What do I do if my landlord wants to increase the rent?

A rent increase is only effective if it is made in one of the ways the law and the tenancy allow. Landlords sometimes simply write and ask, which is a proposal rather than an increase. Knowing which of the three routes you are looking at determines everything else, including whether you have a challenge right and what the deadline for using it is.

Safety

Step by step

1. Identify how the increase is being made.A rent review clause in the existing tenancy, a formal statutory notice, or an invitation to sign a new fixed-term agreement at a higher rent. Each has different consequences.
2. Check the notice is valid.Formal notices must use the right form, give the required notice period, and be correctly served. An invalid notice does not increase the rent.
3. Check where you are in the tenancy.Outside England, during a fixed term the rent generally cannot be increased unless the agreement allows it, and that is often the strongest point a tenant has. In England there are no fixed terms in a private assured tenancy any more: an increase comes by a section 13 notice, once a year, with at least two months' notice. The rules for each nation are set out separately.
4. Research local market rents.Look at comparable properties in the same area, condition and size, currently advertised. Screenshot them with dates. This is the evidence any challenge or negotiation runs on.
5. Reply in writing rather than ignoring it.Silence can amount to acceptance in some routes. A written reply that you are considering it, with a date, keeps the position clear.
6. Negotiate on more than price.A longer fixed term, a smaller increase, agreed repairs, or a delayed start date. Landlords value a reliable tenant staying, and that is real leverage.
7. Get advice on challenge routes, and note the deadline.In England the challenge is to the First-tier Tribunal and it must be made BEFORE the new rent is due to start; since 1 May 2026 the tribunal can no longer set a rent higher than the landlord proposed, which removes the old risk of challenging. Other nations have their own routes and their own deadlines. Shelter and Citizens Advice will tell you which applies to you.
8. Understand the risk honestly.Challenging can, in some cases, result in a rent being set higher than proposed, and the wider relationship matters. Get advice on the specific risk before deciding.
9. Keep paying the existing rent.Do not withhold rent while disputing an increase. Arrears create a separate and much more serious problem.
10. Record what is agreed.Whatever the outcome, get the new rent and start date in writing, and keep it with the tenancy documents.

Tips

• A well-evidenced comparison of five current local listings is more persuasive than any argument about affordability.
• Never stop paying the existing rent. Withholding creates arrears, which are a far bigger problem than the increase.
• Shelter's advice pages are nation-specific and free. Use the one for your nation rather than a general article.

Common mistakes

• Signing a new agreement without reading it — A new fixed-term agreement can change much more than the rent, and it restarts terms you may not want to restart.
• Ignoring a formal notice — Some routes require you to act within a deadline to challenge, and doing nothing can mean the increase takes effect by default.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask