How much can a landlord increase rent? The rules explained

Having your rent go up is never ideal, but now more than ever, it’s the last thing any tenant wants as they try to juggle the cost of bills, food and everyday life.

Whether your monthly rent is now an extra £50 or you want to prepare as much as possible for if the time comes, you might be wondering how much your landlord can increase it – let’s find out.

It’s important to note the following advice is for private rentals only.

Meet Oscar* - he’s a veteran who’s been signed off work due to ill health. He’s on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), but it doesn’t cover his rent.

Before Oscar moved into his flat, he was homeless. Now he’s in a negative budget every month and falling behind on his rent. pic.twitter.com/wLqvePq6ds

— CitizensAdvice (@CitizensAdvice) July 2, 2024

What is the most a landlord can raise rent?

“For a periodic tenancy (rolling on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis) your landlord cannot normally increase the rent more than once a year without your agreement,” explains GOV.UK.

“For a fixed-term tenancy (running for a set period) your landlord can only increase the rent if you agree. If you do not agree, the rent can only be increased when the fixed term ends.”

The general rules around rent increases for any tenancy are as follows:

• your landlord must get your permission if they want to increase the rent by more than previously agreed
• the rent increase must be fair and realistic, which means in line with average local rents

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Therefore, there is no standard price on how much a landlord can increase your rent.

“If the tenancy agreement lays down a procedure for increasing rent, your landlord must stick to this,” GOV.UK continues.

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Otherwise, your landlord can:

• renew your tenancy agreement at the end of the fixed term, but with an increased rent
• agree a rent increase with you and produce a written record of the agreement that you both sign
• use a ‘Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent’ form, which increases the rent after the fixed term has ended

GOV.UK adds: “Your landlord must give you a minimum of one month’s notice (if you pay rent weekly or monthly). If you have a yearly tenancy, they must give you 6 months’ notice.”