Resources · Section 13
Rent Increase Notice Period 2026
- From 1 May 2026, a landlord must give at least two months’ noticebefore a rent increase takes effect — doubled from one month.
- The effective date must fall on the first day of a new tenancy period— it cannot be mid-period.
- A notice with too short a notice period, or a misaligned effective date, is void. The increase does not take effect.
- The notice must also take effect at least 52 weeks after the previous increase.
Serving a Section 13 notice with the wrong notice period is one of the most common reasons a rent increase fails. Since 1 May 2026 the minimum is two months — and the effective date must align precisely to the tenancy period. This page sets out the rule, how to count it correctly, and what happens when the notice falls short.
Two Months from the Date of Service
Under section 13 of the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025), the date on which the new rent is to take effect must not be earlier than two months after the notice is served. For all assured periodic tenancies — monthly, weekly, and other intervals — that minimum is now two months in every case.
So if a landlord serves a notice on 1 July, the earliest valid effective date is 1 September — provided that date also falls on the first day of a new tenancy period (see below).
The Effective Date Must Align to the Tenancy Period
The notice period and the effective date are two separate requirements, and both must be satisfied. The effective date must be:
- at least two months after service of the notice; and
- the first day of a new period of the tenancy.
For a monthly tenancy that runs from the 15th, the valid effective dates are always the 15th of a month. A notice served on 1 July specifying 1 September as the effective date would be void — 1 September is not the first day of a period running from the 15th. The correct earliest effective date would be 15 September (the first 15th that is at least two months after 1 July).
This rule appears in s.13(3) Housing Act 1988 and was confirmed in Mooney v Whiteland [2023] EWCA, where the Court of Appeal voided a notice for exactly this error.
Calculating the two-month gap correctly but then rounding to a convenient calendar date — the 1st of the month, for example — rather than the actual anniversary of the tenancy start. If the tenancy began on the 17th, the effective date must be a 17th. Anything else voids the notice even if the two-month gap is otherwise satisfied.
The 52-Week Rule Runs Alongside the Notice Period
A Section 13 notice cannot take effect fewer than 52 weeks after the previous increase took effect. This is a separate constraint from the two-month notice requirement, and both must be satisfied simultaneously.
In practice the window for each year is narrow: serve at least two months before you want the increase to start, but the start date must be no sooner than 52 weeks after the last one. The Section 13 timing calculator handles this arithmetic, or read the 53-week rule for the edge case that applies to some long-running tenancies.
What Happens if the Notice Period Is Too Short
A Section 13 notice that gives less than two months’ notice, or specifies a date that does not fall on the first day of a tenancy period, is void on its face. The rent increase does not take effect, and the tenant is entitled to continue paying the old rent. The landlord’s remedy is to serve a fresh notice with a correct effective date — the defective notice cannot be corrected by agreement.
Tenants uncertain whether a notice is valid can run the validity self-check or read the full list of Section 13 mistakes that invalidate a notice.
Check your Section 13 datesRelated guides
How to Serve a Section 13 Notice
Service methods, deemed-service dates, and what proof to retain.
7 Section 13 Mistakes That Invalidate It
The procedural errors that void a notice — short notice, wrong form, mid-period dates.
How Often Can Rent Be Increased?
Once every 52 weeks via Section 13 — why the tenancy agreement can’t override it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice does a landlord have to give for a rent increase in England?
From 1 May 2026, at least two months. The Section 13 notice must state the date the new rent takes effect, and that date must be at least two months after the notice is served and fall on the first day of a new tenancy period.
Has the notice period for rent increases changed in 2026?
Yes. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (effective 1 May 2026) doubled the minimum notice period from one month to two months for all assured periodic tenancies in England. Notices served before 1 May 2026 under the old one-month rule were valid at the time if they used the old prescribed form.
What happens if a landlord gives less than two months’ notice?
The notice is void and the rent increase does not take effect. The landlord would need to serve a fresh, valid Section 13 notice on Form 4A with a correct effective date at least two months away.
Can the tenant agree to a shorter notice period?
No. The two-month minimum is a statutory floor set by Housing Act 1988 s.13 as amended. An informal agreement to a shorter period does not make the notice valid — if a landlord wants certainty, they serve a notice with sufficient notice.