Rent Increases under Private Residential Tenancies
Landlords in Scotland can increase the rent under a Private Residential Tenancy any time in the first year of the tenancy. After that, the rent can only be increased once every 12 months.
To increase the rent the landlord must provide the tenant with a Rent Increase Notice which can be found here and give them at least 3 months’ notice of when the rent increase will begin. The rent increase should not be above the open market rent.
You must also check if your property is within a rent pressure zone as if it is then the rent increase notice may not be valid.
Challenging an increase
To challenge a rent increase the tenant must:
- Complete part 3 of the rent increase notice and return it to the landlord
- Apply to the Rent Service Scotland
A rent officer will then assess whether the increase is in line with the open market rent.