Once a year. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, rent on a private assured tenancy in England can only rise once every 52 weeks, proposed on a Section 13 notice (Form 4A), and never within the first 52 weeks of the tenancy.
Once a year, and no more. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 has governed private tenancies in England since 1 May 2026.[6] It keeps section 13 of the Housing Act 1988, amended rather than replaced, as the only lawful route to a rent increase, and it caps that route at once a year.[1][4] For the whole process end to end, see our complete guide to rent reviews under the Act.
What does "once a year" actually mean?
The government's implementation roadmap put the change plainly: "limit rent increases to once a year in the PRS".[5] The statute delivers that through a 52-week rule. Under section 13(2) of the Housing Act 1988, as amended, a proposed new rent can take effect no earlier than 52 weeks after the tenancy's first period began, so there is no increase at all in the first year. Where the rent has gone up before, the next rise can take effect no earlier than 52 weeks after the last one.[1]
Frequency is only one of the timing conditions. Every increase must be proposed on a Section 13 notice on prescribed Form 4A, served at least two months before the new rent starts, and the new rent must begin on the first day of a rent period.[2][3][8] Get any one of those wrong and the notice is open to referral to the tribunal.[3] The notice period has its own article: how much notice a rent increase needs. For the amount rather than the timing, see how much can a landlord increase rent.
| Timing rule | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Frequency | No more than one increase every 52 weeks[1] |
| First increase | Not within the first 52 weeks of the tenancy[1] |
| Minimum notice | At least two months between service and the start date[2][3] |
| Start date | The new rent must begin on the first day of a rent period[3] |
| Anti-drift | If 52 weeks lands more than 6 days before the anniversary date, wait 53 weeks[3] |
What is the 53-week anti-drift rule?
Because 52 weeks is slightly shorter than a calendar year, increase dates would otherwise creep a few days earlier every cycle. Form 4A's guidance notes close that gap:
"In most cases, any further rent increase must be at least 52 weeks after the previous increase. However, the new rent date cannot be more than 6 days before the anniversary of the date given in question 4.4. If it would be, the landlord must wait an extra week (53 weeks in total) before the increase can start."[3]
Question 4.4 of the form records the reference date for that calculation, the date of the first rent increase after 11 February 2003.[3] The practical lesson is to work from recorded dates, not memory.
Can a landlord and tenant just agree an increase in between?
No. Government guidance on the Act is explicit: "rent increases by any other means – such as rent review clauses – will not be permitted."[4] Any tenancy term providing for an increase is of no effect, including an indexation or rent review clause in an agreement signed before 1 May 2026.[2][1]
Agreement still has a place, but only after a notice. Once a notice has been served, landlord and tenant can agree in writing to vary what it proposed: a rent lower than the figure on the notice, no change at all, or a later start date, never a higher figure. The agreement has to be recorded in writing, or the rent on the notice takes effect regardless.[1][3] The notice is always the trigger; a mid-year increase cannot be created by agreement alone.
Do the rules apply to tenancies that started before 1 May 2026?
Yes. Existing tenancies, including fixed-term ASTs, converted automatically to assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, and the same once-a-year Section 13 rules now apply to them.[6][4] The one transitional wrinkle: a Section 13 notice served before 1 May 2026 continues under the old rules until it is resolved.[6]
Scope matters here too. These rules cover private assured tenancies in England only. Social-sector "relevant low-cost tenancies" sit outside Section 13 for now, with similar reforms announced for the social sector in 2027.[1][5] Wales and Scotland run separate regimes.
How should letting agents plan the annual cycle?
With fixed terms and renewals gone, the annual Section 13 cycle is now the rent review process for your whole managed portfolio.[4] Missing a window costs money. If a tenant challenge delays the increase, it is never backdated, and the old rent stays payable until the tribunal decides.[7][3]
Three dates drive everything: the tenancy start date, the date of the last increase, and the rent-period day. MarketRent tracks those dates for every tenancy, flags reviews ahead of the window, and enforces the statutory constraints when you serve a notice, blocking invalid dates against the 52-week rule, the rent-period start date, and the notice length. Completed reviews resurface automatically when the next one falls due. For a reference point on any property before you start, try the Free Rent Indexation Tool.
This article is general information for letting agents in England, not legal advice.
Sources
- Housing Act 1988, section 13 (as amended by the Renters' Rights Act 2025)
- Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 6 (increases of rent)
- Form 4A, landlord's notice proposing a new rent, with guidance notes (GOV.UK)
- Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (MHCLG, GOV.UK)
- Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025, implementation roadmap (MHCLG)
- The Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/421)
- Renters' Rights Act 2025, section 7 (challenging amount or increase of rent)
- Assured tenancy forms (GOV.UK)