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 2024 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 Section 13 can only be used once in any 12-month period.
Anything else — emails, casual conversations, “just letting you know” messages — is an informal proposal. You can accept, counter, or ignore.
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.
- Section 13 can only be used once in any 12-month period. If you had a Section 13 increase 8 months ago, a new one served now 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.
During a fixed term
Section 13 generally cannot be used during a fixed-term tenancy. Inside a fixed term, the rent can only change by:
- Mutual agreement (you sign a variation), or
- A specific rent-review clause in your tenancy agreement that provides for it.
Under the Renters' Rights Act 2024, all new private tenancies are periodic by default — so this only really matters for older fixed-term tenancies that are still running.
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. If you do nothing, nothing happens — unless the landlord then serves a formal Section 13 notice.
- You can negotiate. Informal proposals are usually a starting position. Most renewals settle below the opening number.
- 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 in practice most tribunals treat clear receipt as sufficient. 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 and rent increase rights in England.
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 2024. The previous regime allowed 1 month. Outside Section 13, any 'notice' has no statutory force unless you've agreed to a contractual review clause.
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 is defective and doesn't put up the rent. You can point out the defect in writing; the landlord typically reissues a corrected notice (with a new 2-month clock). Don't simply ignore a notice on the basis of insufficient notice — sometimes apparently small defects are treated as immaterial.
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.