How often can you increase the rent?

Last updated June 2026

The short answer: once every 12 months

You can increase the rent no more than once every 12 months. Since the Renters' Rights Act 2025 came into force on 1 May 2026, this once-a-year limit applies to every periodic assured tenancy in England, served on a Section 13 / Form 4A notice. Try to raise it sooner and the notice is void.

When the 12-month clock starts

The clock runs from the date of the last increase — specifically the date the last increase took effect — not the anniversary of the tenancy and not the date you served the last notice. If the rent has never been increased, it runs from the start of the tenancy. So a tenant whose rent last rose on 1 September can't have it raised again with an effective date before the following 1 September.

Combine it with the two months' notice

The once-a-year rule and the two months' notice rule stack. You must wait 12 months and give at least two months' notice, with the new rent landing on a tenancy period. In practice that means serving the new notice about two months before the 12-month point, so the effective date lands exactly on or after it.

There's no cap on the amount

Once a year is a limit on frequency, not on size. There's no percentage or CPI cap on the increase itself — the only ceiling is the open-market rent, which the tenant can ask the First-tier Tribunal to check. The tribunal can only keep your figure or lower it, never raise it, and it can't backdate.