Assured periodic tenancies: a guide for tenants
Rent increases
Your landlord must follow the correct rules to increase your rent.
When your landlord can increase your rent
If you have an assured periodic tenancy, your landlord can only increase your rent once a year. They cannot increase your rent in the first year of your tenancy.
The landlord must give you at least 2 months’ notice if they want to increase your rent. They’ll need to do this by giving you a completed form 4A: Landlord’s notice proposing a new rent. This is known as the ‘section 13 process’.
Your landlord can give you notice in the following ways: 
- in person 
- by post 
- by email (if that’s allowed in your tenancy agreement) 
If you do not agree with the increase
The First-tier Tribunal may be able to help you if you think the rent increase is higher than the ‘open market rent’. The open market rent is the rent that your landlord would expect to receive if they were to relet the property on the open market.
If your landlord gave you notice of a rent increase before 1 May 2026
If they used form 4, the notice period and rent increase stated in the form will still apply, even if the new rent starts after 1 May 2026.
If you think the rent is too high, you can still challenge it by going to the First-tier Tribunal.
Your landlord cannot increase the rent until at least a year after the last increase took effect. This applies if they either:
- increased the rent by giving you notice using form 4
- used a rent review clause in the tenancy agreement to increase the rent
Example
Your landlord gave you notice that your rent will be increased from 1 February 2026.
The next rent increase cannot come into effect until 1 February 2027.
If your landlord gave you notice using a rent review clause
If the increase was agreed before 1 May 2026 but takes effect after 1 May 2026, the increase will not apply.