Accept the Increase?
If you accept the new rent, make arrangements to pay it from the start date shown on Form 4A.
You may need to:
- Amend your standing order.
- Tell Universal Credit about the change once it takes effect.
- Report the change to your local authority if you receive Housing Benefit.
- Check whether your Local Housing Allowance will cover the higher amount.
Keep the notice and confirmation of any updated payment arrangements with your tenancy records.
What If I Ignore the Notice?
Ignoring a valid Form 4A will not stop the increase.
Unless you agree a different arrangement in writing or submit a tribunal application before the deadline, the proposed rent will normally become payable from the date stated in the notice.
Continuing to pay only the previous amount after that date could create rent arrears.
Do not simply write to your landlord saying that you disagree and assume this pauses the increase. A written objection by itself is not a tribunal application.
Rent Increases Arranged Before 1 May 2026
Special transitional rules apply to increases started under the previous system.
Form 4 Served Before 1 May 2026
Where your landlord validly served the previous Form 4 before 1 May 2026, the notice and proposed increase can still take effect after that date.
You can still challenge the proposed amount through the First-tier Tribunal if you believe it exceeds the open market rent.
Your landlord cannot normally introduce another increase until at least one year after that increase takes effect.
Rent Review Clauses Used Before 1 May 2026
Where an increase under a contractual rent review clause took effect before 1 May 2026, the landlord must normally wait at least one year from that increase before the next increase can begin.
However, where an increase was agreed under a rent review clause before 1 May 2026 but was not due to take effect until after that date, the increase does not apply. The landlord must use the new Form 4A process instead.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming any letter or email is a valid rent increase notice.
- Missing the tribunal deadline while negotiating with the landlord.
- Comparing your home with properties that are significantly different.
- Stopping rent payments altogether.
- Continuing to pay the old rent after a valid increase without challenging it.
- Forgetting that a tribunal decision may apply from the date stated in the notice.
- Assuming the tribunal will decide solely on what you can afford.
- Updating your standing order before checking when the increase lawfully begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can My Landlord Increase My Rent During the First Year?
No. For an assured periodic tenancy, the first rent increase cannot take effect until at least 52 weeks after the tenancy began.
Can My Landlord Increase My Rent More Than Once a Year?
Normally, no. Further increases must generally be at least 52 weeks apart, subject to detailed timing rules for the tenancy period.
Does My Landlord Have to Use Form 4A?
Yes, for a rent increase under the section 13 process for an assured periodic tenancy in the private rented sector.
The process must be followed even if you have informally agreed to the amount.
Can My Tenancy Agreement Automatically Increase the Rent?
No. A rent review clause cannot be used to introduce a new increase after 1 May 2026. Your landlord must use Form 4A.
Is There a Maximum Percentage Increase?
No fixed percentage cap applies. The increase can, however, be challenged if it exceeds the property’s open market rent.
Can I Refuse the Increase?
You can negotiate or challenge it, but simply refusing to pay is not enough.
Unless you reach a written agreement with your landlord or apply to the tribunal before the deadline, a valid increase will normally take effect on the date stated in the notice.
Can the Tribunal Set a Higher Rent Than My Landlord Requested?
The tribunal may assess the market value as higher than the proposed amount, but you cannot be required to pay more than the amount your landlord originally proposed on Form 4A.
Do I Have to Pay the New Rent While the Tribunal Decides?
Not while a valid application is being considered. Continue paying your existing rent.
However, the tribunal’s rent will usually apply from the date stated in the notice, so you may owe the difference afterwards.
Can the Tribunal Consider Disrepair?
Yes. The property’s condition can be relevant when assessing its open market rent.
Provide photographs, reports and correspondence showing unresolved problems. The tribunal will consider the property as it exists and the terms on which it is let.
Can My Landlord Evict Me for Challenging an Increase?
A landlord cannot lawfully evict you simply because you exercised your right to apply to the tribunal.
Section 21 “no-fault” eviction is no longer available. A landlord who wants possession must use a valid statutory ground and follow the proper notice and court process. Challenging an increase does not remove your obligation to continue paying the rent lawfully due.
Key Takeaways
- Most private rent increases must now use Form 4A and the section 13 process.
- Your landlord must give you at least two months’ notice.
- Rent cannot be increased during the first year of the tenancy.
- Increases must normally be at least 52 weeks apart.
- Contractual rent review clauses can no longer be used for new increases.
- There is no fixed percentage cap, but an increase can be challenged if it exceeds the open market rent.
- The tribunal must receive your application before the proposed start date.
- Continue paying your existing rent while the tribunal considers a valid application.
- Be prepared for the tribunal’s decision to apply from the date stated in the notice.
- The tribunal cannot require you to pay more than the amount your landlord originally proposed.
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