Thursday, 17 September 2026
A message arrives from the landlord.
The rent is going up.
For tenants, the immediate reaction is understandably financial: Can I afford the new amount?
But since the private rental reforms took effect in England on 1 May 2026, there is another question worth asking first:
Has the rent increase been proposed correctly?
The Renters' Rights Act changed the way rent increases operate for assured periodic tenancies. Landlords cannot simply change the monthly payment whenever they choose.
Rent increases now follow a defined process
Most existing assured short hold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies on 1 May 2026, while new qualifying private tenancies generally enter the same periodic system.
Under the new framework, landlords generally use the statutory Section 13 process when increasing rent.
The proposed rent must reflect what the landlord believes the property could reasonably achieve on the open market, and increases are limited in frequency.
For tenants, this provides a more structured process than receiving an informal message saying that another £300 will be added from next month.
Market rent does not mean whatever somebody asks for
This distinction matters.
A landlord may believe a property is under-rented compared with similar homes nearby. That can provide a legitimate reason to review the rent.
But the relevant comparison is the market.
What are genuinely comparable properties achieving?
A renovated two-bedroom apartment beside a station may not be a sensible comparison for an older property twenty minutes away simply because both contain two bedrooms.
Condition, location, size and facilities matter.
So does the difference between an advertised asking price and the rent properties are realistically capable of achieving.
What if the tenant thinks the increase is too high?
The new system preserves a route for tenants to challenge a proposed increase through the First-tier Tribunal where they believe it exceeds the market rent.
That does not mean every increase should automatically be challenged.
It means tenants have a formal mechanism where there is a genuine disagreement over market value. Government guidance on the 2026 reforms explains the rent-increase framework and tenants' ability to challenge an increase.
Evidence becomes useful here.
Comparable local properties can provide context, particularly where they genuinely resemble the tenant's home.
A rent increase can still become a conversation
Legal procedure does not prevent communication.
A landlord may have legitimate reasons for reviewing the rent after a long period without an increase. The tenant may also have circumstances worth discussing.
Perhaps the tenant has maintained the property well and remained for several years. Perhaps the landlord values continuity. Perhaps an increase is justified but the proposed amount would make the tenancy unsustainable.
Not every rent discussion needs to become a dispute.
Understanding the legal process simply ensures the conversation begins from the correct position.
The cheapest rent is not always the cheapest decision
Tenants considering whether to remain should calculate more than the difference between the old and new rent.
Moving has costs.
There may be removal expenses, time off work, a new deposit to arrange while waiting for the previous one to be returned, different commuting costs and the inconvenience of rebuilding everyday routines.
Equally, remaining in a property that has become substantially more expensive than comparable alternatives may make little financial sense.
The correct decision depends on the whole household budget.
Rent should not become a mystery number
The 2026 reforms were designed partly to create a clearer and more predictable rental system.
For tenants, that means a rent increase should not simply appear as a new figure with no process behind it.
There should be notice.
There should be a lawful procedure.
And where the proposed amount genuinely appears out of line with the market, there is a mechanism for challenging it.
Knowing those rules does not make rent increases pleasant.
It does make them easier to understand.
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