How much can a landlord increase rent in England?

How much can a landlord increase rent?

There is no percentage cap and no maximum amount set by law in England. What limits a rent increase is the open market rent: the rent you would expect to receive if you were to relet the property on the open market. The government’s Information Sheet tells tenants that any rent increase must be no higher than the open market rent.

Nobody checks your figure in advance. The test only bites if the tenant applies to the First-tier Tribunal, which then decides what the open market rent is. If your proposed rent is at or below that level, it stands. If it is above, the tribunal sets the lower figure.

So the honest answer to ‘how much’ is: as much as a new tenant would realistically pay for the same home on the same terms, and no more. The rules below apply to assured periodic tenancies in the private rented sector in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different rules.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases for assured periodic tenancies · GOV.UK: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

How often can rent go up?

Once a year, and not in the first year of the tenancy. GOV.UK states both rules plainly. This applies whatever your tenancy agreement says.

The notes on Form 4A give the detail. The first increase cannot start until 52 weeks have passed since the tenancy began. In most cases any later increase must start at least 52 weeks after the previous one, and in some cases 53 weeks, a rule that stops the date creeping earlier each year. The new rent must also begin on the first day of a tenancy period: if rent is due on the 20th of each month, the new rent starts on a 20th.

Rent review clauses no longer work. The Information Sheet says rent review clauses cannot be used for new rent increases after 1 May 2026, and GOV.UK adds that an increase agreed under such a clause before 1 May 2026 that was due to take effect afterwards does not apply. Every increase now goes through section 13.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases for assured periodic tenancies · GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes) · GOV.UK: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

Section 13 notice: how much notice for a rent increase?

At least two months. You propose the new rent by giving the tenant a completed Form 4A, which is the section 13 notice, at least two months before you want the increase to start. This is called the section 13 process, after section 13 of the Housing Act 1988. The form itself tells the tenant what to do next, including that a tenant claiming Universal Credit or Housing Benefit should report the new rent once it starts.

You must use the process every time, even if you have already agreed the increase with your tenants. GOV.UK says you should first discuss any increase with your tenant so it is suitable for both of you. A text or a letter saying the rent is going up is not a section 13 rent increase notice and does not start the two months.

Getting the form and its dates right is a subject of its own. Our guide to Form 4A and the section 13 rent increase covers the form question by question, and TenancyDesk’s Form 4A generator works out the earliest date the new rent can start for you.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases for assured periodic tenancies · GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes)

A worked example of the dates

Take a monthly tenancy that began on 20 June 2025, with rent due on the 20th of each month and no increase so far. The landlord serves Form 4A on 5 October 2026.

The first year has passed, so the 52-week rule is met. Two months from 5 October is 5 December. The new rent must start at the beginning of a tenancy period, and the next one after 5 December begins on 20 December 2026. That is the earliest start date to put on the form. The next increase could not then start before December 2027.

If the notice were handed over on 25 October instead, two months would run to 25 December and the earliest start date would move to 20 January 2027. Allow time for the notice to arrive if you are posting it, and keep proof of how and when it was served. This is an illustration of the published rules, not a check of your own notice.

Sources: GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes)

What happens if the tenant challenges the rent increase

A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above the market rate can apply to the First-tier Tribunal. The tribunal must receive the application before the start date on your notice. GOV.UK says the tenant must apply by then even if they are still collecting evidence. The application is made on Form MR1 and costs the tenant £47 for a notice dated on or after 1 May 2026.

The tribunal decides what rent the landlord could reasonably expect if the property were let on the open market on the same terms. It can take the condition of the property into account. You will be able to reply to the tenant’s application, so keep your evidence of comparable rents.

While the case is running, the tenant does not have to pay the new amount. Form 4A tells tenants they do not have to pay the new rent until the tribunal has made its decision. The old rent stays payable. If arrears are also an issue, see what to do when a tenant is not paying rent.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases for assured periodic tenancies · GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes) · GOV.UK: apply for a market rent determination

What the tribunal can and cannot do now

The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the one you proposed. Under the Housing Act 1988 as amended by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, the rent it sets is the open market rent if that is lower than the proposed rent, and otherwise the proposed rent. Form 4A tells tenants the same thing: the figure the tribunal reaches might be higher or lower, but the tenant will not be required to pay more than the landlord first proposed.

The new rent is not backdated. If the date on your notice is on or after the date of the tribunal’s decision, the new rent starts on the date in your notice. If your date has already passed by the time the tribunal decides, the new rent starts from the first tenancy period beginning on or after the decision. The rent for the months in between stays at the old level.

The tribunal can also delay the increase where starting it on those dates would cause the tenant undue hardship. The delayed date must fall within two months of the decision.

Sources: Legislation: Renters’ Rights Act 2025, section 7 (challenging rent) · GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes) · GOV.UK: guide to the Renters’ Rights Act

How to choose a figure and serve the rent increase notice

A figure you can support with evidence is less likely to be challenged and more likely to stand if it is. These are practical steps, not a valuation.

• Check the tenancy start date and the date the last increase took effect. Confirm at least 52 weeks will have passed.
• Look at what comparable homes nearby are being let for now, on similar terms and in similar condition. Save the listings with dates.
• Be realistic about condition. The tribunal can take it into account, so outstanding repairs weaken a high figure.
• Talk to your tenant before serving the notice, as GOV.UK recommends.
• Complete Form 4A with a start date that is at least two months away and falls on the first day of a tenancy period.
• Serve it by a method your tenancy agreement allows, or by hand, by leaving it at the address or by registered post, and keep proof.
• Do not change the rent you collect until the start date, or until the tribunal decides if the tenant has applied.
• Record the date the new rent took effect. Your next increase is counted from it.

Sources: GOV.UK: rent increases for assured periodic tenancies · GOV.UK: Form 4A, landlord’s notice proposing a new rent (with notes)

Setting the rent for a new tenancy

Between tenancies you choose the asking rent, and the once-a-year rule starts again with the new tenancy. But the figure you advertise is now a ceiling for that letting. You must state one specific rent and cannot ask for or accept more: see rent in advance and rental bidding rules.

You cannot end a tenancy simply to relet at a higher rent. Section 21 has gone, and a landlord needs one of the legal grounds to end an assured periodic tenancy: see how to evict a tenant in England. The timeline of new landlord rules shows how the rent rules sit with the other 2026 changes.

Sources: GOV.UK: rental bidding · GOV.UK: The Renters’ Rights Act Information Sheet 2026

Common questions