How much notice do you have to give for a rent increase?

Last updated June 2026

The short answer: two months

You must give the tenant at least two months' notice before the new rent starts. That's the minimum set by Section 13 and it applies to every rent increase on a periodic assured tenancy in England since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 took effect on 1 May 2026. Give less than two months and the increase is void.

This is about the notice period — the gap between service and the new rent. It's different from how you serve the notice, which is what actually starts that clock.

When the two months starts

The two months runs from the date the tenant is served — treated as having received the notice — not the date you fill in Form 4A or the date you post it. If you send it by first-class post, service is usually treated as happening two working days later, so the clock starts then. Miscount this and your start date can fall short of the two months, voiding the increase.

It also has to land on a tenancy period

Two months isn't the only date rule. The new rent must also start on the first day of a tenancy period — for a monthly tenancy, your usual rent day. So the earliest lawful start date is usually the first rent day that is at least two months after service, which is often a little more than two months away.

A worked example

Say rent is due on the 1st and you serve the notice by hand on 10 July. Two months from service is 10 September — but that's mid-period. The next rent day on or after that is 1 October, so 1 October is your earliest valid start date. Post it instead of hand-delivering and service slips to about 12 July, but the answer is still 1 October in this case.

Our tool works out the earliest lawful date for you and builds in a small margin for postal service, so the notice can't be voided for being too soon.