I understand that under the RRC I am not able to propose an increased rent in the first 12 months of a new tenancy, nor can i propose an increase within any 12 month period. However what if i am now providing an additional service/facility? I have a fully furnished studio being rented to a young couple where the tenancy started in April 2026. They use the washing machine regularly, 2 to 3 times a day(!) as they religiously separate the colours of clothing into separate washes. They currently dry their clothes outside in the garden but they have asked if they can be given access to a dryer for use during the winter. There isn’t enough space in the studio for a separate dryer along with the washing machine so it would have to be a combined washer/dryer.
I am happy to replace their existing washing machine with a washer/dryer but i would like to increase the rent nominally for the expected increase in electricity usage. Is this not possible under the RRA?
Well you could end current tenancy by mutual surrender and have a new tenancy with added facilities included with a new rental amount.
Otherwise the only legal way to increase the rent is the s13 route as I understand it
If it was access/use of different facilities like a dryer in the garden (if you had a shed there with power socket), that could be a totally different contract not tied to the tenancy i guess
Thank you both so much for your responses. The tenancy was all set up under open Rent. Do you know if OR will allow me to terminate the existing tenancy even if mutually agreed and then re-set up with a new tenancy? Do you know what the process is for doing so?
Or i was thinking of adding an addendum to the current tenancy but i do not want to fall foul of anything within the RRA.
Sure under OR you have to end the tenancy and create a new one - they will as usual charge for that.
Means youll need to return deposit, create an ad, tenant applies, you create new tenancy and get new deposit, serve all the gsr epc eicr etc again.
Even so you need legal advice, same as if you did an addendum
Tbh I’d just ask OR if they can change the tenancy so it says the electric is paid by the tenants and do that instead. Crazy to have unlimited bills. Its the only reason they are using the washing machine so much. Who needs to wash so much every day. They are probably doing all their neighbours washing for free if they are doing 3 washes a day, and charging for it, as well as wearing your washing machine.out extra fast. It’s also environmentally unsound as will be using far more water not just electricity.
Seems like a lot of work for what would necessarily be a very small increase. I would just wait until the 12 months is up and then increase to cover all costs.