Received a Rent Increase Notice? Your Rights in England

If your landlord has served you a rent increase notice, start with the deadline and the form.

Three things to know right now

• Section 21 cannot be used because you challenged a rent increase. Section 21 “no-fault” evictions are abolished. Your landlord cannot retaliate.
• The tribunal cannot set rent higher than what your landlord proposed. If you challenge at the tribunal, the worst outcome is the rent stays at the proposed figure. It can’t go above it.
• A pending application normally delays the new rent. If the tribunal decides after the proposed start date, any new rent will usually begin on the next payment date after its decision. Follow the date in the tribunal’s decision.

If you thought you were in a fixed-term tenancy

Since 1 May 2026, most private assured tenancies in England are periodic and contractual rent-review clauses cannot be used to increase the rent. Some arrangements, including lodgers, social housing and student halls, follow different rules, and transitional rules can preserve steps taken before 1 May. For an assured periodic tenancy, a landlord normally uses Form 4A and gives at least 2 months’ notice.

If you do nothing, you accept the increase

If you do not challenge before the date on your notice, the new rent takes effect automatically. There is no grace period after that date. If you have concerns, you need to act before the effective date.

Check your notice for red flags

Before deciding what to do, check whether the notice is actually valid. Send us the notice on WhatsApp and we can work through its validity, the proposed rent and your next steps with you. If any of these apply, the notice may have no legal effect and your old rent continues:

• ❌ It’s not on the correct government form
• ❌ The effective date is less than 2 months from when you received it
• ❌ The effective date doesn’t fall on the start of a rental period
• ❌ It’s been less than 52 weeks since your tenancy started
• ❌ It’s been less than 52 weeks since the last rent increase

If you spot any of these, you can apply to the tribunal to have the notice ruled invalid.

Is the proposed rent fair?

Even if the notice is valid, the amount may be too high. Look at what similar properties near you are renting for — sites like Rightmove and Zoopla give you a rough sense of market rates, and the tribunal uses comparable local lettings as its main evidence. If comparable properties are letting for less than the proposed rent, you have grounds to challenge.

Your options

1. Accept: agree to the new rent. It takes effect on the date stated.
2. Do nothing: the new rent takes effect automatically on the proposed date.
3. Challenge it: apply to the First-tier Tribunal before the date on your notice. The application normally costs £47, although some applications are exempt and help with fees may be available. Ask us for help with your application if you want to challenge. The tribunal will decide the open-market rent and tell you when any new rent starts.

For detail on what happens at a hearing, what evidence to submit, and what to expect, see our guide on the tribunal process.

If you’re a new tenant within your first 6 months, the rent you agreed to when you moved in is a separate, time-limited challenge. For the wider legal changes behind the notice, see the plain-English Renters’ Rights Act guide.

If your notice was served before 1 May 2026 with an effective date afterwards, see the transitional guidance — pre-commencement Section 13 notices continue under the old rules, but rent review clauses generally needed to take effect before 1 May 2026.