Landlord rent increase rules: how to raise rent correctly

For assured periodic tenancies in England, you can only increase the rent once a year, and not in the first year of the tenancy. You must use the section 13 process by serving Form 4A and giving at least 2 months’ notice. If the tenant disagrees, they can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide the rent.

Do these landlord rent increase rules apply to your tenancy?

The process below is taken from government guidance that applies to assured periodic tenancies (APTs) in England only. The rules are different in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and there are different rules for regulated tenancies.

The starting point is to confirm what type of tenancy you have. Government guidance says the most common type of tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy (APT). It also explains when a tenancy is, and is not, an APT.

• An APT is where all of the following apply: you do not live in the property, the property is the tenant’s main accommodation, and tenants have their own room (they might share a bathroom or kitchen with other tenants).
• A tenancy cannot be an APT if, for example, you live in the property, it is purpose-built student accommodation in certain circumstances, the tenancy has a fixed term of over 21 years, the rent is more than £100,000 a year, or the rent is less than £250 a year (or less than £1,000 in London).
• Tenancies starting before 15 January 1989 may be regulated, and the guidance flags that there are special rules for changing rents for regulated tenancies.

If you are not sure what tenancy you have, the government guidance points you to Shelter’s tenancy checker.

When can you increase the rent?

For assured periodic tenancies in England, the government guidance is clear on the timing.

• You can only increase the rent once a year.
• You will not be able to increase the rent in the first year of the tenancy.

There is also an important “cooling off” rule after a previous increase. You cannot increase the rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect. The guidance says this applies if you either increased the rent by giving your tenant notice using form 4, or used a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement to increase the rent.

The guidance gives an example: if you gave notice that the rent will be increased from 1 February 2026, the next rent increase cannot come into effect until 1 February 2027.

How do you increase rent lawfully, step by step?

The government guidance says you must follow the correct rules if you want to increase your tenant’s rent, and that you need to use the section 13 process.

1. Talk to the tenant first. The guidance says you should first discuss any rent increase with your tenant to make sure it is suitable for both parties.
2. Complete Form 4A. You will need to complete “form 4A: Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent”. The guidance notes that the form includes guidance on how to use it to tell your tenant you are increasing the rent.
3. Give at least 2 months’ notice. You must give notice to your tenant by giving them the completed form at least 2 months before you want the rent increase to start.
4. Use section 13 every time. You need to follow the section 13 process every time you increase the rent, even if you have already agreed the increase with your tenants.
5. Serve the notice in an accepted way. The guidance says you can give your tenant notice in person, by post, or by email (if that is allowed in the tenancy agreement).

This is a process point that often gets missed in practice: even where you have a friendly agreement with the tenant, the guidance still says you need to serve Form 4A and follow section 13 each time.

What can the tenant do if they do not agree with the rent increase?

If your tenant does not agree, they are not limited to simply accepting it or moving out. The guidance says that if the tenant thinks the rent increase is higher than the open market rent, they can ask the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) to decide what the new rent should be.

The guidance defines open market rent as “the rent that you would expect to receive if you were to relet the property on the open market”.

From a landlord point of view, that means your paperwork and your reasoning matter. If you get challenged, you will want to be able to explain how you arrived at the proposed rent, because the tenant has a clear route to ask the Tribunal to decide.

What if you gave notice of a rent increase before 1 May 2026?

The government guidance includes transitional rules for notices served before 1 May 2026.

• If you used form 4 to give notice of a rent increase before 1 May 2026, the notice period and rent increase stated in the form will still apply. This is true even if the new rent starts after 1 May 2026.
• If the tenant thinks the rent is above the open market rent, they can still challenge it by going to the First-tier Tribunal.

The guidance also repeats the “once a year” limitation in this context: you cannot increase the rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect, even if the last increase took effect before 1 May 2026.

Can you use a rent review clause instead of section 13?

The government guidance deals directly with rent review clauses around the 1 May 2026 change.

• You cannot increase the rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect. This applies if you used a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement to increase the rent.
• If the increase was agreed before 1 May 2026 but takes effect after 1 May 2026, the increase will not apply.

The key practical point is that you should check how the previous increase was implemented, because it affects whether you are allowed to bring a new increase into effect.

Common admin checks before you serve Form 4A

The guidance focuses on the section 13 steps, but there are a few admin checks that follow directly from it. These help you avoid avoidable arguments and delays.

• Confirm the tenancy is an assured periodic tenancy in England. The rent increase guidance is explicitly limited to assured periodic tenancies in England.
• Check it is not the first year of the tenancy. The guidance says you will not be able to increase the rent in the first year.
• Check the date the last increase took effect. The guidance says you cannot increase rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect, including where you previously used form 4 or a rent review clause.
• Check your tenancy agreement for email service. The guidance allows email service only if that is allowed in the tenancy agreement.
• Be ready for an open market rent challenge. The guidance says the tenant can ask the First-tier Tribunal to decide if they think it is above the open market rent.

Does the landlord and tenant have to agree changes to the tenancy agreement?

Separate from rent increases, the APT guidance says that both you and your tenant must agree to any changes to the terms of the tenancy agreement.

That does not replace the rent increase process. The rent increase guidance says you need to follow the section 13 process every time you increase the rent, even if you have already agreed the increase with your tenants.

However you manage your lettings, keeping the key dates, notices and documents together helps you stay consistent across each rent increase.