Notice Of Intent To Raise Rent Template for England and Wales

A Notice Of Intent To Raise Rent is a legally required document that you must serve on your tenants before implementing any rental increase on residential properties in England and Wales. This formal notice ensures compliance with statutory requirements and protects both your rights as a landlord and your tenant's right to adequate notice of rental changes.

When do you need this document?

You need this notice whenever you want to increase rent on an Assured or Assured Shorthold Tenancy outside of pre-agreed increases specified in your original tenancy agreement. This applies whether you're managing a single rental property or overseeing multiple units through a property management company. The notice is required for both periodic tenancies and fixed-term agreements that have become periodic. You cannot increase rent more than once per year without tenant agreement, and any increase must reflect fair market rates. This document is also necessary when rent review clauses in existing agreements require formal notification procedures.

Key legal considerations

Your notice must include specific mandatory information to be legally valid. You must clearly state your full details as landlord or managing agent, complete tenant information, the property address, current rent amount and payment frequency, proposed new rent, and the effective date of increase. The notice period you provide must align with your tenant's rental payment periods - typically one month for monthly tenancies. You cannot implement arbitrary increases; the new rent must reflect reasonable market rates for similar properties in the area. Failure to provide proper notice or attempting to increase rent too frequently can result in the increase being legally unenforceable and may constitute harassment of tenants.

Legal requirements in England and Wales

Under the Housing Act 1988 Section 13, you must use Form 4 notice for Assured and Assured Shorthold Tenancies, though equivalent notices containing the same information are acceptable. In Wales, additional requirements apply under the Rental Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which may impose stricter notice periods and procedural requirements. You must serve the notice properly - either by hand delivery, recorded delivery post, or other methods specified in your tenancy agreement. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 establishes that tenants can challenge unreasonable increases through a First-tier Tribunal, so ensure your proposed increase reflects genuine market conditions. Welsh properties may require longer notice periods and additional tenant protection measures, so verify specific Welsh requirements if your property is located there.