Check if your landlord can increase your rent

Your landlord can only increase your rent once every 52 weeks. This rule applies even if the last time they increased it was before 1 May 2026.

Your landlord can’t increase your rent in the first 52 weeks of your tenancy.

Your landlord can increase your rent based on something called ‘market rates’. This is the average cost of similar properties in your local area.

Check the price of properties in your area so you know how much your rent should be on average. You can do this by looking at similar properties in estate agent windows, or by looking on property search websites.

Check what your landlord needs to do to increase your rent

Your landlord needs to follow strict rules if they want to increase your rent. They can’t use terms in your tenancy agreement or make you sign a new agreement to increase your rent.

Your landlord can only increase your rent if they give you a valid ‘section 13 notice’. You can find the date of your rent increase on your notice.

Your landlord should give your section 13 notice in writing. They’ll usually use ‘Form 4’ if they’re a housing association or ‘Form 4A’ if they’re a private landlord. The form can be different as long as it gives the same details. You can check what Form 4 and Form 4A look like on GOV.UK.

You might be able to negotiate a lower rent with your landlord after they gave you the section 13 notice. This could also include changing the rent increase date.

You don’t have to pay the new rent until your notice period expires.

How much notice your landlord has to give you to increase rent

Your landlord must give you 2 months’ notice. Your new rent must start on the same date when a new period of your tenancy starts.

If your tenancy runs from week to week, your tenancy period is one week. If it runs month to month, your tenancy period is one month.

For example, if your tenancy period is one week and started on a Monday, you need to start paying the new rent on a Monday.

After your rent increases, your landlord can’t increase it again for 52 weeks.

Your landlord was allowed to increase your rent based on something called 'market rates'. This is the average cost of similar properties in your local area.

Your landlord was not allowed to increase your rent during the fixed term of your tenancy unless you agree or your tenancy agreement allowed it.

If you agreed to a future rent increase when you started your tenancy, your landlord was allowed to increase the rent as agreed. You might have agreed verbally or in your tenancy agreement.

If your fixed term tenancy agreement allowed your rent to be increased it has to say when and how this might be done. This is known as having a 'rent review clause'.

If you started an assured shorthold tenancy before 1 May 2026, it probably started as a fixed term agreement.

Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if there's nothing in your tenancy agreement about rent increases during your fixed term and your landlord tries to increase your rent. 

If you signed a new fixed term agreement before 1 May 2026

Your landlord was allowed to increase your rent if you signed a new fixed term agreement when your fixed term ends.

Your new rent had to be included in your new agreement or your landlord had to tell you about the new rent amount before you sign the agreement.

Your agreement didn't say what happens after the fixed term

If you continued to rent, your landlord had to give you notice before they were allowed to increase your rent. They had to use 'Form 4' to give you a section 13 notice. Check what Form 4 looks like on GOV.UK.

Even if there was a rent review clause in your agreement your landlord still had to use a section 13 notice to increase your rent.

Your agreement said your tenancy continues after the fixed term

If you didn't have a rent review clause in your agreement, your landlord was allowed to increase your rent by using use 'Form 4' to give you a section 13 notice. Check what Form 4 looks like on GOV.UK.

If you had a rent review clause in your agreement your landlord usually didn't need to use a section 13 notice to increase your rent.

Notice your landlord has to give you to increase rent

If your landlord had to use a rent review clause, the amount of notice they had to give you depends on what the clause said.

If your landlord had to give you a section 13 notice, the amount of notice they had to give you to increase your rent depends on the length of your tenancy period. If your tenancy runs from month to month then your tenancy period is one month. If it runs quarter to quarter then your tenancy period is 3 months.

You had to start paying your new rent at the beginning of a new tenancy period. For example, if your tenancy period is weekly and started on a Monday, you should have started paying the new rent on a Monday.

You didn't have a fixed term tenancy 

If you didn’t agree to rent your home for a fixed term your landlord was allowed to increase your rent by reaching an agreement with you.

You might have agreed with your landlord when you started your tenancy that your rent could be increased at a certain point. In this case your landlord had the right to increase your rent in the way you agreed - this could be verbally or as your tenancy agreement says.

If you didn’t agree that your rent could be increased during your tenancy your landlord was only allowed to increase your rent by using ‘Form 4’ to give you a section 13 notice. Check what Form 4 looks like on GOV.UK.

Your landlord was only allowed to use a section 13 notice to increase your rent every 52 weeks. The amount of notice they had to give you is the same as the notice for fixed term tenancies.