Procedure for increasing rents in England

During a tenancy, the landlord may wish to increase the rent paid by the tenant. The rent increase method will depend on the type of tenancy. This factsheet describes the procedure for increasing rent for assured tenancies within the private rented sector under section 13 Housing Act 1988 (HA 1988)

Background and Scope:

Prior to the introduction of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (RRA 2025), landlords were able to agree a rent increase with the tenant, include a rent increase clause within the tenancy agreement or use the section 13 rent increase procedure to increase the rent on an assured shorthold tenancy.

Since the abolition of assured shorthold tenancies under the RRA 2025 the rent increase procedure for assured tenancies has now changed. From the 1^st May 2026 landlords must serve a rent increase notice on an assured tenant (known as a section 13 notice – Form 4A) if they wish to increase the rent. See Section 13 below.

For common law tenancies (e.g. those that do not fall within the Housing Act 1988, such as tenancies with rent over £100,000 per annum or lettings where the tenant is a company) a landlord can include a rent increase clause within the tenancy agreement setting out how and when the rent will be increased. Any such clause should be fair and make it clear to the tenant how the rent increase will be calculated.