Renters' Rights Act 2025
How can a landlord increase rent under the Renters' Rights Act 2025?
For most private assured tenancies in England, the Renters' Rights Act 2025 means a landlord can increase the rent only once in any 12-month period, and has to do it through the statutory process, using the correct form and giving the required notice. A tenant who believes the proposed rent is above the market rate can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal before it takes effect. A separate rule caps rent in advance at one month. Here is how each part works for renters and landlords.
This guide covers England, and it is general information rather than legal advice. The rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the exact form, notice period and deadlines are set out on GOV.UK, so check there for the current detail before you rely on any of it.
The once-a-year rule
Under the Act, the rent on a periodic assured tenancy can be increased once in a 12-month period. The days of a rent-review clause in an old agreement setting automatic rises are, for these tenancies, replaced by a single statutory route. That gives both sides a clear rhythm: one properly notified increase a year, rather than changes that arrive at unpredictable times. This sits alongside the wider move to periodic tenancies that came in on 1 May 2026. Some arrangements sit outside these rules, such as certain social tenancies, licences to occupy and some resident-landlord lettings, so check the current GOV.UK guidance for your tenancy type.
How an increase has to be done
To raise the rent, a landlord uses the statutory process. In practice that means serving the correct notice, in the prescribed form, and giving the tenant the required notice period before the new rent starts. The increase cannot be backdated, and it takes effect from the date set out in the notice, not before. Because the process is prescribed, getting the form and the timing right matters, and the current GOV.UK guidance sets out the exact form and notice period to use.
Challenging an increase at the Tribunal
A tenant who thinks a proposed increase is above the going rate does not simply have to accept it. Where the landlord has used the statutory process, the tenant can refer the increase to the First-tier Tribunal before it takes effect. The Tribunal considers what the property would reasonably let for on the open market and decides the rent on that basis. If you disagree, the usual route is to use that challenge process and to keep paying the existing rent in the meantime, since withholding rent can create its own problems. Knowing local comparable rents helps both sides have a grounded conversation before it ever reaches that stage.
Rent in advance is capped separately
The Act also limits rent in advance. As a general rule, a landlord cannot require more than one month's rent up front, and cannot require any rent to be paid before the tenancy agreement is signed. Rent in advance is a different thing from a holding deposit, which is capped separately and can be taken to reserve a property while the paperwork is sorted. If you want the wider picture of what a landlord can and cannot ask you to pay, see our guide to whether a landlord can charge you for referencing.
What renters and landlords should keep in mind
For renters, the takeaway is that increases are limited, notified and challengeable, so you have both warning and a route to question a figure that looks too high. For landlords, the takeaway is that the process is prescribed, so the form, the timing and the records behind a proposed rent all matter. Either way, keeping your own paperwork in order makes the yearly step straightforward. For the full context, see the Renters' Rights Act 2025, explained in plain English, and you can read how VEYLO X works for landlords and for renters.
Common questions
How often can a landlord increase the rent?
For most private assured tenancies in England, once in any 12-month period, through the statutory process rather than a rent-review clause. Some kinds of letting work differently, so check GOV.UK.
How much can the rent go up by?
There is no fixed percentage cap. A landlord can propose an increase in line with the market rent, and a tenant can challenge a proposed rent they think is too high at the First-tier Tribunal, which decides what the property would reasonably let for.
Can a tenant challenge a rent increase?
Yes, at the First-tier Tribunal, before the increase takes effect, where the landlord has used the statutory process. Keep paying the existing rent while any challenge is under way, and check GOV.UK for the deadlines.
How much rent in advance can a landlord ask for?
As a general rule, no more than one month's rent, and none of it before the tenancy agreement is signed. Rent in advance is separate from a holding deposit, which is capped on its own terms.
Sources
The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts. How we write these guides.