The only way to raise the rent on an assured periodic tenancy is the section 13 procedure. Rent review clauses, index-linked rises and fixed uplifts in older tenancy agreements no longer work.
The tenant can refer any increase to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber), which decides the open market rent for the property.
What changed
- You can raise the rent once a year, giving at least two months' notice on the prescribed form (Form 4A).
- The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the one in your notice, even if the market rent is higher.
- The tribunal can set a lower rent than you asked for. In some cases it has set rents below what the tenant was already paying.
- A new rent decided by the tribunal starts from the date of its decision, not the date in your notice. It can be put back by up to two months if the tenant would suffer hardship.
What it means for you
- Ask for what you can show is the market rent, with evidence: current adverts and lets for similar homes nearby.
- Expect some tenants to challenge rises simply because it costs them nothing and delays the increase.
- Plan your figures on slower rent growth, and on a gap of several months before any disputed rise arrives.
- Read the tribunal decisions in your area to see how rents are being judged.
See how tribunals are deciding rents
We track First-tier Tribunal rent decisions where the rent was set below what the tenant was already paying.
Read the tribunal decisions