Notice periods sit at the centre of every rent-increase argument in England. They're the easiest thing for a landlord to miss, and the easiest thing for a tenant to use to buy time. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 the rules sharpened — and most of the change favours the tenant.
The short answer
For most private rentals in England, a landlord proposing a rent increase via the statutory route (Section 13) must give at least two months' notice. The new rent has to start at the beginning of a rental period, and the rent can only go up once a year: the new rent can't take effect within 12 months of the tenancy starting or of the last increase.
Anything else — emails, casual conversations, “just letting you know” messages — is an informal proposal. You can accept, counter, or decline. Keep paying your existing rent in the meantime.
Section 13 notice period
The rules in detail:
- Minimum 2 months from the date the notice is served. (Up from 1 month under the previous regime.)
- The new rent date must align with the start of a rental period. If you pay rent on the 1st, the new rent has to start on a 1st.
- The rent can only go up once a year: the new rent can't take effect within 12 months of the tenancy starting or of the last increase. If your last increase took effect 8 months ago, a notice proposing a new rent from next month is premature.
- The notice must be on the prescribed gov.uk form. A letter or email — even if it claims to give 2 months' notice — isn't a Section 13 notice.
Fixed terms and rent review clauses
Under the old rules, Section 13 generally couldn't be used during a fixed term, and the rent could only change mid-term by mutual agreement or under a rent-review clause in the tenancy agreement.
Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, private assured tenancies in England are periodic, and from 1 May 2026 rent review clauses can no longer be used to increase the rent. In practice that leaves two ways the rent can go up: a valid Section 13 notice, or your agreement. If you're unsure how this applies to an older tenancy agreement, check with Shelter or Citizens Advice.
Informal proposals
Your landlord can always ask you to agree to a higher rent informally — by email, in person, by letter. There's no statutory notice requirement for these, because they don't impose anything: they're just a proposal.
Three things to know about informal proposals:
- You don't have to accept. An informal request doesn't change the rent by itself — unless the landlord then serves a formal Section 13 notice. Keep paying your existing rent and reply in writing: paying the higher figure without comment can be argued as agreeing to it.
- You can negotiate. Informal proposals are usually a starting position, and the opening number is often not the final one.
- An informal “notice” doesn't start any clock. Anything formal has to use the prescribed Section 13 form. A casual mention of an increase doesn't require you to challenge it within any deadline.
What counts as “served”
A Section 13 notice has to be properly served on you. In practice that means delivered:
- By hand to you personally;
- By post to the address of the property; or
- By any means specified in your tenancy agreement (some agreements explicitly allow email service).
If your agreement is silent on email service, an email-only Section 13 notice may not be properly served — though a tribunal may treat clear receipt as sufficient, so don't rely on email service alone as a reason to ignore a notice. The safer approach for a landlord is post + email; the safer approach for a tenant is to acknowledge receipt of anything formal that lands in either channel, so the dispute is about the content, not delivery.
Read alongside our pillar guide on what a Section 13 notice contains, our explainer on whether it's legal to raise rent without notice, and the broader rent increase rights in England guide.
FAQ
How much notice does my landlord have to give for a rent increase?
For a Section 13 increase (the statutory route) on a periodic tenancy in England, the minimum notice is 2 months under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. The previous regime allowed 1 month. Outside Section 13, a 'notice' has no statutory force: since 1 May 2026 rent review clauses in tenancy agreements can no longer be used to put the rent up, so an increase needs either a Section 13 notice or your agreement.
Does 2 months mean 60 days or two calendar months?
Two calendar months from the day the notice is served. So a notice served on the 15th of January gives a new-rent start date of no earlier than the 15th of March, and that date also has to align with the start of a rental period.
What happens if my landlord gives less than 2 months' notice?
The Section 13 notice may be defective and may not put up the rent. You can point out the defect in writing; the landlord may then reissue a corrected notice (with a new 2-month clock). Don't simply ignore a notice or let the date pass on the basis of insufficient notice — sometimes apparently small defects are treated as immaterial. Get advice (Shelter or Citizens Advice) and keep treating the date in the notice as your tribunal deadline until an adviser confirms the notice is invalid.
Does an email count as proper notice?
A Section 13 notice has to be on the prescribed gov.uk form. An email saying 'we'd like to increase the rent' isn't a Section 13 notice — it's an informal proposal, which you don't have to accept. Keep paying your existing rent, and reply in writing: paying the new figure without comment can be argued as agreeing to it.
Is it legal to raise rent without notice in the UK?
Generally not. A Section 13 rent increase without the prescribed form and at least two months' notice is likely to be defective, so the new rent may not take effect — but get advice before relying on that, and don't let the date in a notice pass without checking. See our dedicated piece on raising rent without notice for the full position and what to do if it happens to you.