Letting agents

Rent increase notices on a private residential tenancy: an admin routine for letting agencies

A rent increase on a private residential tenancy (PRT) is a small job with fixed dates. If one step is wrong, the increase may not take effect. A written routine makes it repeatable for the whole team.

The notice

Section 22(1) of the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016:

"The landlord under a private residential tenancy may increase the rent payable under the tenancy by giving the tenant a notice in accordance with this section ("a rent-increase notice")."

The notice must specify "the rent that will be payable once the increase takes effect" and "the day on which the increase is to take effect" (section 22(2)(a)). The minimum notice period starts "on the day the notice is received by the tenant" and ends "three months after it began", unless a longer period is agreed (section 22(5)).

Source: legislation.gov.uk, Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 section 22.

mygov.scot puts the landlord's side plainly:

"You must send the tenant a rent increase notice by using the correct form. The rent increase notice must be signed and dated."

"If you tell the tenant about a rent increase in any other way, the rent remains unchanged."

It also says you must allow 2 days for the tenant to get a notice sent by post, and that the landlord "can only increase the rent once in a 12-month period" and "must give your tenant at least 3 months' written notice of the increase".

Source: mygov.scot, Increasing the rent for a private residential tenancy.

Once in 12 months

The rule is in section 19 of the 2016 Act:

"(1) The rent payable under a private residential tenancy may not be increased more than once in a 12 month period."

"(2) For the purpose of subsection (1), in a case where the last rent increase resulted from an order of the rent officer or the First-tier Tribunal, the 12 month period is to be regarded as commencing on the date on which the rent would have been increased in accordance with section 22(4) had a referral to a rent officer not been made."

Source: legislation.gov.uk, 2016 Act section 19.

The prescribed form

Regulation 3 of the Private Residential Tenancies (Prescribed Notices and Forms) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (SSI 2017/297):

"A rent-increase notice given by the landlord to the tenant under section 22(1) (landlord's power to increase rent) of the Act must be in the form set out in schedule 2."

Source: legislation.gov.uk, SSI 2017/297 regulation 3.

Those Regulations are being replaced. The Private Residential Tenancies (Prescribed Notices and Forms) (Scotland) Regulations 2026 (SSI 2026/279) "come into force on 1 April 2027" and revoke the 2017 Regulations (regulation 8). Under regulation 3 of the 2026 Regulations, a rent-increase notice "given by a landlord to a tenant on or after 1 April 2027, must be in the form set out in schedule 2" of the 2026 Regulations. Notices given on or after 1 April 2027 use the new form. The gov.scot template is the 2017 form, so use it only for notices given before that date.

Source: legislation.gov.uk, SSI 2026/279.

The tenant's 21 days

A referral to a rent officer must be made "before the end of the day falling 21 days after the tenant receives the notice" (section 24(3)(d)). If a referral is made before the effective date, the increase does not take effect on that date (section 22(3)(b)), and the rent officer sets the rent (section 25).

Source: legislation.gov.uk, 2016 Act section 24.

A routine your whole team uses

1. Check eligibility. Confirm it's a PRT and that the increase won't break section 19(1). If the last increase came from a rent officer or Tribunal order, the 12 months run from the date it would have taken effect under section 22(4) (section 19(2)). Record both dates. Check whether the property is in a designated rent control area (none had been designated as of 3 Nov 2026; see below).
2. Get the landlord's instruction in writing: the new rent and the proposed effective date.
3. Prepare the notice on the prescribed form (SSI 2017/297 for notices given before 1 April 2027; SSI 2026/279 from 1 April 2027), then sign and date it.
4. Send it and record how: the date, the method and proof of sending. Allow for delivery time.
5. Diarise three dates: the date the notice is received, received + 21 days (the referral window closes), and received + 3 months (the earliest effective date).
6. Log the tenant's response on the form, and tell the landlord the same day.
7. On the effective date, update the rent record and confirm the new rent to the tenant and landlord.
8. File everything: the notice, proof of sending, the tenant's response and any rent officer order.

Coming changes

Checked on legislation.gov.uk and gov.scot on 3 Nov 2026. Recheck before each notice.

Rent control areas (in force, none designated). Part 4A of the 2016 Act was inserted from 1 April 2026 by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025. It only applies once Scottish Ministers "by regulations designate all or part of the area of the local authority as a rent control area" (2025 Act section 9(1)). gov.scot says the first local authority reports are due "no later than 31 May 2027". As of 3 Nov 2026 no area had been designated, so every PRT follows Part 4 (sections 19 to 22).

Source: legislation.gov.uk, Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 section 9.

Source: gov.scot, Rent controls.

Rent officer and Tribunal cap (from 1 April 2027). Under section 25 of the 2025 Act, when a tenant refers an increase, the rent set becomes "the lower of" the rent officer's (or Tribunal's) figure and the rent in the notice. SSI 2026/115 limits this to "a rent increase notice given by a landlord to a tenant under section 22(1) of the 2016 Act on or after 1 April 2027". A notice given before then is not covered.

Source: legislation.gov.uk, SSI 2026/115 schedule.

No increase in the first 12 months (no date set). Section 24 of the 2025 Act would stop increases "during the first 12 months of the tenancy except in such circumstances as may be prescribed by the Scottish Ministers in regulations". legislation.gov.uk marks it as prospective.

Source: legislation.gov.uk, 2025 Act section 24.

How Lorework helps

• Replies drafted your way. Lorework drafts replies that follow your agency's routine, for staff to approve.
• Tenants kept informed. Once staff approve them, updates go to tenants by SMS. The notice itself still goes on the prescribed form.
• Nothing goes out unapproved. A member of staff approves every reply before it is sent.
• Your team works in chat. Staff check and approve each drafted reply in chat.

Related: Tenancy deposit deadline · Lorework for letting agents in Scotland

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General information, not legal or qualified advice.