Hi,
As per the title our landlord is looking to increase our rent in June when our tenancy is up for renewal by £50. They also increased our rent back in January by £50 so that is £100 increase in 6 months. Are they able to do this? What is stopping them doing the same in 6 months & then another after that? Seems outrageous that they can do this to be honest - one increase was tough enough.
Hi
Under a rolling periodic tenancy landlord can only increase rent once a year. If you are doing fixed term of 6 months each time then landlord is able to increase at end of each fixed term. If you dont want increases every 6 months you could ask to go onto a periodic tenancy which will happen anyway if a new fixed term isn’t agreed. Alternatively you could ask for a longer fixed term without increases.
Any increases should be consistent with increases in the market rates for local rents.
Hi,
Thanks for your quick reply.
Yes we are on a fixed term contract. On the email we received we were given the option of a 6 month or 12 month contract. We were already thinking it is better to go for the 12 months simply to safe guard the rent going up again in 6 months. If we went the 12 months route I assume it would be in the contract somewhere where it states the rent cannot be increased again during that 12 month period?
Do we have any other options? Could we ask for a 24 month contract for example? How is it looked upon if we don’t agree to the new rent so we automatically go onto a periodic tenancy…do landlords take offence to that? Last thing we want is to be asked to leave.
With a fixed term the landlord can only increase the rent during the term if the contract says they can. If it doesn’t say either way then they cant increase it.
You can ask for a different term if you want. Some mortgage companies dont allow more than 12 months and some landlords dont want longer terms but you can always ask.
Depends on individual landlord if they take offence, I’d prefer to be told if increase would cause tenant major issue and then reconsider but some wouldn’t be happy.
Great thanks. I will check our contract tonight when home as I only got the email come through this morning & I’m at work at present. As the rent increase is on the day of our renewal there doesn’t seem to be much we can do whatever happens as they’re not looking to increase it during the current tenancy but at the end when it renews.
I’m just put out, not being funny £50 increase on new years eve & then another £50 6 months later seems very harsh. Maybe not in this day & age. Is this the norm?
As Richard19 ssys, your best bet is probably to ask to go on periodic contract. The landlord/agent may decline and you would then have to decide if this is the right place for you.