Can My Landlord Increase Rent During a Fixed Term?

Short answer: usually, yes—but your landlord cannot increase the rent simply because your old fixed-term agreement contains a rent review clause.

Since 1 May 2026, most fixed-term assured tenancies in England have become rolling periodic tenancies. For most private assured tenants, the landlord must use Section 13 and Form 4A, give at least 2 months’ notice, and wait until at least 52 weeks after the tenancy began or the last increase took effect.

This guide covers private assured tenants in England. Different rules apply if you are a lodger, rent from a council or housing association, have a regulated tenancy, or received a valid Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026.

What was a fixed-term tenancy?

Before the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, there were two main types of assured tenancy:

• Fixed-term: an agreement for a set period (commonly 6 or 12 months), after which the tenancy either ended, was renewed, or rolled into a periodic tenancy
• Periodic: a rolling tenancy with no fixed end date, monthly or weekly, depending on how rent was paid

During a fixed term, a landlord could only increase rent if the tenancy agreement contained a rent review clause, a contractual provision specifying when and how rent could be changed. Without one, rent was fixed for the duration of the fixed term.

What changed on 1 May 2026

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 abolished the fixed-term assured tenancy. Two changes apply from commencement.

1. Most assured tenancies are now periodic

Most existing assured shorthold and fixed-term assured tenancies in England automatically became rolling periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026. Your tenancy was not terminated. It continues, but the fixed end date no longer applies.

2. Rent review clauses are void

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 provides that rent review clauses in assured tenancy agreements cannot take effect on or after commencement. Even if your agreement contains a clause purporting to allow mid-tenancy increases by reference to a formula, index, or schedule, it has no legal effect.

If your landlord attempts to increase rent by relying on a rent review clause after 1 May 2026, the increase is not lawful. Your obligation is to continue paying the rent that was in place before the attempted clause operation.

How your landlord can now increase the rent

For most private assured tenants, the landlord must use Section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 and the prescribed Form 4A.

The requirements are:

A notice that does not comply with these requirements is invalid. If your landlord serves a defective notice, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal under section 14(A3) of the Housing Act 1988 to have it declared invalid. Your old rent continues as if the notice was never served.

See what makes a Form 4A notice invalid →

What if your landlord is claiming a rent review clause applies?

If your landlord has communicated a rent increase by referring to a rent review clause, whether by letter, email, or by presenting an increased direct debit amount after 1 May 2026, that communication has no legal status as a rent increase notice.

You are not obliged to pay the new figure. Your obligations under the tenancy continue at the rent previously in place.

If your landlord then serves a valid Form 4A, the clock starts from that notice. All the usual rules apply: 2 months’ notice, the 52-week gap, the effective date on a rental period start.

A landlord who relies on a void rent review clause and fails to serve a valid Form 4A in time will simply have to wait longer before any increase can take effect.

Your rights to challenge a valid increase

If your landlord properly serves a Form 4A, you can apply for an open market rent determination before the effective date. The application normally costs £47, although some applications are exempt and help with fees may be available. The tribunal assesses the open-market rent and states when any new rent starts.

If the tribunal decides after the proposed start date, any new rent will usually begin on the next payment date after its decision.

Get free help with an application →

Full guide to challenging a rent increase at tribunal →

What the abolition of fixed terms means for your security

The abolition of fixed-term assured tenancies changes more than just how rent increases work. For most tenants, it also means:

• Your landlord can no longer use the end of a fixed term to remove you
• Section 21 no-fault evictions are abolished
• Your landlord cannot evict you simply because you challenge a rent increase

The periodic tenancy that now governs most private renters gives you a continuing right to remain unless the landlord can establish a statutory ground for possession. A landlord cannot use Section 21 in response to a rent challenge.

See all the changes from 1 May 2026 →

If your landlord is relying on old contract wording, check the notice itself before paying the increased rent.

Appendix: what if the increase was already operating before 1 May 2026?

Rent review clauses operated lawfully under the old rules. If your landlord validly operated a clause before commencement and the new rent took effect before 1 May 2026, that increase stands. The void only applies from commencement.

For notices served before 1 May 2026 but with effective dates after commencement, check what route the landlord used. Government guidance says pre-commencement Section 13 notices continue under the old rules, but rent review clause increases generally needed to take effect before 1 May 2026. If you are dealing with a March or April 2026 notice, keep proof of when it was served and do not let the effective date pass without taking advice or considering a tribunal application.

If your landlord served a valid Section 21 notice before 1 May 2026, transitional rules may also keep the old tenancy and rent-increase rules in place for a limited period. Get individual advice rather than relying on this general guide.