Your rent is going up: when it can happen and by how much
The annual review has rules. What the contract must say, how much notice you are owed, and what to check before agreeing.
A message arrives saying you will be paying more next month. Before assuming there is nothing to be done, three things are worth checking.
1. What your contract says
Rent is only reviewed if the contract expressly provides for it, and on the terms it sets out. If it says nothing about review, the rent stays as agreed for the term. It is the first place to look, and it is surprising how often nobody does.
2. When it applies
The review is annual, on the anniversary of the contract — not whenever it suits the landlord. And it has to be notified: an increase applied without notice and without a basis in the contract does not stand.
3. By how much
The cap depends on the reference index set by the rules in force at that moment, which has changed in recent years. Before accepting a figure, check which index applies to the year you are in and how it has been calculated.
Always ask for the calculation in writing: index used, period taken and resulting rent. If the landlord cannot break it down, that increase is probably not properly done.
And if you disagree
Talk before you stop paying. Withholding the difference on your own initiative puts you in breach even if you are right on the substance. What works is asking for the breakdown in writing and, if it does not add up, raising it formally.
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