Rent increases for private tenants
Rent review clauses
Some tenancy agreements have a rent review clause.
This is a term in a fixed term or rolling tenancy that says:
when the rent can go up
how much it can go up by
how much notice you must get
Not all tenancy agreements have a rent review clause.
Rent review clause examples
A rent review clause might be quite general:
"The landlord will review the rent in April each year and give the tenant 1 month's notice of any increase".
Or it could be more specific:
"The rent will increase each April in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI)".
Fixed term tenancies with no rent review
If your agreement does not have a rent review clause, your landlord can only put your rent up during the fixed term if you agree.
Copy our letter template into an email to your landlord if you do not agree with a rent increase.
[Use subject: Rent increase during my fixed term]
You told me that you want to increase my monthly rent to £xxx.
As you are aware, I have a fixed term tenancy until [last day of fixed term]
I have checked my agreement and there is no rent review clause, so my rent cannot be increased at this time.
I do not plan to agree to a rent increase at this stage in the tenancy. This means my monthly rent stays at £xxx.
You could also send it as an email attachment or by post:
Word template: Rent increase during a fixed term (docx 16kb)
OpenDocument template: Rent increase during a fixed term (odt 9kb)
Sending this letter does not stop your landlord using a break clause in your agreement.
Your landlord could give you a section 21 notice if your agreement has a break clause.
Rent review clauses after a fixed term ends
Your landlord cannot use a rent review clause after your fixed term ends unless your agreement says it continues as a contractual periodic tenancy after the fixed term.
If your agreement does not say this then you will have a 'statutory periodic tenancy'. This is the type of AST you have when your fixed term ends.
Your landlord can only put the rent up if you agree, or by giving you a section 13 notice.
Use our letter template to tell your landlord that the rent review clause does not apply.
[Use the subject: Rent review clause in my periodic tenancy]
You told me that my rent will increase to £xxx because of a rent review clause in my tenancy agreement.
I have checked my agreement and my tenancy rights.
I cannot find anything in the agreement that says my tenancy continues as a contractual periodic tenancy. I have a statutory periodic tenancy.
As such, the rent review clause in my agreement no longer applies. My monthly rent stays at £xxx
You could also send it as an email attachment or by post:
Word template: Rent review clause in a periodic tenancy (docx 16kb)
OpenDocument template: Rent review clause in a periodic tenancy (odt 9kb)
Sending this letter does not stop your landlord taking legal steps to evict you.
They could give you a section 21 notice.
Last updated: 8 July 2024
