Section 13 rent increase calculator
Two rules decide when a rent rise can start: two months' notice, and no more than one increase every twelve months. Enter the date you plan to serve the notice and the calculator applies whichever binds. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The day the section 13 notice is given to the tenant.
Only needed to check the once-a-year rule.
Enter the date the notice is served to see the dates.
Proplio keeps the rate history for you — add your properties and each period is charged at the rate that was in force.
The rules behind the dates
- One route, for every increase
- Rent review clauses no longer do the work. Every increase in the private rented sector now goes through a section 13 notice, whatever the tenancy agreement says.
- Renters' Rights Act 2025
- At least two months' notice
- The notice must give the tenant at least two months before the new rent takes effect. Two months from service is the earliest the money can change.
- Housing Act 1988, s. 13
- Once every twelve months
- Rent can be increased once a year. If the last increase took effect within the last 12 months, the next one waits for that anniversary even when two months' notice would have expired sooner.
- Renters' Rights Act 2025
- The tenant can go to the tribunal
- A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above market rate can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before it takes effect. The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the one proposed, and its figure applies from the determination rather than being backdated.
- Renters' Rights Act 2025
Common questions
- How much notice is needed to increase the rent?
- At least two months before the new rent takes effect. Two months from the day the section 13 notice is served is the earliest the money can change, and only if the once-a-year rule does not push it further out.
- How often can rent be increased?
- Once every twelve months. If the last increase took effect within the last 12 months, the next one waits for that anniversary even where two months' notice would have expired sooner — whichever of the two rules is later is the one that binds.
- Can I still use the rent review clause in the tenancy agreement?
- No. Rent review clauses no longer do the work, and neither does an increase agreed informally by email. Every increase in the private rented sector now goes through a section 13 notice, whatever the tenancy agreement says.
- What can the tenant do about a proposed increase?
- A tenant who thinks the proposed rent is above market rate can apply to the First-tier Tribunal before it takes effect. The tribunal cannot set a rent higher than the one proposed, and its figure applies from the determination rather than being backdated.
- Does the old rent still apply to periods before the increase?
- Yes. An increase takes effect from the date on the notice and does not reach back — periods before that date are charged at the rate that was in force, which matters when an arrears figure spans a rent rise.
Proplio keeps the rate history for you, so each period is charged at the rate that was in force and an arrears figure spanning a rise still adds up.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Guide to the Renters' Rights Act (rent increases)
- Housing Act 1988, section 13 — increases of rent under assured periodic tenancies
Covers England. The calculator works out the earliest date the increase can take effect; it does not judge whether the proposed rent is the market rate, which is the only thing the tribunal looks at. General information, not legal advice. Related reading: Renters' Rights Act operations checklist.