Resources For Landlords
How much of a rent increase is allowed for your Guildford property? You may have upgraded your buy-to-let since the tenants moved in, or perhaps time has simply passed, and the rent has drifted below market value.
While the rate you set for your centrally-located flat in Guildford or spacious detached house in Shalford or Bramley was once fair, you now feel it’s time to raise the monthly rent on your property. If you’re unsure how to proceed, read our guide to establish how much you can increase the rent – and if you’re stuck, you can always enlist the help of our lettings team.
Liz Gamlen
Lettings Director
Written By
English landlords must ensure that rent increases on an assured shorthold tenancy are ‘fair and reasonable’, and it’s worth noting that tenants can challenge an unfair increase. A reliable strategy is to consult the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Retail Price Index (RPI) and market rates for similar properties in your area. The rules about rent increases are due to change under the Renters’ Rights Act, and these changes are described later in this article.
Landlords should generally increase the rent in line with market rates, in other words, the rent the property could achieve if you listed it today. For reference, the average monthly rent in Guildford rose by 4.9% between August 2024 and August 2025, according to ONS figures.
The following rules for rent increases apply under the current system, and will change once the key measures from the Renters’ Rights Bill takes effect from 1st May 2026.
Under a fixed-term tenancy, you can increase the rent if the tenancy agreement permits this through a rent review clause, by mutual agreement with the tenant, or once the fixed-term ends.
Any rent review clause within the agreement should outline:
If you opt to raise the rent by mutual agreement with the tenant, the original tenancy agreement should be amended, and a written record of the agreed increase should be signed and dated by all parties.
For a periodic tenancy (rolling on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis), the landlord can usually increase the rent once per year. If they want to raise the rent again before another year has elapsed, then they should mutually agree to the increase with the tenant. There are slightly different rules depending upon the type of periodic tenancy agreement.
This tenancy type occurs when the agreement specifies that the tenancy will continue as periodic after the fixed-term. If there’s a rent review clause in the original agreement, it continues to apply under the contractual, periodic tenancy, and the landlord must follow its terms.
These arise automatically when a fixed-term ends without a new agreement being signed. Rent review clauses from the original fixed-term agreement don’t carry over to statutory periodic tenancies. Instead, landlords must either reach mutual agreement with the tenant or serve a Section 13 notice to formally propose a rent increase.
Section 13 notices can be used once every 12 months, and can’t be used during the first year of any tenancy. Once the Renters’ Rights Act is enforced, landlords will only be able to raise the rent once per year using a Section 13 notice.
Landlords can only increase the rent once a year for most periodic tenancies, which run on a week-by-week or month-by-month rolling basis. Fixed-term tenancies only allow for rent increases where there is a rent review clause. Otherwise, rent increases may only occur through mutual agreement with the tenant during a periodic or fixed-term tenancy.
The notice period for a rent increase varies depending on the type of tenancy agreement and its terms. If the tenants pay rent weekly or monthly, then you must give one month’s notice or more, whereas for a yearly tenancy, you must give 6 months’ notice of a rent increase. The one-month notice is set to increase to two months under the Renters’ Rights Act.
Yes, you can increase the rent with the tenants’ agreement in a periodic tenancy, or at the end of a fixed-term period. But under new Renters’ Rights Act proposals, landlords would not be able to raise the rent without serving a Section 13 notice.
The Labour government’s Renters’ Rights Act reaches across many areas of rental law, including the rules on rent increases – and these are due to be updated. The Bill has received Royal Assent and is due to become law, and under the proposals:
The government has now laid out their timeline for the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Act, with many of the key measures coming into force on the 1st May 2026.
Establishing how much you can increase the rent takes consideration, and as with so many areas of property rental, it’s easier once you are familiar with the framework.
Are you a landlord in need of guidance on your rental property in Godalming, Normandy or the surrounding areas of Surrey? If so, our specialist property management team can help you set the right rent and advise you on the appropriate rent increases. This is all the more important with the Renters’ Rights Act due to make it harder to raise the rent. A good agent will help you increase the rent in a sensitive manner, ensuring good relations with tenants continue, and that your property remains profitable as the rules change.
Howard Morley & Sons draw from over 60 years of experience in letting and rental property management. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you.
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